Immortal
Arcane
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Microsoft acquires Bethesda/Zenimax
- Thread starter LESS T_T
- Start date
LESS T_T
Arcane
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2012
- Messages
- 13,582
EA was one of possible purchasers: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...dal-to-video-game-ceo-to-billion-dollar-score
Hellraiser
Arcane
Bethesda must have run out of money,they haven't released a game in like 5 years,that is a lot of time paying salaries and not having income. They are pretty slow developer.
Not true, they released Skyrim: VR 3 years ago!
fantadomat
Arcane
Well they do have 400 employs,they take around 100k rounded down per year. So 400x100k = 40,000,000 x3 = 120m for 3 years of work. And that is purely the salary,not accounting for all the other expenses like buildings,amortisation,licenses,consumptives ect ect. Most people just see a big number and assume endless profit,because have no idea how economix work,tho it is not their work to know
Bethesda must have run out of money,they haven't released a game in like 5 years,that is a lot of time paying salaries and not having income. They are pretty slow developer.
Not true, they released Skyrim: VR 3 years ago!
. Thus people neglect or underestimate the costs of running such corporations.
RobotSquirrel
Arcane
damn so close. If only.
Wyatt_Derp
Arcane
We have our new Alex Jones/Bill Hicks conspiracy. And they are also from the same state yet never seen in the same place at the same time.
Matrix, you're losing your edge. We plebes are onto your game.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 99,536
Haha, we missed out on "Biothesda" becoming an actual thing. Sad!
MadMaxHellfire
Arcane
there's this kids card came called "merda" (shit), people take turns drawing cards, if you have a pair you shout "merda!" and put your hand on the deck, last one to follow draws more cards as penalty, but you also draw when you touch the deck without owning a pair, so sometimes you go for a full force "merda!" but slam your hand right beside the deck in the hope to trick someone else to touch it.Remember those rumors when Sony was gonna buy Bethesda?
feels like microsoft got tricked to hit the deck so hard it splattered all the cards on itself.
when i heard the news first i thought this was huge, world-changing huge, after a week now i know it's 2020 and i expect only the worst of the worst out of this.
Ol' Willy
Arcane
fantadomat
Arcane
Lyric Suite
Converting to Islam
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2006
- Messages
- 58,248
Razorfist is pretty good at that Dennis Miller kind of verbose comedy but he has the same problem most youtubers have: that just because they have some media talent doesn't change the fact their opinions are often pretty banal/shit/boring and their knowledge is often rather cursory or at any rate no better than the average person. Often time it comes down to them telling you things you already know but in a somewhat entertaining way.
DeepOcean
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2012
- Messages
- 7,404
It is a pity that papa EA wont have a few new victims, man, Microsoft ruined the EA score.
Naraya
Arcane
https://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=50843
Honestly, I don’t really care about Bethedsa games at this point. Fallout? Elder Scrolls? Both games began as classic RPGs back in the 90s, but since then Bethesda has turned them into moronic trash-picking games about inventory management that seem to have a child-level understanding of the source material. I imagine the upcoming Starfield will be more of the same: Trek, as executed by someone who thinks Star Trek Into Darkness is the best Trek movie because it has lots of painfully obvious callbacks and explosions.
In short, if Bethesda’s games were forever cancelled next month, it would probably be a bit of a relief. In a creative sense, the franchises died a decade ago and Bethesda has been playing Weekend at Bernie’s since then[4]. It might be nice to get some closure and be able to give the franchise a proper burial.
Honestly, I don’t really care about Bethedsa games at this point. Fallout? Elder Scrolls? Both games began as classic RPGs back in the 90s, but since then Bethesda has turned them into moronic trash-picking games about inventory management that seem to have a child-level understanding of the source material. I imagine the upcoming Starfield will be more of the same: Trek, as executed by someone who thinks Star Trek Into Darkness is the best Trek movie because it has lots of painfully obvious callbacks and explosions.
In short, if Bethesda’s games were forever cancelled next month, it would probably be a bit of a relief. In a creative sense, the franchises died a decade ago and Bethesda has been playing Weekend at Bernie’s since then[4]. It might be nice to get some closure and be able to give the franchise a proper burial.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 99,536
Interview with Chris Weaver: https://www.inverse.com/gaming/bethesda-microsoft-xbox-exclusivity-elder-scrolls-6-interview
BETHESDA FOUNDER ON XBOX EXCLUSIVITY, 'ELDER SCROLLS 6,' AND MORE
"WHAT MICROSOFT OWNS, SONY CANNOT GET"
Bethesda founder Christopher Weaver
THE SURPRISING NEWS that Microsoft will acquire Bethesda parent company Zenimax for $7.5 billion raises a whole slew of questions. Will franchises like Doom, Fallout, and Skyrim become Xbox exclusives? What does this mean for upcoming games like Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI? And what does Zenimax even gain from moving under the Microsoft umbrella?
Microsoft and Zenimax executives are saying silent for the most part on what this deal means for Bethesda, but the company's founder Christopher Weaver (who left in 2002) is free to speak on the subject. In 2007, Weaver was Zenimax's largest shareholder with a 33 percent stake in the company. Today, he says he holds "a pittance of the stock." Nevertheless, he remains an interested party, to say the least.
"I was aware of the transaction and it is obviously gratifying news," Weaver tells Inverse.
