Microsoft is now the proud owner of some of the most popular gaming franchises in recent years. Having purchased Zenimax Media, the parent company of Bethesda, it is now the overlord of the Elder Scrolls series, including its perpetually re-released Skyrim, various Fallout games, and the classic and recently revamped Doom. Other big names in the purchase include Dishhonored, Wolfenstein, Prey, and Quake, among many others.
Zenimax Media is a massive conglomerate in its own right, acting as the parent company to Bethesda, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, Roundhouse Studios, Machine Games, and Arkane. It's a huge collection of major developers that gives Microsoft a controlling say in the future of so many developers' careers, and so many future and under-development games.
But Bethesda is arguably the big one and it's one Microsoft chose to honor in a special press release just about that particular developers.
"Like us, Bethesda are passionate believers in building a diverse array of creative experiences, in exploring new game franchises, and in telling stories in bold ways. All of their great work will of course continue and grow and we look forward to empowering them with the resources and support of Microsoft to scale their creative visions to more players in new ways for you," said Xbox's Phil Spencer.
Microsoft reportedly spent $7.5 billion on acquiring Zenimax Media and all the developers and franchises under its umbrella.
