Microsoft acquires ZeniMax Media (Bethesda, id Software, Arkane + 5 more) [2020-09-21, 2021-03-09]

[eastmen]

You guys don't understand. This is a game pass and game engine move pure and simple. MS needs a lot of content they own on game pass and the easiest way to do it is to buy it. Now MS gets a large back catalog of games and a bunch of studios that will keep making games. People laugh when i said MS wants to put out a new big title every other month or so. But this is how they accomplish it. I suspect we will see games come to multiple platforms for a while but slowly they will start to become xbox platform only .

I expect another big studio purchase like this announced early next year most likely. I also expect a few smaller purchases over the next year

 

[BRiT]

I still don't like the idea of Microsoft and Sony buying shit up and turning it exclusive. A future with less exclusives is better than a future with more exclusives.

I completely agree, but this is a business world where it's a race to get even larger? I do hope they continue to release multiplatform titles like the other studio acquisitions have been like for existing IP. Though what new IP do you suppose will come from Zenimax?

I will say, Halo multiplayer on idtech would be veeeeery interesting.

Yes, but do you have 5 years to wait for that patiently?

 

[Deleted member 7537]

Shit is wild yo!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1308044609604341763

I don't think obsidian future looks too bright after this adquisition tbh.

 

[RobertR1]

You guys don't understand. This is a game pass and game engine move pure and simple. MS needs a lot of content they own on game pass and the easiest way to do it is to buy it. Now MS gets a large back catalog of games and a bunch of studios that will keep making games. People laugh when i said MS wants to put out a new big title every other month or so. But this is how they accomplish it. I suspect we will see games come to multiple platforms for a while but slowly they will start to become xbox platform only .

I expect another big studio purchase like this announced early next year most likely. I also expect a few smaller purchases over the next year

Yes they basically want to be the netflix of games. It's a smart play and they have the cash to do it without any real competition.

 

[Scott_Arm]

I completely agree, but this is a business world where it's a race to get even larger? I do hope they continue to release multiplatform titles like the other studio acquisitions have been like for existing IP. Though what new IP do you suppose will come from Zenimax?

...

I think it would be VERY hard for microsoft to keep all of those studios profitable without multiplatform releases. Still, it would make sense to get a few periodic exclusives out of it. Maybe some new IP, and keep all of the existing IP multi-platform.

Also just having idtech onboard for internal use and tech sharing is A+.

 

[RobertR1]

I think it would be VERY hard for microsoft to keep all of those studios profitable without multiplatform releases. Still, it would make sense to get a few periodic exclusives out of it. Maybe some new IP, and keep all of the existing IP multi-platform.

Also just having idtech onboard for internal use and tech sharing is A+.

They can loss lead until they can just buy out the market and drag over the userbase.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

I wonder if this causes concerns over at Epic.
Microsoft could be on their way to push their games to use id Tech engines in the future.

I hope this happens. It would give me an reasonable out from boycotting zenimax owned IP's. Yes, I know I'm forever salty about the oculus/carmack law suit.ä

Well and now that Facebook is forcing Oculus users to link their facebook accounts to their headsets, how do you feel about Oculus?

I agree that Bethesda games will be much better placed under Microsoft than they were under Zenimax.
Bethesda did a series of very questionable decisions (going after Oculus / John Carmack, Skyrim paid mods, Elder Scrolls Blades, etc.) that I could only imagine them being pushed by bean counters at Zenimax.

Microsoft is much more worried about long-term profits and customer dedication.

Though what new IP do you suppose will come from Zenimax?

Starfield.

 

[manux]

I see this as positive. Worst case microsoft bungles same way they did with halo. Key personnel eventually leave and use that microsoft money to found new studios. That's how destiny happened. It's typical key employees get golden hand cuffs(money, money, money) so they keep working after acquisition. This money can in future flow to newly founded smaller studios if ms isn't right home for those people.

 

[manux]

Well and now that Facebook is forcing Oculus users to link their facebook accounts to their headsets, how do you feel about Oculus?

I agree that Bethesda games will be much better placed under Microsoft than they were under Zenimax.
Bethesda did a series of very questionable decisions (going after Oculus / John Carmack, Skyrim paid mods, Elder Scrolls Blades, etc.) that I could only imagine them being pushed by bean counters at Zenimax.

If you go look at vr thread I don't like what facebook is doing. I have stated it's very unlikely I would buy any future facebook vr headset like quest2.

 

[cheapchips]

I don't think obsidian future looks too bright after this adquisition tbh.

Why? The Outer Worlds is much better IP than a Fallout rip off. Grounded was well received. In terms of release cadence, there's plenty of room for Obsidian and Bethesda RPGs. And inXile and Fable.

 

[Ike Turner]

I don't think obsidian future looks too bright after this adquisition tbh.

They don't seem worried

https://twitter.com/x/status/1308048512165134336

 

[Deleted member 7537]

Why? The Outer Worlds is much better IP than a Fallout rip off. Grounded was well received. In terms of release cadence, there's plenty of room for Obsidian and Bethesda RPGs. And inXile and Fable.

Yeah but it is like you bought Obsidian to have something like Bethesda. But now you decided that you don't want the copy, but the original. It will all depend on how good their games sell ofc.

 

[Shortbread]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/jason-schreier-microsoft-planning-to-buy-zenimax-media.291365/

Microsoft will buy Zenimax media, 7.5 billions

https://twitter.com/x/status/1308028640488292352

That is a major catch. Just wow! Sony your turn...

 

[Shortbread]

Can't say I like this for the industry.

I'm pretty sure we'll be hearing another major one soon...

 

[eastmen]

Yes they basically want to be the netflix of games. It's a smart play and they have the cash to do it without any real competition.

you have to think about it this way. MS right now is the big fish in a small pond but the pond keeps getting larger and other big fish are starting to enter. Some fish are extremely big. You have google in with stadia and you have apple most likely entering at some point. Apple is able to take garbage like apple music and apple tv and iterate on it over and over again while throwing large piles of money at it that it will eventually become good. Its the way microsoft does it and the way other companies have done it in the past. But Apple is larger than MS now and has a slew of its own devices and we already know they aren't afraid to use IOS to make things like apple music and tv sucessful . So MS needs the content , they need to capitalize on as much as they can before apple and google open their purse strings.

I have no doubt by the end of this decade apple will be fully in on gaming. Its just grown to be way to large of a market not to actively want to participate in it.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Holy shit. I hope they don't go full exclusive with Doom or Wolfenstein. Titanfall got killed because of that.

Did Titanfall get any platform exclusivity at all?

I thought Titanfall got killed by the success of Apex Legends.

 

[eastmen]

I'm pretty sure we'll be hearing another major one soon...

Something is going to come out of japan for sure. I think there is another large western one also. But i think both will be next year

 

[Ike Turner]

Stadia R.I.P

 

[London Geezer]

Does this mean I’ll lose Doom? That’s harsh.

 

[Deleted member 7537]

That is a major catch. Just wow! Sony your turn...

Sony doesn't have the cash for these kind of operations. They need to grow IPs, cannot buy them out.

To put this into perspective, to make 7.5 billion out of Gamepass, they would need one year revenue of 41M+ users. And let's remember that you need to substract the COR. It's a huge ammount of money.