For a bit more insight into the Microsoft-Bethesda deal, we spoke to Weaver via email, where he shared his thoughts on everything from what the deal means for upcoming games ("I have yet to meet an executive who does not want to accelerate the sale of a potential product") to the chances of Xbox exclusivity ("What Microsoft owns, Sony cannot get") to his opinion on the growing trend toward industry consolidation ("a product can only be as good as the creatives who make it") and disc-less gaming consoles ("High-speed internet will provide the bridge.")
Read the full interview below.
MICROSOFT OBVIOUSLY GETS A LOT FROM THIS DEAL, BUT WHAT DOES BETHESDA STAND TO GAIN FROM SELLING?
I will try to answer your questions but with the caveat that I am now more of an academic, while also directing a project at the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Innovation and Invention on archiving extensive oral histories of the creators of the computer game Industry. The point being that my focus has been on more large picture issues than any one company — even if it is the one I created.
I think this is an extremely interesting acquisition on the part of both groups. Microsoft deepens their bench instantly with one of the most experienced companies in entertainment software (during a time when video game sales are at an all-time high), and Bethesda gets the benefit of concentrating their creative firepower on software that feeds the Microsoft pipelines. A good prospective marriage of interests with a large domestic public partner.
WAS $7.5 BILLION A GOOD PRICE? DID MICROSOFT OVERPAY OR GET A GOOD DEAL?
As a private concern, Bethesda's internal numbers are closely held. Microsoft is a very sophisticated buyer and I am sure their due diligence supported the deal they negotiated with Zenimax.
The Xbox Series X and S consoles.Microsoft
MICROSOFT AND SONY HAVE SPENT THE LAST FEW YEARS ACQUIRING OTHER GAME STUDIOS. IS CONSOLIDATION GOOD OR BAD FOR THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY?
This is a difficult answer because it is so dependent upon the company being acquired. On the one hand, digital distribution, powerful tools, and sophisticated game engines have brought the cost of quality development down into the realm of the indies. At the end of the day, a product can only be as good as the creatives who make it. Properly managed, consolidation can provide a powerful mechanism for groups to share experience and "best practices." I do not think it is any accident that this announcement occurred so close to Sony’s PS5 announcement. There are only a limited number of proven creators of AAA. What Microsoft owns, Sony cannot get. There are many economies of scale that consolidation between the right partners has the capacity to provide, but the ultimate test will be evidenced by the quality of products produced over time.
WHAT DOES BETHESDA'S SALE MEAN FOR GAMES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT LIKE STARFIELD AND ELDER SCROLLS VI?
My understanding is that Microsoft respects Bethesda’s 34 years of proven ability to produce quality software and has promised to let Bethesda be Bethesda. Nevertheless, I have yet to meet an executive who does not want to accelerate the sale of a potential product. The trick is to keep those administrators at bay until a product is truly ready for prime time. Bethesda has been producing commercial software for a very long time. I have to believe Microsoft execs will be responsive to Bethesda's input.
“I HAVE TO BELIEVE MICROSOFT EXECS WILL BE RESPONSIVE TO BETHESDA'S INPUT.”
'Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind' was a Microsoft exclusive at launch in 2002.Zenimax
IN 2002, MORROWIND WAS A MICROSOFT EXCLUSIVE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT BETHESDA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH MICROSOFT IN THE EARLY 2000S?
We had an excellent relationship with Microsoft in the late '90s/early 2000s. In fact, I was close to key members of the original Xbox development team and shared many thoughts for what their “next-gen" console could bring to gaming. That team took many leaps of technical faith and built a box that IMHO surpassed everything else at the time. While overseas sales might not have reflected that, when coupled with forward-looking moves to Xbox Live, and their prescient purchase of studios such as Bungie, Microsoft has proven they are a force with whom everyone in the industry must reckon.
MICROSOFT AND SONY BOTH OFFER CHEAPER VERSIONS OF THEIR NEXT-GENERATION CONSOLES WITH NO DISC DRIVE. IS THIS THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR THE INDUSTRY?
I do not think the elimination of the disc drive will prove to be overly material. Both 9th generation consoles will have increased processing capability and SSDs. Once people get used to this short-term perceived limitation, they will realize a dramatic increase in reliability and responsiveness. High-speed internet will provide the bridge.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THIS MOMENTOUS DEAL? IS THERE ANYTHING OBVIOUS NO ONE HAS REALIZED YET?
The acquisition of Bungie acted as an important trigger for the success of the early Xbox. Depending upon how soon Bethesda can prime the Microsoft pipeline, I suspect Microsoft is looking at their playbook and looking to repeat one of its “best moves.” If the strategy works, it will be a brilliant counter-move against Sony. Users from around the world will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this deal. I wish them well.
fantadomat
Arcane
As long as it is on pc,i don't care about the console exclusive shit. Sony generally doesn't have many games worth playing.
Considering I only use PC, I agree. I'm a little worried about Gamepass exclusives, but hopefully that's a long way off still. Just from an industry perspective though, I think a lot of Sony fans are in denial.
Duralux for Durabux
Guest
PS4 has Bloodborne, so it's absolutly worth playing.
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You know, I've met people that bought multiple PS4s just to be able to play Bloodborne until the day they die, so it does look funny written down, but I bet you Sony sold a lot just because of that 1 game. Still... fanta said "doesn't have many games worth playing", which is true.
fantadomat
Arcane
Well if something sells a lot,it means that there is 98% chance that it is shit for casuals and not for me.
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