Company News Bethesda acquired by Microsoft

[OSK]

Ugh. This means more DirectX 12 games.

 

[DeepOcean]

More games should support Vulkan, when I activate DirectX 12 on any game, my framerate drops in half for no gains at all.

 

[Andhaira]

Microsoft paid $7.5 Billion...The moment when you realize Skyrim is worth more than Star Wars. Before the sequel trilogy no less.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Games make more money than movies, thats not surprising at all.

 

[IDtenT]

being too focused on exclusives that didn't matter for microsoft even on previous gen

Didn't matter for Microsoft, and their console sold like shit. Exclusives sell consoles, end of line.

Yes, exactly. This was not true in the past, when you could use your console as a media center/ blu ray player, but this does not matter anymore.

Zenimax has some pretty powerful IPs and can help to bring Xbox back to the game, with top seller exclusives. I will not be surprised if Microsoft buys Paradox, Blizzard or some other big companies in the next months.

To be honest, it's one of the selling points of a console for me still. Smart TVs are mostly crap.

 

[IDtenT]

Netflix for games 100$+ per year forever and ever.

Except it won't last, like every method of money milking entertainment before it, because it's not about maintaining a stable revenue, but about constant stock growth, which simply requires newer and newer ways to earn more. Even when this gaming as service becomes the new normal, they'll just switch to something new, like premium memberships and platform exclusive currencies.

It will last because of the herd mentality. People pay for Netflix even if they don't really use it or they don't like the content because they are easily duped by one or two good shows.

Not to mention that by being able to share your subscription with your family you'll never be able to quit.

 

[Trans-Financial-Man]

In the Microsoft head office

MS Boss: Welcome gentlemen. Have a seat. Alright good, let us begin. You might wonder why we brought you here today ?

Obsidian: Yes sir.

Bethesda: ...

MS Boss: Well, we want to finance the making of Fallout: New Vegas 2, and we know you both have experience and a will, let us even say passion to continue the franchise. But as we can see it, only ONE studio can make it.

The MS Boss opens a drawer on the desk in front of him and takes out two combat knives

MS Boss: It's like this my dear friends. As you might have noticed we are filthy rich and it gives us great pleasure doing decadent things like these... See, we bought both of you just to see you fight over the Fallout licence. The winner will of course get the rights to continue the license - in other words making the New Vegas sequel. The loser, will forever be known as the b-team, perhaps even the c-team since inXile actually came through with Wasteland 3 for us. This is your chance my dear friends. I will leave these knives on the table here and it's up to you to decide what you want to become.

The MS Boss slowly rises up from the chair with a noticeable grin on his face and leaves the room. Obsidian and Bethesda both in shock look at each other, then their eyes slowly pan over to the desk - to the knives. Suddenly Obsidian makes a grab for the knife most close and Bethesda not wanting to become number two under Obsidian does the same...

To be continued...

I suspect InXile will be put to work on an isometric Fallout followup due to their success with Wasteland. If they can get Avellone on board for that I'd be tentatively excited. However, I found Wasteland 3 to be boring and janky. Bethesda will most likely continue to make Zoomer Fallout and Obsidian will absolutely be put onto a New Vegas sequel for the PR alone. Regardless of the fact the majority of people who worked on New Vegas are no longer there. Maybe Once Lost have an avenue to get their ideas funded. But that would require them to start working on an actual game. Which they may not be capable of doing with a team comprised solely of modders with their mum's milk still wet on their face.

 

[Kazuki]

Microsoft paid $7.2 Billion...The moment when you realize Skyrim is worth more than Star Wars. Before the sequel trilogy no less.

It's not only Elder Scroll IP, it also include several IP under many studio on Zenimax.

Fallout
Doom
Dishonored

and probably more of lesser known IP

 

[Trans-Financial-Man]

carmack already has a history of casually working with monstrously evil companies and not caring because he's carmack and he's a fucking android. his reaction to this entire thing simply being "great! zenimax can't send cia agents to my house anymore!" is amazing tho

Carmack would work with Nazi Germany on software to automate gas chambers if it meant he could advance his own tech and he could make it open source.

 

[IDtenT]

Microsoft paid $7.5 Billion...The moment when you realize Skyrim is worth more than Star Wars. Before the sequel trilogy no less.

