On September 22, Microsoft announced that it has acquired Bethesda and its parent company ZeniMax. The news caused quite a stir because many well-known game franchises belong to the company. We summarize the opinions of our readers on this.
This is what happened: On the afternoon of September 22, Microsoft announced that it has acquired Bethesda and ZeniMax for a total of 7.5 billion US dollars:
- With the acquisition, 2,300 employees from around the world joined the “Xbox Team”
- Iconic game franchises were acquired, including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Quake, and Starfield
- These game brands are expected to be part of the Xbox Game Pass
However, the acquisition is not only met with enthusiasm and positive voices. Our readers here at MeinMMO are also very divided. The first article on this reached more than 110 comments.
While some see a lot of potential for their favorite games, others fear more exclusivity for PC and Xbox.
A boost for Bethesda games?
In our comments, many readers see the deal as an opportunity for Bethesda, as many of you have been disappointed with the company’s recent titles.
Nexus1611 describes Bethesda’s situation very accurately and is rather indifferent to the news:
A few years ago, I would have been very interested in an exclusivity of the Bethesda brands and I would probably have switched to Xbox soon. But nowadays, all they release is rubbish. Except for ESO. Doom… okay. And Wolfenstein was great.
But what should come next? I can hardly imagine a new Fallout in the quality of New Vegas these days. TES 6… we’ll see. So far just a shrug at this news. I definitely wouldn’t switch because of that.
Also Luripu is currently not convinced by Bethesda:
So, when I think of the state of Bethesda games before the mod scene patches them to be playable, I’d rather get them for 10€ in the Game Pass than for 60€ on Steam.
For me, that’s good news.
The reader Horteo thinks the deal is good, also because Microsoft has handled indie games well so far:
Good for PC players. MS pursues a dual strategy with Xbox and PC. Thus, PC gamers can be sure to get a game like TES6 on their home computer without any Sony exclusivity deals.
Also good for Game Pass users; it will be further enhanced. Now we have the ZeniMax group in the Pass alongside EA.
It must also be mentioned that MS has always handled smaller studios carefully, which is good for indie games, etc.
Weizen even hopes for a surge of new games:
I think it’s good if it would come to that. One can hope for a new Fallout and Elder Scrolls with a new engine. Additionally, Obsidian would be back for Fallout.
Concern about more exclusivity and disadvantages for players
One of the biggest concerns mentioned by you in the comments relates to other consoles. The Elder Scrolls Online can also be played on PS4, and TES V Skyrim is available on Nintendo Switch in addition to PS4.
But now that Microsoft is the owner of these licenses, some fear that new titles may not be released for other platforms, just like Sony handles Spider-Man.
Clucky writes:
Well, in the end, only we gamers will suffer. Anyone who claims otherwise is just a fanboy. This exclusivity that Sony has triggered will soon be a boomerang.
Microsoft simply has many more resources than Sony. I also believe that this was just the beginning. There will soon be another bomb that Microsoft will announce. We gamers “have to” own two consoles first…
Orobas Vectura on the other hand, assumes that Sony will also come up with something, which will be even more disadvantageous for players:
Okay, Microsoft has bought the company. But that’s certainly no reason to switch to Xbox. Sony will come up with something.
And that is precisely the problem; ultimately, the gamer is always the loser. The exclusivity of the games is increasing. In the future, one must consider which games are personally important and then choose the console accordingly.
Mc Fly sees the future, at least for Sony, very bleak:
Well, if players do not buy, then we will just buy the players… In the end, they will continue to buy studios and give the Pass for 1 Euro “for free”, until the supply of third-party titles for PS is no longer relevant and Sony throws in the towel.
Then it will be time for GamePass 360 and other subscription variants. Of course, there will be no more 1 Euro offers then.
However, there are also users who do not expect exclusivity, such as Cameltotem:
Based on the communication so far, I do not believe that Xbox will make things exclusive. By doing so, Phil Spencer would make himself quite unbelievable. It does not make things any better. Personally, I do not have many games with the studios I like. Doom maybe, but otherwise, I could also do without everything from them. But that is really a personal thing and is different for everyone.
A united world in Stadia?
What exactly comes out of the deal and whether it helps or harms the games and players will only be seen in the future. However, some of you also have a very different vision, namely of a united world through Google Stadia.
As Todesklinge writes:
If you could play/stream PS5, Xbox, and PC games with Google Stadia, the whole issue regarding platform and similar would be irrelevant.
What if people could lend a console online to others and let them play with it? Naturally via “private streaming”. Would that violate the rules? After all, games can also be lent.
Also Daniel sees Google as a competitor that does not ramp up:
I also remember that MS back then was on the same exclusive track. But when I see what MS has opened up and simplified for players since then compared to how Sony treats exclusivity here and there as a counterpoint, I get quite anxious.
The topic of streaming fits very well here. We can all be glad that Google is not pushing with Stadia. If they seriously approached that, our gaming landscape would change drastically.
MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus also views the acquisition of Bethesda positively. He is particularly hopeful for Fallout: New Vegas 2.
