Bethesda Softworks announced today that Robert A. Altman, the founder, chairman and CEO of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media, has passed away.
“We are deeply saddened to tell you about the death of Robert A. Altman, our founder and CEO,” the company announced on Twitter. “He was a true visionary, friend and believer in people’s minds and the power of what they could achieve together. He was an extraordinary leader and an even better person.”
On the company’s website, there is a report about Altman’s death: “CEO. Visionary. Friend. 1947-2021.” No cause of death was given.
Altman started ZeniMax with Christopher Weaver in 1999, as the parent company for Bethesda Softworks, which Weaver started in the mid-1980s. The two had a falling out and Weaver was out of the business within a few years, but Altman continued to run ZeniMax for decades.
During that time, ZeniMax grew the company beyond Bethesda and acquired studios such as id Software, Arkane Studios, Tango Gameworks, MachineGames and Alpha Dog Studios.
Additionally, it branched out with the creation of ZeniMax Online Studios and Roundhouse Studios (made up of former Human Head developers).
Recently, ZeniMax found itself on the other side of an acquisition deal and accepted a $ 7.5 billion bid from Microsoft to join the Xbox first-party studio system.