In A Blockbuster Deal, Microsoft Scoops Up Three Texas-Based Gaming Studios

The maker of Xbox consoles paid $7.5 billion for ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Texas-based Arkane, id Software and Bethesda Softworks.

By Shelly BrisbinSeptember 24, 2020 8:34 am,

It’s a busy time in the video game business, with two major console releases coming in November, and a blockbuster deal bringing new game studios under one company’s umbrella. Microsoft, maker of Xbox game consoles, and already the owner of many important game titles, paid $7.5 billion for ZeniMax Media, which in turn owns eight gaming studios. They include Texas-based Bethesda, id Software and Arkane. Meanwhile, the Xbox X console arrives in November, days after Sony’s next-generation console, the PlayStation 5. 

Tech expert Omar Gallaga told Texas Standard the ZeniMax acquisition is “like when Disney bought Marvel and LucasFilms combined.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

Why Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax matters

– What the acquisition could mean for other game franchises Microsoft owns

– Why the launches of Xbox X and PlayStation 5 have not gone well

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