EU approves Microsoft to buy Bethesda for 800 billion yen


by

Natty Dread

It turns out that the European Commission had approved Microsoft's acquisition of video game developer Bethesda Softworks and its parent company ZeniMax Media on March 5, 2021. Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media was announced in September 2020, but the deal required regulatory approval.

Case search --Competition --European Commission
https://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef/case_details.cfm?proc_code=2_M_10001

EU approves Microsoft's $ 7.5 billion Bethesda acquisition --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/8/22315104/microsoft-bethesda-acquisition-eu-approval-deal

Xbox and Bethesda will talk this week about what the acquisition means | VentureBeat
https://venturebeat.com/2021/03/08/bethesda-xbox-presentation/

European, US watchdogs approve Microsoft's $ 7.5bn deal to takeover video games publisher ZeniMax • The Register
https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/08/microsoft_zenimax_takeover/

In September 2020, Microsoft announced $ 7.5 billion in the popular first-person shooter (FPS) DOOM series, Bethesda Softworks known for Fallout , and its parent company ZeniMax Media. Announced that it will be acquired for 818,415 million yen). This has increased the number of game development studios owned by Microsoft to 23, and is expected to further enhance the lineup of the company's subscription service, Xbox Game Pass.

Microsoft acquires DOOM and Fallout's Bethesda Softworks, future releases outside of Xbox on a case-by-case basis-GIGAZINE



'The European Commission and the US Securities and Exchange Commission have approved Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media,' the IT news site The Register reported on March 8.

The European Commission said on the approval of the acquisition, 'Even with the integration of Microsoft and ZeniMax Media, the upstream position in the game market is limited, and there are strong competitors in the distribution of video games. Given its downstream presence, we conclude that the takeover offer does not raise competitive concerns, 'said Microsoft's acquisition as not a monopoly on the gaming market. ..

It has been pointed out that the reason why regulators approved the acquisition by Microsoft is that the company has made it clear that it respects Bethesda's independence and does not take an exclusive stance. ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks have many popular game titles such as DOOM and Fallout, as well as FPS's Wolfenstein series and RPG's The Elder Scrolls, so Microsoft has these. There was concern that it would monopolize the game.


by Barkar B

However, when proposing the acquisition, Microsoft announced that it would respect the PlayStation 5 exclusive contracts for 'Deathloop ' and ' GhostWire: Tokyo ' to be released by Bethesda Softworks. It has been revealed that support for ' The Elder Scrolls Online ', an MMORPG for PCs that has been running for a long time since its release in 2014, will continue as before.

Foreign media The Verge said, 'From Microsoft's point of view, it may not even be necessary to make Bethesda games available only on Xbox. Even if Bethesda's popular games are the first to be played on the Xbox Game Pass, there are many. Because it attracts gamers from the game. '

According to tech news site VentureBeat, Microsoft is rumored to hold some event on March 11, 2021, which could reveal new information about the future of Bethesda Softworks and ZeniMax Media. Is high.

in Game, Posted by log1l_ks