Microsoft: Former Bethesda Founder Comments on the Acquisition of the Game Studio

Published 09/27/2020, 2:51 PM EDT

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Microsoft recently made one of the biggest acquisitions in the video game industry by buying out ZeniMax Media, which is the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for a whopping $7.5 billion.

Bethesda’s original founder, Christopher Weaver, commented on the acquisition. He called the deal “an extremely interesting acquisition on the part of both groups.”

This statement doesn’t come as a surprise. With Microsoft as its spine, Bethesda may be able to produce bigger and better titles, following a few years of mixed fortunes.

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Moreover, this deal enables Microsoft to work on more exclusives for the Xbox. This also brings Xbox closer to the PlayStation in the console war as the number of studios under Microsoft increases from fifteen to twenty-three.

Christopher Weaver comments on the relationship between Microsoft and Bethesda

Weaver had played an instrumental role in the development of the first Elder Scrolls title. This led him to introduce Bethesda to the world in 1986, and he also founded ZeniMax Media in 1999. However, he left the company in 2002 but was a major shareholder until the end of the 2000s.

Weaver has always considered Bethesda to be a driving force in the video game industry. This inspired him to call the move an astounding success for both the companies. Additionally, he also shed more light on the reason behind the acquisition.

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“I do not think it is an accident that this announcement occurred so close to Sony’s PS5 announcement, referencing PlayStation’s launch and price event held earlier this month.”

Sony displayed a wide array of exclusives at the PS5 showcase. This put added pressure on Microsoft. But in a series of swift moves, Microsoft added a bazooka of a game studio to its arsenal as a means to produce more content for its users.

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“If the strategy works, it will be a brilliant counter-move against Sony. Users from around the world will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this deal. I wish them well,” said Weaver.

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Microsoft considers this deal an investment to revive a studio that might have flatlined without an intervention. However, Bethesda plans to honor its previous agreements. This essentially means that Deathloop and Ghostwire will release as timed-exclusives for PS5.

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This amalgamation sure sounds exciting, but only time will tell how it actually pans out. Keep following this space to get hold of more updates.

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Written by:

Nakul Ahuja

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Nakul Ahuja is an Esports author at EssentiallySports. He has spent 11 years doing theatre and is currently preparing for his Master's degree in Journalism. Along the way, he hopes to rake in money as Ninja does.
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