Microsoft Buys Zenimax (Bethesda)

Something about Doom and Quake being MS IPs sounds good to me.

Really like the news of ZeniMax games being permanently on Game Pass. Hope this also means the DLC ends up on there too.

Hope once the deal goes through the entire library (Xbox and PC) gets put on Game Pass straight away.

Also kind of glad I've been holding off of buying Doom Eternal now. If it comes to Game Pass it means I get to play it on the Xbox without paying any extra and there is also hope it comes to Game Pass on PC too (and maybe the chance for cross-saves too).
 
Last edited:
The clues where there!
1600790726220.png
 

In this article Satya is quoted as saying Microsoft are still on the lookout to buy more game creators.....oooof
I was watching an ign podcast thing and one of them had an anecdote about a developer they know, apparently thet joked about to an MS exec at that E3 where they said they were buying studios saying you'll buy anything won't you and was met with "are you selling" in a rather desperate tone.
 
MS will make most of it exclusive now. By that I mean Xbox, xCloud or PC with the expectation it will be via Gamepass. They are after bigger fish than Sony now with xCloud that's the 3B gamers thing they mention. The biggest selling exclusives on PSX are around 20M units. Why pay Sony 30% royalties to have a game on PSX when they can just say play on PC or use your phone or tablet or tv app (once that no doubt appears) for xCloud. Then if you want a fuller experience than xCloud here's a cheap console that you can just pick up and play from wherever you got to on your phone.
 
I would quite like to forget Bethesda's antiquated engine thank you very much, it’s at least half of the reason they earned themselves the name Bugthesda.
They have Id tech too 👍🏻 That’s not a bad engine at all 🤷🏻‍♂️

But yeah ditch crappy gamebryo engine tho - a fallout Vegas 2 or elder sdrolls on a UE engine like hellblade 2 and now we are talking. Good writers from inexile or obsidian

having the muscle now to move away from the crappy bugtheads engine will be great for huge ip games which will start to come.
Fact they are all gonna be Gamepass is lovely too.
 
And not forgetting all the game engines they now have

I wonder what that means for id Tech 7. On PC it only supports Vulkun and not DirectX. I hope they add in support on the PC side (I guess it's already in the engine for use with Xbox) and not take away Vulkun support for future iterations.

Also does id Tech use Havok? If not might be a good feature to add now both are under Microsoft Game Studios.

Then there is also the Void Engine (which I think is a derivative from id Tech 5).

I wonder which Xbox Games Studio developer outside ZeniMax could make use of something like id Tech. The majority are using Unreal Engine like Rare, The Coalition and Ninja Theory and they all seem tied to using it (I think I remember something about Gears games using Unreal Engine as part of the IP purchase from Epic). I think The Initiative are using Unreal Engine too.

Swapping the engine mid development doesn't seem likely so maybe after the current slate of projects are done they some may switch to those engines.

I would quite like to forget Bethesda's antiquated engine thank you very much, it’s at least half of the reason they earned themselves the name Bugthesda.

They have Id tech too 👍🏻 That’s not a bad engine at all 🤷🏻‍♂️

But yeah ditch crappy gamebryo engine tho - a fallout Vegas 2 or elder sdrolls on a UE engine like hellblade 2 and now we are talking. Good writers from inexile or obsidian

having the muscle now to move away from the crappy bugtheads engine will be great for huge ip games which will start to come.
Fact they are all gonna be Gamepass is lovely too.

Looks like the underpinnings of Gamebryo are still going to be there for Bethesda's next 2 games at least. But Tod Howard did say it's a major engine rewrite.



 
I think another reason behind the acquisition was zenimax was open to selling and Microsoft didnt want amazon or google dumping aload of cash and zenimax selling to them .

I also think Bethesda have history with Microsoft and if they were going to be sold they would much prefer to be working with them
 
I think another reason behind the acquisition was zenimax was open to selling and Microsoft didnt want amazon or google dumping aload of cash and zenimax selling to them .

I think with the news of Amazon Luna launching MS might get some more studios as their competition is increasing and the likes of Amazon and Google could easily spend the same massive amounts like Microsoft just did.
 
Last edited:
Yeah the market is moving towards services being critical. Xbox have the benefit of hardware to play games on their service which gives them an advantage over Amazon, Google etc in the short and medium term because still cloud gaming is not as idea for these sorts of complex full fledged games.

But the idea of games streaming is going to make content absolutely premium moving forwards. Just like it did for film/TV streaming services. The more Amazon/MS/Google own in terms of development resource and established and known IP the better for them. Which is why right after buying Bethesda in a huge deal, Nadella was out saying MS will look to buy more. I think any developer or publisher not big enough to develop their own sub or service options (probably EA/Activision/Take Two - are unlikely to be bought - perhaps partnership deals instead in some cases like EA have with MS) will be on the table over the coming years.

Its a fascinating time - in so many ways. Once Amazon get serious do they stop selling any rival hardware/software? Once google are serious how do they manage gaming searches etc....

Many things that could be of concern but I also see lots of opportunities in the new space. Big companies buying up publishers and developers adds security and probably improves the pay across the industry over time.
 
