Microsoft buys Zenimax

[Cassius_Smoke]

Just hope MS aren't planning on becoming the new Disney.

[Cepp]

So with this aquisition, MS now has all of the major Fallout related players under one roof with inXile, Obsidian and Bethesda. I know that has some fans drooling but I like that they all have their own take on the concept.

[Team Andromeda]

Gamepass is now going to be insane vaule.

[eastyy]

I am super wary and cautious about this I have to say, when it comes to Microsoft and the studios and ip's they have feel they are sorely underutilized , while granted this is the biggest purchase they have made i really hope they finally get the amount of games out they really can

[nonny]

Just hope MS aren't planning on becoming the new Disney.

Microsoft is literally aiming to be the first subscriber based platform (Game Pass) with 100 million subscribers. If I had to guess what their 5 year goal is with Xbox right now I would hazard a guess it is something like that. That would be across console, PC and cloud platforms.

To do that they need content, old and new... and varied. They need to make Game Pass insane value and something that basically becomes essential if you're on those platforms. I would argue it is essential right now on console already with the PC space improving rapidly and cloud too early to review.

I more I think about that goal the more I think it is counter-productive to make big titles Xbox exclusive. MS would make a tonne of money allowing Sony to have the big guns from this deal on PS5, its just good business. Plus is makes MS and Xbox look like a brand that cares, as rubbish as that sounds no-one likes it when exclusives... you know, exclude.

I figure the economies needed to keep Game Pass affordable and scalable means MS will need numbers and diverse revenue streams outside of the service as well. So maybe they won't make Bethesda game titles exclusive... all eyes on Phil Spencer really.

The most telling thing from yesterday, one I missed but read this morning is that they didn't announce that Bethesda is part of Xbox Game Studios. So it sounds like they will be publishing their own titles and still in control to some extent. I guess that means they are still multi-platform much like Mojang is with Minecraft and Dungeons?

[Team Andromeda]

One got to love how the RestEra and NeoGaf SONY fanboys have just turned MS into a monster. The days of less powerful hardware, no in-house studios, MS leaving gaming are long gone.

[nonny]

One got to love how the RestEra and NeoGaf SONY fanboys have just turned MS into a monster. The days of less powerful hardware, no in-house studios, MS leaving gaming are long gone.

There is always a minority of idiots who just love to that sort of rubbish... let's be honest MS have come a long way over the course of the Xbox One generation. With a few hurdles along the way they've still managed to re-establish themselves and I think they are in a really strong position for the next few years.

This is great news for gaming all round. Sony is doing well, MS is doing well... yes they're in direct competition in some areas but that isn't as clear cut as it used to be either.

Really they need each other to bring the best out of both camps and these new consoles are priced so well even at launch that it's a great time to be a gamer whichever way you decide to game. Even in the PC space with the GFX cards arriving we're starting to see another evolution of gaming and that honestly excites me.

[Team Andromeda]

There is always a minority of idiots who just love to that sort of rubbish... let's be honest MS have come a long way over the course of the Xbox One generation. With a few hurdles along the way they've still managed to re-establish themselves and I think they are in a really strong position for the next few years.

I don't think it a minority on Rest or Neo and their constant knocking of MS and it's lack of In-House studios, crap GPU seems to have really hit home. MS now has more In-House studios than any console manufacture ever LOL. Its crazy to think all that content will be on Gamepass, Day 1

Really hoping now id is part of MS they make a kick-ass Series X patch for Doom Eternal

[Cassius_Smoke]

This is what compensation is right. With MS having Elder Scrolls, maybe its cleared the way for Sony to make their own Elder Scrolls type game. If they do, that's 2 Elder Scrolls for us players. Win/Win.

[MartyG]

Microsoft not buying Zenimax was stopping Sony from doing that previously?

[gambit6613]

I think this is a shot in the arm the industry needed, i personally have found gaming getting very stale over past year or so. The drip feed of information about new consoles that everyone knew were coming this year has been painfull. Lets face it its been a really crap year but since August things have been getting exciting again, at least in gaming sense.

One thing is it will make sure that Sony wont be able to get complacent and will have to work hard this generation. Last week when PS5 launch date was confirmed etc, it was almost certain that Sony would walk away with this generation and once again leave Xbox in the dust. This deal has changed things massivly, and its good for both companies, competition is essential as Sony have pretty much had it all their own way for past few years. Its really exciting.

[fishbowlhead]

One got to love how the RestEra and NeoGaf SONY fanboys have just turned MS into a monster. The days of less powerful hardware, no in-house studios, MS leaving gaming are long gone.

Well thats those sites for you, fine for news speed and that’s about it.

[Team Andromeda]

Well thats those sites for you, fine for news speed and that’s about it.

And making MS into a monster.

[fishbowlhead]

I think this is a shot in the arm the industry needed, i personally have found gaming getting very stale over past year or so. The drip feed of information about new consoles that everyone knew were coming this year has been painfull. Lets face it its been a really crap year but since August things have been getting exciting again, at least in gaming sense.

One thing is it will make sure that Sony wont be able to get complacent and will have to work hard this generation. Last week when PS5 launch date was confirmed etc, it was almost certain that Sony would walk away with this generation and once again leave Xbox in the dust. This deal has changed things massivly, and its good for both companies, competition is essential as Sony have pretty much had it all their own way for past few years. Its really exciting.

Wouldn’t this worry Sony less? Every studio MS buys see a dramatic drop in output.

Then you have the time scale of this, if MS decided to make EVERYTHING exclusive from that publisher theres a lot of current deals in place that have to run out first, wouldn’t start seeing the fruits of that until near end of the next gen PS5/SeriesX etc.

Most likely MS will keep zenimax largely the same next gen, current deal and franchises will remain same and multi plat, then all the new stuff developed will be exclusive, plus all of it on gamepass.

[Dogg Thang]

Microsoft not buying Zenimax was stopping Sony from doing that previously?

No, but as I noted in the other thread competing against an Elder Scrolls or a Fallout or a Doom was always a huge challenge. There now might be two out of three platforms where that competition no longer exists. If MS go for exclusivity, they might pave the way for some games hitting big that otherwise would have been swallowed up in Elder Scrolls hype.