On Monday, software maker Microsoft announced its intention to purchase ZeniMax Media Inc. With this purchase, Microsoft is further expanding its gaming division.
ZeniMax Media Inc.
ZeniMax Media is the parent company of the more well-known computer game developer Bethesda Softworks. Bethesda Softworks is responsible for all publications of the group. ZeniMax Media also includes ID Software, Arkane Studios and Zenimax Online Studios. With this purchase, Microsoft wants to give the video games division a boost. ZeniMax Media and its subsidiaries are best known for games such as “Skyrim”, “Doom”, all “Fallout” games and “The Elder Scrolls”. Bethesda also released the three new “Star Trek” games. Among the releases of Arkane Studios is for example “Dishonored”.
The computer game developer ZeniMax Media is to be taken over for an impressive 7.5 billion dollars. The company is one of the largest privately owned and, according to Microsoft, employs about 2300 people. The company has its headquarters in Maryland (USA).
The acquisition of ZeniMax Media is expected to be completed by mid 2021, according to the two companies.
Currently, the approval of the antitrust authorities is still missing. This is still pending at the moment.
With this multi-billion dollar purchase, Microsoft is further expanding its gaming division.
Not the first acquisition
This is not the first takeover of a game developer by Microsoft. In the last few years, the software giant Microsoft has already made several acquisitions.
In 2014 the Swedish company Mujang, known for “Minecraft”, was bought up for just under 2.5 billion dollars.
In June 2018 Compulsion Games Inc. was taken over by Microsoft.
The purchase of ZeniMax Media and its subsidiaries will be one of the most expensive takeovers in the industry.
Microsoft subscription service
The software giant intends to use the acquisition to reinforce its position even before the new console is launched. All titles of the subsidiaries, especially those of Bethesda, will then be available via the “Game Pass” of XBox. Microsoft already has around 15 million subscribers and has even increased this figure by 5 million in the last five months.
Microsoft sees the contents of its “Game Pass” as the key to remaining competitive.
Competitor Sony
The relationship with the competitor Sony will be interesting. The purchase of the ZeniMax group could lead to considerable shifts here. A large criterion for the players of XBox – plays consists straight in the fact that certain titles are simply exclusive on the XBox. Microsoft did not let anything announce in this correction yet. However, this is a point which would strengthen the position of Microsoft in the gaming sector enormously.
