Microsoft acquires ZeniMax Media and Fallout maker Bethesda for $7.5 billion

I doubt Sony has the cash to do it. What gives you that impression?

Edit.
Looking into it now is Rockstar worth only 3.5 billion? They probably made more then3x that from gta5.
3.5 billion? That seems odd. Rockstar is owned by TakeTwo iirc. Where did you get that number?
 
I can't be upset. Even if I didn't own some stock, I wouldn't be upset. I just hope they don't make the studios eventually become sequel mills.
 
What gives you that idea? Did you read the thread? MS has said that not all games will be exclusive.
Timed exclusives are just as bad, and some games will be exclusive to Xbox. Also, the only reason PC has gotten Xbox exclusives is because the Xbox One failed. If the Xbox Series X/S are succesful then you can bet all ZeniMax games will be exclusive to Xbox.
Why would you think MS would prevent modding or lock anything to their store?
Because the DRM Microsoft has is worse than Denuvo, and if future Bethesda games use Microsofts DRM then modding can only be done through whatever tool Microsoft releases. Any game can be modded with or without the help of the developers, but Microsoft will make it super difficult. Also if games are exclusive to Xbox then modding Bethesda games is dead.

 
I can't be upset. Even if I didn't own some stock, I wouldn't be upset. I just hope they don't make the studios eventually become sequel mills.

But sequel mills is exactly all that ZeniMax studios have been under ZeniMax. The very first new IP any of them have created since being owned by ZeniMax is going to be Starfield. So, those studios can't become what they already are.

Personally, I don't mind if they continue being that. They have a lot of great IPs, which Microsoft will need to distribute to more studios if they want to capitalize on them effectively. I expect that Microsoft is going to do that, and that we'll get much more frequent releases of Elder Scrolls and Fallout going forward.
 
You know MS is fucking loaded when they say stuff like this:

Microsoft expects the acquisition to close in the second half of fiscal year 2021 and to have minimal impact to non-GAAP operating income in fiscal years 2021 and 2022.
Yeah they posted 10.8B in profits for 3'rd quarter. up 15% from this time last year.
 
Can't wait to see Bethesda crash and burn, if there is one thing Microsoft is good at it's mismanaging game projects and studios.
Idk Bethesda has been try hard themselves but people keep buy their crap.
3.5 billion? That seems odd. Rockstar is owned by TakeTwo iirc. Where did you get that number?
Just a quick Google search. I couldn't find a value for take two.
 
Timed exclusives are just as bad, and some games will be exclusive to Xbox. Also, the only reason PC has gotten Xbox exclusives is because the Xbox One failed. If the Xbox Series X/S are succesful then you can bet all ZeniMax games will be exclusive to Xbox.

Because the DRM Microsoft has is worse than Denuvo, and if future Bethesda games use Microsofts DRM then modding can only be done through whatever tool Microsoft releases. Any game can be modded with or without the help of the developers, but Microsoft will make it super difficult. Also if games are exclusive to Xbox then modding Bethesda games is dead.


MS has been very pro consumer the past couple years. Granted it is cause they got their ass handed by Sony and no doubt they would flip with the next xbox if they dominate this gen. There is still a lot a greed at MS so who know what they will pull.
 
Because the DRM Microsoft has is worse than Denuvo, and if future Bethesda games use Microsofts DRM then modding can only be done through whatever tool Microsoft releases. Any game can be modded with or without the help of the developers, but Microsoft will make it super difficult. Also if games are exclusive to Xbox then modding Bethesda games is dead.
Bethesda games are usually modded with Bethesda tools already. (Even community tools creators advise people to build/update with the Creation kit to avoid problems)
Recently, Microsoft has been pushing the xbox+pc gaming strategy, doesn't seem likely that they'll make Bethesda games xbox exclusives or kill the modding scene, in the near future at least.
 
But sequel mills is exactly all that ZeniMax studios have been under ZeniMax. The very first new IP any of them have created since being owned by ZeniMax is going to be Starfield. So, those studios can't become what they already are.

Personally, I don't mind if they continue being that. They have a lot of great IPs, which Microsoft will need to distribute to more studios if they want to capitalize on them effectively. I expect that Microsoft is going to do that, and that we'll get much more frequent releases of Elder Scrolls and Fallout going forward.

Maybe I should have been more clear with my words, was just tying to be brief. I just hope it’s not like Activision, and, as an example — Raven with Call of Duty.
 
Look at what you did console peasants. Especially you Xbox owners, all five of you. Now all ID and Bethesda games may end up being exclusive to the Xbox console. All future Bethesda games may never see mods unless it's bought from their store.

This is what I'm afraid of. I love modding Elderscrolls & Fallout games. It may be coming to an end, if it does there will be no reason to buy the games.
 
