Microsoft's Bethesda Deal 'Could Fall Within Merger Regulation,' But Not Approved Yet - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 10 February 2021 / 1,735 Views
Microsoft announced in September 2020 it had worked out a deal to acquire Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion.
The acquisition appears to be nearly complete with Microsoft requesting approval with the European Commission on January 29 and if approved the deal could close on March 5.
The EU in a recently published notification says that the "notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved."
The European Commission has given "interested third parties" up to February 15 to submit "possible observations on the proposed operation."
ZeniMax Media owns several developers with many popular video game IPs. The list of games Microsoft would now own if the deal is approved includes The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Wolfenstein, Rage, Dishonored, Starfield, and many more.
It was recently announced Wolfenstein developer, MachineGames, is developing a new Indiana Jones game with an original story. Other confirmed games in development by ZeniMax developers includes The Elder Scrolls VI, Starfield, Deathloop, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Wolfenstein III.
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.
Essay Pro