Wow Joe got FAAAAAAAAAT.

 

[Trans-Financial-Man]

Why does Carmac want to get back to the old stuff? Didn't he leave because making engines was too mundane?

He's been hinting that he wants to get Trent Reznor to help on a VR game that's a spiritual successor to the original Quake.

Quake in VR is transformative by the way. VR just enhances the atmosphere of Quake in all the right ways. It's not something that can be shown in a 2D video. If you put the headset on and actually play it you'll understand quick. So a modern Quake 1 style game with decent graphics in VR would be a dream title for me. As long as it doesn't get up it's own arse like all these retro revival FPS games.

 

[Wulfric Pinewood]

Hehehe maybe TES VI will have new engine, not improved one since Oblivion like F4.
Anyway we have MicroTodd now...

 

[jackofshadows]

Hehehe maybe TES VI will have new engine, not improved one since Oblivion like F4.

Even if I haven't seen this I'd tell you "ha, you wish!".

I have been incredibly blessed to spend my entire career at, and help build, one of the best places to make games in the world - Bethesda.

And I’ve had the joy of doing it with some of the most talented, humble, and passionate people there are. They are part of my family, and my good friends. I have also had the pleasure of working with, and partnering with, many of the best gaming and tech companies in the world. But our longest, and closest partner during my career, has been Microsoft.

Today we join them, and I wanted to share some personal thoughts on what it means and our shared vision.

The trajectory of Xbox, and the trajectory of Bethesda, in many ways have gone hand in hand.

From our beginning, we had primarily been a PC developer. In 1999, two things happened. One, Bethesda became part of a brand-new startup - ZeniMax Media. And Microsoft started development of their first video game console - The Xbox. I can remember my first trip to Redmond to discuss the new system and bringing our next game, Morrowind, to the Xbox.

I was dubious Xbox Morrowind would be worth the time, somewhat on a technical level, but more so from taking a hardcore RPG and moving it from a PC desktop experience to a controller-and-sofa experience. If we made it work, would people want it?

Microsoft and their new Xbox crew had a view, that I came to share completely. Shouldn’t we allow anyone to have this experience? Why does it matter where the screen is or what the controller is? There are many people without the same access, and we can bring it to them.

Morrowind would go on to become one of the best-selling Xbox games of all time, behind Halo, another PC style game some said wouldn’t work. Its success paved the way for the growth of our company, and proved the point - people wanted this experience, regardless of device.

Microsoft quickly let us in on their next system, the Xbox 360. More than a PC port, our aim with our next game, Oblivion, was to usher in the next generation of gaming. With each game, from Fallout 3 to Skyrim, our studio and company grew, adding brilliant and like-minded studios across the globe. All of us sharing in the belief that expanding the reach of gaming was fundamental, whether it was on a pc, console, your phone, or the cloud.

With each new console cycle, we evolved together. From bringing mods to consoles with Fallout 4, now over a billion downloads, to the latest technologies fueling Xbox Series X/S. These new systems are optimized for the vast worlds we love to create, with generational leaps not just in graphics, but CPU and data streaming as well. It’s led to our largest engine overhaul since Oblivion, with all new technologies powering our first new IP in 25 years, Starfield, as well as The Elder Scrolls VI.

Like our original partnership, this one is about more than one system or one screen. We share a deep belief in the fundamental power of games, in their ability to connect, empower, and bring joy. And a belief we should bring that to everyone - regardless of who you are, where you live, or what you play on. Regardless of the screen size, the controller, or your ability to even use one.

We can’t think of a better group of people to do that with than those at Xbox. We have friendships that go back to those original days. From Phil to his senior leaders to developer support, they don’t just talk about putting players first, they passionately live it.

At Bethesda, we’ve been lucky enough to create games we love, and have an audience who loves them as much as we do. I have personally been humbled by the many industry honors I have received, as they belong to the entire studio. But one has always stood out to me for a special reason. When I received the Lifetime Achievement Award at GDC, I joked in my acceptance “I wonder how many achievement points this one is worth?” At the end of the ceremony, some good friends from Microsoft congratulated me and said they’d find out. A few months later I was given a code to a game they had created, named after me and locked to my account. When ran, it unlocks a single achievement - “Lifetime - 1000pts.” It still sits in my list when I check, and I smile every time.