They should buy Playstation from Sony next and make that exclusive to Xbox. 😉
 
I can't see us getting many platforms from publishers, I'm guessing that big publishers like square enix, Activision, ubisoft and ea will likely do exactly what they do now and offer their games on Luna, Xbox and stadia instead of Xbox and PlayStation, their titles tend to sell anyway and they don't have the backing to launch a global streaming service the same way ms, Amazon and Google do.

Microsoft have been very smart to look ahead and see that while Sony is their current rival that stadia and Luna are coming and will disrupt the industry. Their shift to gamepass to really get out ahead of things offering a flat fee to download games straddles the old and new and puts their brand front and centre of this shift in the industry. The older gamers see the value gamepass offers and the new gamers will know the brand. It's also worth knowing that had ms not bought out zeni max the likes of Amazon, apple and Google have the money to start scooping up studios like this to drive their platforms. I guess we will see how streaming as a market settles though, will it be the Netflix model gamepass offers or the more sky like developer channels like ea play and Luna are offering.
 
They should buy Playstation from Sony next and make that exclusive to Xbox. 😉

I know we’re just joking but getting hold of Nintendo would be sweet...
 
Its a fascinating time - in so many ways. Once Amazon get serious do they stop selling any rival hardware/software?

I don't see Amazon doing that as they seem to sell on the idea of it being a one stop shop. As they sell Android tablets that compete with their own tablets and home automation equipment from other manufacturers.

Also Amazon's AWS is the backbone of services like Netflix so Amazon do let competing products run on their platforms as long as they get a cut.


They should buy Playstation from Sony next and make that exclusive to Xbox. 😉

I know we’re just joking but getting hold of Nintendo would be sweet...

I know people have been making jokes but I do think Sega is great purchase.
  • Massive IP library and they can start putting many games on Game Pass permanently (i.e. Xbox 360 ports of Dreamcast and Mega Drive games) and IPs they can use for the future by other studios.
  • They get a load of awesome and varied PC game developers in the likes of Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Relic Entertainment, Amplitude Studios and Two Point Studios. Which would bolster Game Pass for PC.
  • They get Sega Arcades which are big in Japan and could help their profile in that region.
  • Lots of Japan based developers including Sonic Team to help their profile there
  • Atlus so they can make JRPGs for the platform
  • Also if they get the whole of Sega Sammy they get a pretty big animation studio so they can make cut-scenes and 2D movies and side stuff for their games (i.e. more animated 2D Halo content)
 
Last edited:
Are Sega not also the Total War publishers? I love that franchise.

Edit: Sorry, I see you already allude to that in your post.
 
Sounds like all new Games will be exclusive to Games Pass so that's PC and Xbox Exclusives unless existing obligations like Deathloop.
 
LOL - "is the ink dry on that contract......uh huh... There all going to be Xbox exclusives! Why the hell do you think we bought them ? "

We all hoped so and so it is. MS needs them, Sony already has them. this will bring some balance and hopefully make both companies turn out some great games.
 
Sounds like all new Games will be exclusive to Games Pass so that's PC and Xbox Exclusives unless existing obligations like Deathloop.
PC, Xbox, android and soon anything with a browser. We know MS would love gamepass on Switch or PS5. So it’s a clear play this to expand gamepass. Which of course we all knew. IF Sony want the games they will need to allow gamepass on their platforms in some form.
 


 
PC, Xbox, android and soon anything with a browser. We know MS would love gamepass on Switch or PS5. So it’s a clear play this to expand gamepass. Which of course we all knew. IF Sony want the games they will need to allow gamepass on their platforms in some form.

I think that's exactly why Phil Spencer said they'll release anywhere Game Pass Streaming is as it will soon be available on web browsers (so that could also mean Linux, Mac OS and iOS) and MS might always be working on deals to release Game Pass on other platforms.
I could imagine the streaming service might soon end up on streaming boxes like Roku or Smart TVs from manufacturers like Samsung.
 
I think that's exactly why Phil Spencer said they'll release anywhere Game Pass Streaming is as it will soon be available on web browsers (so that could also mean Linux, Mac OS and iOS) and MS might always be working on deals to release Game Pass on other platforms.
I could imagine the streaming service might soon end up on streaming boxes like Roku or Smart TVs from manufacturers like Samsung.
Yep. But where would gamepass do best? For me on switch with a proper native app that meant you use the switch undocked and games work with its controls. The games streamed via xcloud. On that platform you’ve got captive gamers who might want to play the AAA Xbox stuff and probably are ok doing it via streaming....
 
Yep. But where would gamepass do best? For me on switch with a proper native app that meant you use the switch undocked and games work with its controls. The games streamed via xcloud. On that platform you’ve got captive gamers who might want to play the AAA Xbox stuff and probably are ok doing it via streaming....
Trouble on the switch is Nintendo are allowing cloud based games but selling them through the eshop. Unless they come to an agreement with Microsoft to take money from subs playing on the switch I can't see what's in it for Nintendo to let it happen. Never say never but I just can't see them opening it up anytime soon. To be fair if Nintendo made their own version of gamepass with their games on it on release day and their back catalogue I would be all over that service.

I wouldn't be entirely surprised if ms release their own Windows based streaming box. Just a small box and a controller bundled in for xcloud and maybe media playback. Might be able to have enough power to play 360 games natively but even that seems more power than it would need. I'm still surprised the Xbox one s hasn't seen a price reduction and cloud streaming added to really target the bottom end of the market.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom