EU signs off on Bethesda sale to Microsoft

The European Commission has officially approved Microsoft’s purchase of gaming studio Bethesda Softworks.

The tech giant acquired Zenimax Media, the parent company of the studio behind Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, for $7.5 billion.

On April 8, the commission announced the deal had been approved under the EU Merger Regulation.

It added the deal did not raise competition concerns due to the company’s limited market share.

What does the Microsoft deal mean for Bethesda games?

The Commission’s approval comes a week after the US Securities and Exchange Commission also signed off on the deal. This means not much is left standing in the way of Zenimax’s acquisition.

Once the deal is fully completed, Bethesda will be one of 23 first-party studios to fall under the Microsoft umbrella.

Bethesda is not the only studio that Microsoft has snagged with this deal. It includes the Dishonored franchise makers Arkane, The Evil Within‘s Tango Gameworks, MachineGames and its Wolfenstein collection, and id Software, the studio behind Doom.

Microsoft first announced its acquisition of Zenimax in September 2020.

Immediately, there were questions about the company’s games would become exclusive to Xbox consoles and Microsoft’s PC gaming platforms. At the time, the company said all upcoming titles on the PS5, including Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, would remain exclusive to the console.

On later Bethesda titles, the company said it would make decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Following the announcement, Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealed the studio would run semi-independently from Microsoft.

Microsoft also revealed that Besthesda games will be available on Xbox Game Pass the same day they are released.

Feature image: Bethesda Softworks

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