After SEC approval, Microsoft gets closer to acquiring Bethesda

This story about Xbox's massive acquisition, boiled down, in 1:35 minutes.

What's the fuss?

The United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) formally approved Microsoft's takeover of Zenimax Media, a massive gaming publisher with multiple studios. Although not the final hurdle, Xbox is closer to getting much-needed ownership of prominent franchises.

The situation

Initially announced in September 2020, Microsoft officially announced their initiative to acquire Zenimax Media, the parent company behind huge gaming franchises such as The Elder Scrolls and Doom for a whopping $7.5 billion. For a purchase price exceeding what Disney paid for Star Wars, Microsoft will have 8 new studios under its umbrella for a total of 23.

To complete the acquisition, Microsoft will need to gain approval by the European Commission, which they were supposed to receive on March 5th. Assuming they do, Microsoft may truly become the scary goliath that made Google quake in their boots.

Boiling it down

This acquisition is the latest in Microsoft's buying spree of gobbling up various intellectual properties, so much so that Xbox's roster is sufficient enough to fulfill it's own version of Super Smash Bros.. Nonetheless, it's no secret that this strategy is to further bolster Microsoft's game streaming program, Xbox Game Pass, which has proven to be a hit with gamers.

Xbox's first-party lineup of games underperformed in the last generation compared to the likes of Playstation and Nintendo, arguably being the catalyst for Microsoft not selling as many Xbox One consoles. Although it's unclear whether Xbox plans on making their newly acquired franchises exclusive to themselves, Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to incentivize gamers to move in their direction.

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