Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. Photo credit: Microsoft

Software giant Microsoft has announced that it’s reached a deal to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of video game powerhouse Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5 billion in cash. The acquisition of Bethesda will significantly boost the number of Microsoft’s creative studio teams and add the gaming company’s popular lineup to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which recently surpassed 15 million subscribers. The acquisition of ZeniMax notably comes on the heels of Microsoft debuting two new Xbox consoles; the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

A $7.5 billion deal marks one of the biggest ever seen in the gaming industry globally. The acquisition covers game publishing offices and development studios staffed by over 2,300 employees across the globe. Founded in 1999, ZeniMax and Bethesda have produced some of the world’s best-selling gaming franchises, among them Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Quake, Dishonored, and Wolfenstein.

Microsoft’s acquisition is expected to be completed in the first half of the company’s fiscal 2021. 

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