After getting the approval of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the European Union Commission, Microsoft has officially announced that the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda, is complete.
Xbox head Phil Spencer welcomed the eight studios under ZeniMax—id Software, Bethesda, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog and Roundhouse Studios—in a blog post for Xbox, saying that it was "an honor" to have them join the team.
Spencer touched on what the acquisition meant for both Microsoft and Bethesda, saying that the aim is "to give these teams the best foundation for doing their greatest work and to learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all players." He also stressed that it was "vitally important that Bethesda continues making games the way it always has," and said Xbox wants to help "make future Bethesda titles the biggest and most popular games in their history."
Here’s to the next journey only now getting started. Today we have officially joined the @Xbox family.https://t.co/bee08Px13K pic.twitter.com/FUepkINYboMarch 9, 2021
As expected, Bethesda's inclusion on Game Pass and future exclusives was also confirmed, saying "gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players." It was also announced that more Bethesda games will be coming to Xbox Game Pass "later this week," along with more news to share about what's next later in the year.
The blog post was rounded out by a tribute to ZeniMax Media founder Robert A. Altman, who died earlier this year. Spencer called Altman a "close friend" who "believed deeply in the power of gaming." He also said he "will miss the opportunity to work directly with him," but added "I know that his spirit will live on in the shared work we do and motivate us to make this partnership all he envisioned."