I would think that they are very much aware of the importance of modding for these franchises and thus, if they are wise, would find ways to not hinder it and even promote it.
 
It likely played out something like this..... and I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I guess time will tell.

aD4Obr7_460s.jpg
 
Holy shit... does this mean they could be making the major Bethesda franchises Xbox/Windows exclusive? That would be a huge fucking deal.

They aren't going to make them Xbox exclusives because series like Doom, Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, and Fallout among others have a massive amount of cross-platform fans and Microsoft would be halving their revenue by not allowing Sony to get those games too. If anything the following will happen:

* Bethesda's past and future catalog all end up on Game Pass exclusively
* Xbox and Microsoft Store versions of major releases like Elder Scrolls would be timed exclusives and/or have Xbox/Windows specific exclusive content.


Sony won the PS4 vs Xbox One console "war" and the same will likely happen with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S so to cut off Sony entirely would be really stupid and they need to make their money back on their investment.
 
Post-Microsoft Acquisition, Bethesda Games Will Be On Other Platforms On A "Case By Case Basis"


It looks like the console space just became more rivalrous - and this might make purchasing decisions more difficult for those planning to buy one of the upcoming consoles.

But the PC platform, meanwhile, is looking to be in the best position it ever has been for game releases, with Microsoft pledging to release all its future games on PC at the same time they launch on Xbox, and with various formerly PlayStation-exclusive developers porting their games to the PC, and even Sony saying that they're looking to port more of their games to PC.

PC hardware has also surpassed the upcoming consoles' capabilities before they even release. And Nvidia seems to be accomplishing the same thing as the PS5's special SSD's capability with their RTX IO feature.

The PC is shining bright right now, when it comes to gaming.
of course a gpu which costs more than an entire console, performs better than the gpu in the console. It's not a good comparison.

disc free PS5 will be $399. You can't built an equivalent pc at that price, for awhile. A long while.

nvidia's tensor core driven storage decompression is so far only confir.ed for GPU which cost more than a whole PS5. And it's very likely we won't see a single game support that tech, for many months or longer. And you can't even buy an intel platform with pcie 4.
 
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MS has been very pro consumer the past couple years. Granted it is cause they got their ass handed by Sony and no doubt they would flip with the next xbox if they dominate this gen. There is still a lot a greed at MS so who know what they will pull.
They're not pro consumer by choice. When the 3 year old Switch out sells your 7 year old console then you have no choice but to port games to PC. Halo originally came out on PC and Mac, but since then Halo games take 10+ years before getting on PC. Pro consumer my ass.

Bethesda games are usually modded with Bethesda tools already. (Even community tools creators advise people to build/update with the Creation kit to avoid problems)
Yes but there are tools available besides the ones from Bethesda. The first Fallout 4 mods were done without the creation kit. Some of the best mods for Skyrim are done with unofficial tools.
Recently, Microsoft has been pushing the xbox+pc gaming strategy, doesn't seem likely that they'll make Bethesda games xbox exclusives or kill the modding scene, in the near future at least.
That all depends on the success of the Xbox Series. If Xbox does terrible then nothing changes, but if Microsoft succeeds then expect Xbox exclusives, or at the very least timed exclusives.

Something to also keep in mind is that Microsoft could make an Xbox Store on PC like Epic and Steam. Seems like a direction Microsoft could be taking on PC, because the Windows Store isn't the same quality as Steam. Also, it seems hypocritical that we got upset with Epic getting exclusives but not at Microsoft.
 
MS already said existing deals will remain in place. It also sounds like they're not going to make every game exclusive either. Saying that games will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. So that means we could still be seeing some major titles on non-MS platforms.
Existing deals generally have to remain in place without them breaking contract.
 
It could be a good thing if MS can shake things up creatively at Bethesda, they have 2 of my favorite IPs but writing and mission design have been increasingly lacking IMO(no more radiant quests!) . An infusion of creative talent from Obsidian could do wonders if they're given the proper creative freedom and told to focus on quality over quantity.

My biggest fear aside from MS pulling an EA is them using it to push the windows store because I have no interest in anything on there and it would make it much easier to control and monetize modding like Bethesda has already been trying to do. They could also decide to stop putting out modding tools even if they don't tie the games into their store.
 
of course a gpu which costs more than an entire console, performs better than the gpu in the console. It's not a good comparison.

It's not a comparison of price, but of how much performance is available from each platform at a date when each are presenting their newest offerings. It's a comparison which shows where each platform is at and what they offer.

The RTX 3070 supposedly will also surpass the upcoming consoles in performance.

The upcoming consoles might match the RTX 3060 in performance, and that GPU will be cheaper than the main consoles, though possibly not the XboS.
 
