Before pre-orders open, an Xbox mic drop: Microsoft acquires Bethesda Softworks

If you were on the fence about which new video game console to pre-order, maybe this will push you over the edge.

Microsoft is acquiring ZeniMax media in a $7.5 billion cash deal that brings Bethesda Softworks into the Xbox family. Even if you're not familiar with Bethesda by name, you probably know some of the big series it publishes, like Doom, Fallout, Wolfenstein, and Elder Scrolls.

Microsoft confirmed the acquisition in a Monday morning announcement, with just over 24 hours to go until the Sept. 22 start of Xbox Series S and X pre-orders. There's no other way to characterize it: This is a power move. As Microsoft and Sony line up and make their case to games-loving consumers on which console to buy in 2020, the Bethesda acquisition amounts to a mic drop. Read more...

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