It has been a lifetime. But there’s more to come and achievements to unlock together. We hope you join us.
All the best,

Todd

Todd Howard
Bethesda Game Studios

 

[GreyWardens Rock]

DRMs, fucked up clients, buy-outs and exclusivity... It's good we have retro gaming. Well, time to throw out my Fallout and TES collection, pretty sure I won't play anything on MSSpyware.

 

[RobotSquirrel]

pretty sure I won't play anything on MSSpyware.

What version of windows do you run? if its 10 you already are.

 

[GreyWardens Rock]

pretty sure I won't play anything on MSSpyware.

What version of windows do you run? if its 10 you already are.

7 of course, how thick do you think I am, have they shat anything else out since 10? I couldn't even get 8 to work as I liked!

 

[Shitty Kitty]

pretty sure I won't play anything on MSSpyware.

What version of windows do you run? if its 10 you already are.

7 of course, how thick do you think I am, have they shat anything else out since 10? I couldn't even get 8 to work as I liked!

10 is basically the last stop for Windows. They're going to eventually roll out a more "modular" version of 10 (or maybe they already have) that basically amounts to "build your own damn Windows, fucker".

8 was a shitshow. 8.1 was tolerable. Windows 8 was Microsoft going "TABLETS ARE THE FUTURE" and being promptly told that they were fucking morons, prompting 8.1. 10 was Microsoft just giving the fuck up on designing a product people really wanted and going "FUCK YOU WE WILL FORCE THIS DOWN YOUR THROATS AND HARVEST YOUR DATA AND YOU WILL LIKE IT."

 

[Mech]

Even if I haven't seen this I'd tell you "ha, you wish!".

At this point I am just impressed. Does it really still count as the same engine when literally almost every single part has been replaced?

 

[Sigourn]

Will never sell out Golden Era Games, bros.

All negotiators will be sent back to Microsoft crushed inside shoebox postage owing.

Gates is a supervillain and even the world's worst superheroes must never sell out to supervillains no matter how much they are offering.

Cleve, do you like football? Who do you root for? And Holden or Ford?

 

[FuckLiefeldGiveMeChew]

I like Angry Joe, but some of his statements there are really bad: He thinks the Xbox is the ideal console, even though it has no exclusives, everything gets cancelled, and Microsoft fucks over its customers? He sees Microsoft's takeover of Bethesda as a good thing despite its history of monopolizing everything and destroying games? Why is Angry Joe still so obsessed with Bethesda game after all it has done and what Microsoft will do to it?

 

[baud]

MSM actually reported it.

I love that negative stock ticker. The market knows what just happened LOL.

INCLINE

Stocks were going down yesterday left and right. Not sure if the trend has continued today, but at least yesterday it was reported quite widely and that the 2nd wave of corona virus is plummeting stocks.

Better grab those Microsoft stocks if they are cheaper now!

I though the stocks were going because of revelations that big banks were taking part in money laundering, not just the coof

 

[Andhaira]

CD PROJECKT RED BUYOUT WHEN???

 

[Flou]

I though the stocks were going because of revelations that big banks were taking part in money laundering, not just the coof

Oh, they didn't report that in Finland. They were just saying it's due to corona. Fucking banks...

 

[RobotSquirrel]

I though the stocks were going because of revelations that big banks were taking part in money laundering, not just the coof

no I was saying that Microsofts shares being lower because of the Zenimax buyout. Its funny as he's talking and the share price is going further and further down as he talks. Its like that scene in Fun with Dick and Jane where Jim Carrey is talking and the companies stocks go to 0 with every word he says.

Once pre-orders started the stocks shot way up though. But its funny that the stock brokers reacted negatively to this news of the buyout.

Also I use Windows 10 but I have the telemetry permanently disabled with a script. I still have my copy of 7 just in case Microsoft does anything dodgy. I'll eventually move away from Win 10 because I know once 10X comes out its gonna be a nightmare.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

Interesting development. Fuck zenimax btw.

I feel like we will have two big currents Microsoft pushing their shit in pc and xbox with a rage. I wonder how restructuring will go. And Sony going against modding and I feel they are tense as fuck, these new consoles seem ponderous as fuck to manage.