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The RTX 3070 supposedly will also surpass the upcoming consoles in performance.
There's also the concern about Ray-Tracing performance which the RTX 3000 series is doing a much better job than the 2000 series. We'll have a good idea when AMD releases their RDNA2.0 based cards to determine the performance of the consoles.
The upcoming consoles might match the RTX 3060 in performance, and that GPU will be cheaper than the main consoles, though possibly not the XboS.
Something to think about but if the GPU in the Xbox Series S is weaker than a One X then technically it's also weaker than a RX 480. Which means a GTX 970, R9 290, RX 480/580, GTX 1060, RX 5500XT, as well as the GTX 1650/1660 are all more powerful than the $300 Xbox Series S. Most of those graphic cards can be had for ~$100. The RTX 3060 would easily destroy both the PS5 and Xbox Series X in retrospect.
 
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It could be a good thing if MS can shake things up creatively at Bethesda, they have 2 of my favorite IPs but writing and mission design have been increasingly lacking IMO(no more radiant quests!) . An infusion of creative talent from Obsidian could do wonders if they're given the proper creative freedom and told to focus on quality over quantity.

My biggest fear aside from MS pulling an EA is them using it to push the windows store because I have no interest in anything on there and it would make it much easier to control and monetize modding like Bethesda has already been trying to do. They could also decide to stop putting out modding tools even if they don't tie the games into their store.

So far, MS seems to be embracing all of PC gaming so worrying about the Windows Store things seems to not be an issue at the moment. The best example is the Halo Master Chief Collection on Steam. This is a new release, and is a first party title of theirs so no issue with other contracts or licensing. Yet they brought it to Steam, as well as the Windows store. They seem to have figured out that Windows gaming is important and you have to embrace what people want.

The bigger concern I have is they don't make interesting titles, just sequels. Now I know Bethesda kinda does that, but then their "sequels" are more just "game in same universe" sort of thing. One complaint I've heard from devs in MS studios is that while it is a good place to work and they fund projects well, they seem to only want to greenlight sequels. If you pitch them something new or different they aren't interested, they just want you to crank out more of the same.

Now even if you agree that a given game is one that needs lots of sequels (like maybe Civ, where they redo the game every 5 or so years), the problem is if that's ALL the devs get to do they'll get bored and you'll lose talent. That is why Bungie left. They got tired of the nothing but Halo sequels and said either you let the studio go, or all the talent is leaving and you basically have the name only. So MS let them go (and they ironically then went on to make what is basically just another Halo game but whatever). So I worry a bit about that.
 
It's not a comparison of price, but of how much performance is available from each platform at a date when each are presenting their newest offerings. It's a comparison which shows where each platform is at and what they offer.

The RTX 3070 supposedly will also surpass the upcoming consoles in performance.

The upcoming consoles might match the RTX 3060 in performance, and that GPU will be cheaper than the main consoles, though possibly not the XboS.

Does it matter.... the cost of a diskless next gen console is going to be around the same $ as perhaps a 3060. But those are just GPUs. Last I checked a GPU doesn't a PC make. So launch day yes for the price of a next gen console you can buy a GPU that should be around = probably. But that isn't a system price your comparing pricing of parts vs systems. It would be like saying the BMW engine is far superior to the GM car... and you can buy a BMW engine for the same price as a complete working GM vehicle. So clearly the BMW is superior and always will be. Its not really a logical argument.

The bottom line is no PC is going to compete with the current generation consoles until you spend a min of 3x what the consoles cost for the next year or two. Even a bare bones PC is going to need a mobo a cpu a power supply a SSD a couple sticks of RAM some type of case as well as the GPU.

Nothing is going to touch the consoles abilities anywhere close to the console price for at least 2 years. Of course you can spend twice as much and run a comparable PC that does much more then a console outside of gaming. But on the gaming score alone... ya 2 years min to even get close. And by then the consoles will drop in price as well. Even today you would hard pressed to build a gaming PC on par with a PS4 for the PS4 retail price of $299.

Of course top end PC parts are many times better then what goes in a console that has always and will always be true. But pound for pound... dollar to dollar consoles at $300-500 are basically impossible to match. PCs are where you go when you want to better a console. If your happy with 30FPS on your TV screen.... a console will do.
 
Yikes. Then again Bethesda was already on a downward trend anyways...
Sucks for whatever is left of (d)iD software though.
 
Post-Microsoft Acquisition, Bethesda Games Will Be On Other Platforms On A "Case By Case Basis"


It looks like the console space just became more rivalrous - and this might make purchasing decisions more difficult for those planning to buy one of the upcoming consoles.

But the PC platform, meanwhile, is looking to be in the best position it ever has been for game releases, with Microsoft pledging to release all its future games on PC at the same time they launch on Xbox, and with various formerly PlayStation-exclusive developers porting their games to the PC, and even Sony saying that they're looking to port more of their games to PC.

