Microsoft has just acquired Zenimax Media for a whopping $7.5 billion. Zenimax Media is the parent company of Bethesda Game Studios, Arkane Studios, id Software, Tango Gameworks and many more.
While acquisitions aren’t anything new, especially for Microsoft in recent years, one of this size isn’t something you see very often. But what does this all mean for gamers? Well, we’ve compiled a small number of possible changes this may mean for players going forward.
Bethesda Games on Xbox Game Pass & Game Pass for PC
One of the most obvious things that Microsoft’s acquisition means for players are the appearance of Zenimax’s developers’ games showing up on Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass for PC.
That means we could see Fallout 76, DOOM Eternal, The Evil Within 2, Elder Scrolls Online (and possibly its expansions) and a whole lot more making their way to Xbox Game Pass in the coming days.
It also means, as we noted in the announcement of today’s acquisition, that future Bethesda titles will be joining the Game Pass libraries on their release date.
Let’s just take a minute to take that in. The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield could be coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one, as part of your monthly subscription. If you subscribe already to Xbox Game Pass, or plan to eventually do so, then the news today is just objectively great.
