All Bethesda and ZeniMax IPs Now Owned by Microsoft - Article
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 October 2020 / 4,204 Views
In case you haven't heard one of the biggest gaming acquisitions in history occurred today. Microsoft has acquired Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion. Xbox Game Studios will grow from 15 to 23 studios.
The list of developers under the ZeniMax umbrella now part of Xbox Game Studios includes Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios.
Here we will be providing a quick rundown of what games each studio is best known for and is now owned by Microsoft.
Bethesda Game Studios
Bethesda Game Studios is one of the two most well-known developers of ZeniMax. They were established in 2001 when ZeniMax decided to spin off the Bethesda development team from the publishing team.
The studio would be best known for two franchises, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. They have developed and released The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Fallout Shelter. Two confirmed upcoming titles include new IP Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI.
id Software
The second most well-known developer that was owned by ZeniMax, id Softare best known for popularizing the first-person shooter with hits such as Wolfenstein 3D and Doom was founded in 1991 and acquired by ZeniMax in 2009.
They are also known for Quake, Rage, and the classic platformer Commander Keen. Their most recent releases include Doom Eternal in March 2020 and Rage 2 in May 2019.
Arkane Studios
The French developer was founded in 1999 and acquired by ZeniMax in 2010. Arx Fatalis, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, and KarmaStar saw moderate success as their first three titles. Once acquired they found more success with releases such as the Dishonored series and 2017's Prey. They have also worked on id Software's Wolfenstein series with the release of Wolfenstein: Youngblood as a co-developer.
Arkane's next game, Deathloop, is currently coming out as a PlayStation 5 console exclusive, as well as PC. A deal with Sony was made before the Microsoft acquisition, which Microsoft is honoring.
MachineGames
Swedish developer, MachineGames, was founded in 2009 and acquired in 2010. They have been tasked with the development of the Wolfenstein franchise since 2014's Wolfenstein: The New Order. They released an expansion pack for Quake, called Dimension of the Past, in 2016.
MachineGames' most recent releases include 2019's Wolfenstein: Youngblood, a followup to The New Colossus, and the virtual reality game, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot.
Tango Gameworks
Japanese developer, Tango Gameworks, was founded in 2010 and acquired by ZeniMax later the same year. They are best known for two The Evil Within games, which released in 2014 and 2017.
The next title from the developer, Ghostwire: Tokyo is due out in 2021 for the PlayStation 5 and PC. Similar to Deathloop, a deal with Sony was made before the Microsoft acquisition, which Microsoft is honoring.
ZeniMax Online Studios
The Maryland-based developer, ZeniMax Online Studios, was founded in 2007 to specialize in massively multiplayer online games. They have released The Elder Scrolls Online and the controversial Fallout 76.
The studio is also working on a new Commander Keen for Android and iOS.
Roundhouse Studios
The Wisconsin-based developer, Roundhouse Studios, was founded in November 2019 by ZeniMax. Human Head Studios closed its doors before the entire team was rehired by Bethesda as Roundhouse Studios.
There is no word yet on what games the studio is working on. As Human Head Studios they developed Prey (2006), The Quiet Man, and Rune II.
Alpha Dog
The Novia Scotia-based developer, Alpha Dog, was founded in 2012 and acquired in October 2019. They are best known as a mobile studio who developed the real-time strategy game MonstroCity: Rampage and action role-playing game Wraithborne.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