PC hardware has also surpassed the upcoming consoles' capabilities before they even release. And Nvidia seems to be accomplishing the same thing as the PS5's special SSD's capability with their RTX IO feature.

The PC is shining bright right now, when it comes to gaming.

Pretty much. I am not a fan of platform exclusives, things were starting to look good on consoles with most games being on both major platforms. Very different from the 90s to early 2000s.

Although it is true that PC gaming is doing the best now ever when accounting for exclusives. All traditional PC exclusive games are still here, although that have become more scarce (RTS, flight sims and the like) they're still here. And now we have all Xbox titles and probably most if not all Sony titles coming in the future.

One thing to consider, if Microsoft buys up a lot of big IPs and studios Sony have reverse their pro-PC status. If a lot of big name games start popping up on Xbox only, they may feel forced to lock down their in house titles again to help push their console.
 
Pretty much. I am not a fan of platform exclusives, things were starting to look good on consoles with most games being on both major platforms. Very different from the 90s to early 2000s.

Although it is true that PC gaming is doing the best now ever when accounting for exclusives. All traditional PC exclusive games are still here, although that have become more scarce (RTS, flight sims and the like) they're still here. And now we have all Xbox titles and probably most if not all Sony titles coming in the future.

One thing to consider, if Microsoft buys up a lot of big IPs and studios Sony have reverse their pro-PC status. If a lot of big name games start popping up on Xbox only, they may feel forced to lock down their in house titles again to help push their console.

https://www.gamebyte.com/fallout-new-vegas-developer-responds-to-microsofts-bethesda-acquisition/
 
id software is the major coup here. Technically Microsoft is in position to do what Epic is doing: make an engine and sell that engine and also use that same engine across all developers and platforms under their umbrella.
id has the best engine devs... however the big issue there is that id has traditionally programed for open source API's only (OpenGL and now Vulkan)... Microsoft of course would want DX12 only. If Microsoft gives up on silly DX12, then that means they could be a competitor to Unreal and Unity, by being available on all platforms, including mobile ones. Which is far more money than dicking about with DX12 lock in (engine lock-in making them far more money).

Bethesda Elderscroll and Fallout teams having an engine that isn't a complete garbage pile mess is just icing on the cake. Not that any of those games are worth my time (unless Chris Avellone, Leonard Boyarski, and Brian Fargo head a new Fallout game using the original Fallout 1/2 story). But how this affects inXile and Obsidian is of greater consequence to me. Sadly, I'll probably not get to play another title from any of them again, except exclusively on Windows. Which I generally avoid if at all possible.
 
Does it matter.... the cost of a diskless next gen console is going to be around the same $ as perhaps a 3060. But those are just GPUs. Last I checked a GPU doesn't a PC make. So launch day yes for the price of a next gen console you can buy a GPU that should be around = probably. But that isn't a system price your comparing pricing of parts vs systems. It would be like saying the BMW engine is far superior to the GM car... and you can buy a BMW engine for the same price as a complete working GM vehicle. So clearly the BMW is superior and always will be. Its not really a logical argument.

The bottom line is no PC is going to compete with the current generation consoles until you spend a min of 3x what the consoles cost for the next year or two. Even a bare bones PC is going to need a mobo a cpu a power supply a SSD a couple sticks of RAM some type of case as well as the GPU.

Nothing is going to touch the consoles abilities anywhere close to the console price for at least 2 years. Of course you can spend twice as much and run a comparable PC that does much more then a console outside of gaming. But on the gaming score alone... ya 2 years min to even get close. And by then the consoles will drop in price as well. Even today you would hard pressed to build a gaming PC on par with a PS4 for the PS4 retail price of $299.

Of course top end PC parts are many times better then what goes in a console that has always and will always be true. But pound for pound... dollar to dollar consoles at $300-500 are basically impossible to match. PCs are where you go when you want to better a console. If your happy with 30FPS on your TV screen.... a console will do.

This argument gets raised with EVERY....single....console....generation, and it is always bullshit because MS and Sony overstate the capabilities of their hardware. The fact of the matter is that existing aging PC hardware that people already own will be more than enough to match these new consoles at the same fidelity. Consoles play catch up to PC hardware, not the other way round.
 
the compelling argument here is that you can't get into a comparable PC at the same price point as what these consoles are going to be sold at.
 
the compelling argument here is that you can't get into a comparable PC at the same price point as what these consoles are going to be sold at.

Because the equivalent PC parts are already obsolete and can't be bought new, its an asinine argument that fails to actually recognize that any gaming PC built in the last couple of years is already more powerful than these new consoles. Hell, my main build is still a Sandybridge from 2012 which has no problem running equivalent console graphics.
 
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