Microsoft acquires Bethesda

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the videogame industry, Microsoft has bought Bethesda.

Microsoft bought company responsible for titles such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, Dishonored and more for $7.5 billion.

Phil Spector, head of Microsoft’s Xbox division, announced the move In a statement on the Xbox website.

“Over the years I’ve had many deep conversations with the creative leaders at Bethesda on the future of gaming and we’ve long shared similar visions for the opportunities for creators and their games to reach more players in more ways,” he said.

The news comes as Microsoft are preparing to launch their new generation of consoles, the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S. Having Bethesda on board bolsters these consoles, which are launching with the Xbox Game Pass, a game streaming service similar in some ways to Netflix, as a major strength.

It appears that the acquisition will not immediately affect Bethesda’s existing slate of titles, many of which were set to debut on other consoles. For instance, Deathloop remains set to release on the Playstation 5 as a launch title.

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S launch in Australia on 10 November. The Playstation 5 launches on 24 November.