Bethesda today published an official statement meant to go along with Microsoft’s newly announced acquisition of its parent ZeniMax. The tie-up, valued at some $7.5 billion, marks an end of an era after 21 years of independence for the famous video game developer and publisher. It’s more of a beginning than an end, mind you, especially if you ask Bethesda itself.
To their credit, not once across hundreds and hundreds of words written as part of this epilogue has PR person or team (probably team) in charge of this release mentioned any Benjamins. And if we are being honest, the absolutely ridiculous amount of money Microsoft put on the table is the alpha and omega of this deal.
Sure, Bethesda will do its song and dance about synergies from today until the day Satya Nadella realizes Jim from accounting has written one too many zeros on that ZeniMax check. But just like Jim knew what he was doing because Todd Howard was his sister ex-pottery instructor, everyone at Bethesda is aware that this acquisition is not happening in any other multiverse.
Because a cash-rich and gaming-hungry Microsoft akin to the one we have been seeing this year is a completely market force whose rampage is still showing no end in sight.