Yesterday, the European Union approved Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media and all of its game studio subsidiaries. It didn't take long for Microsoft to react, with Xbox Boss Phil Spencer announcing the deal will be officially completed today.
Posting on Xbox Wire, Spencer wrote, "This is an exciting day for Xbox. Today we officially complete the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks. It’s an honor to welcome the eight incredibly talented development studios – Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios – and their passionate global communities to the Xbox family. Now that everything is official, we can begin working together to deliver more great games to everyone."
When the acquisition was first announced, Microsoft was keen to point out that ZeniMax games were not set to become Xbox exclusives and that content wouldn't be pulled from Sony or Nintendo platforms. However, today it's become clear that at least some future Bethesda games will not appear on rival hardware, with Spencer stating, "Gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players."
We'll have to wait and see exactly what that exclusivity means, but it's sure to frustrate gamers who are used to Bethesda releasing titles across multiple platforms. At the same time, Xbox Game Pass means that new Bethesda titles will no longer require paying full price at launch to play as they will all be offered as part of the subscription.