Visitors queue up to play the Fallout 76 video game developed and published by Bethesda Softworks during Paris Games Week on October 27, 2018.
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LONDON – The European Union approved Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax, the parent company of iconic video game publisher Bethesda Softworks, for $ 7.5 billion.
The European Commission – the EU’s executive body – decided on Friday to approve the agreement between Microsoft and ZeniMax, according to an update to the register of mergers. The Commission says it has not identified any competition concerns as a result of the acquisition.
Microsoft announced it would buy ZeniMax in September. It’s the largest game acquisition in Microsoft’s history, eclipsing the $ 2.5 billion the company paid for Minecraft developer Mojang in 2014.
Bethesda is a household name in the video game industry and is known for publishing a series of successful game franchises, including Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and Doom. Microsoft plans to push its subscription offering, Xbox Game Pass, by bringing Bethesda’s games to its extensive library of titles.