File Image: IOL
The gaming market continues to see growth during the coronavirus pandemic as many people spend more of their time at home, Microsoft jumped on the bandwagon and sealed a major deal which will see the tech giant acquire an American video game publisher Bethesda.
The deal which is said to be worth $7.5 billion includes Bethesda sub-studios like Dishonored developer Arkane, Wolfenstein studio MachineGames, Doom maker id Software, and The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks.
Microsoft’s gaming chief Phil Spencer said this is the next step in building an industry-leading first-party studios team, a commitment they have to their Xbox community.
“With the addition of the Bethesda creative teams, 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,” he said in a statement.
In a blog, Bethesda Marketing Chief Pete Hines indicated that they will not be making any major changes as yet.
“First, let me say that we’re not making any landmark announcements or changes right now. As we’ve all shared, the expectation is that Bethesda Softworks and our studios will continue as we have in the past, just with more support and resources than we’ve ever had before,” he said.
“Obviously, Game Pass has been an important initiative for Xbox, and we’ll be working on putting even more of our games into Game Pass than ever before. Beyond that? Stay tuned, we’re just getting started together.”
He also expressed gratitude to Microsoft’s gaming chief Phil Spencer and their team as they are about to embark on a new journey together.
"I’d also like to thank Phil Spencer and all the folks at Xbox and Microsoft who have been such a pleasure to work with as we prepare for this new chapter. The collaboration, mutual respect, and support they’ve shown to us during this process has been extraordinary.”
IOL