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Microsoft’s Bethesda deal will spur more acquisitions and industry upheaval

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 3 min

Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media (the owner of Bethesda Softworks, Id Software, and other studios) will change the gaming landscape, and we’ve been collecting some hot takes on what it means for the industry and its fans.

Clearly, it’s a sign that one of the tech giants believes that games are the “most expansive category in the entertainment industry,” as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said. But many fans are worried that Bethesda’s franchises might disappear from other platforms that Sony and Nintendo own.

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Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.