Studio acquisitions were the driving force behind headlines this week, with Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda becoming official and Epic Games acquiring Tonic Games Group.
Epic Games Acquires Tonic Games Group
Epic Games (the group behind Fortnite) has acquired Tonic Games Group, the makers of Fall Guys. Fall Guys gained massive popularity this summer, which was helped by the rise of battle royale-style games, like Fortnite. No major changes are expected for Fall Guys as of now. In a statement, Epic Games said “For Fall Guys fans, your gameplay isn’t changing and Epic will continue to invest in making the game a great experience for players across platforms.” Fall Guys is currently on Steam and both PlayStation 4 and 5, with a planned release on Nintendo Switch and Microsoft’s Xbox line of consoles.
Microsoft’s Bethesda Acquisition Becomes Official
Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media and its subsidiaries has become official! This makes it one of the biggest deals in the history of video games after costing Microsoft $7.5 billion. The acquisition of ZeniMax Media brings along all of its subsidiary game studios and brings Microsoft Game Studio’s total studio count to 26 (for a full tally of MGS studio acquisitions, see the list below). With the addition of the Bethesda family of studios, many people have debated the likelihood of future console exclusives. Exclusives can make or break a console, and due to Microsoft’s lack of True AAA Xbox exclusives last generation, many have speculated how this will affect their approach to Bethesda’s upcoming games. Elder Scrolls VI, Starfield, and many more high-profile games will be coming out in the next few years, and with them now being owned by Microsoft, it is untelling whether or not we will see those games released on platforms other than the Xbox family of consoles and the PC.
Already Owned by Microsoft
- Turn 10 Studios (Forza Motorsport)
- Undead Labs (State of Decay)
- World's Edge (Age of Empires)
- 343 Industries (Halo)
- Compulsions Games (We Happy Few)
- Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts)
- Playground Games (Fable [reboot], Forza Horizon)
- Rare (Sea of Thieves)
- The Coalition (Gears of War)
- inXile Entertainment (Wasteland)
- Mojang Studios (Minecraft)
- Ninja Theory (Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice)
- Obsidian Games (Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds)
Gained by ZeniMax Acquisition
- id Software
- MachineGames
- Roundhouse Studios
- Tango Gameworks
- Alpha Dog Games
- Arkane Studios
- Arkane Studios Austin
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Bethesda Game Studios Austin
- Bethesda Game Studios Dallas
- Bethesda Game Studios Montreal
- Bethesda Softworks
- ZeniMax Online Studios
