Bethesda is one of gaming’s most prolific studios, particularly well known for producing some of the most popular and well received RPGs of the millennium. As the publishing and flagship subsidiary of ZeniMax, Bethesda has acted as the de-facto face of the large gaming holding corporation.
The gaming community as a whole is confused on how to feel about Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax and Bethesda. There are many potential pros, and just as many potential cons, for everyday gamers that could result from this corporate restructuring
10 Best: Possible Fallout: New Vegas Sequel
As a large publishing house Bethesda is no stranger to licensing out title names and cooperating with third party studios. One of these cooperations with the legendary studio Obsidian Entertainment would produced Fallout New Vegas.
Some consider this to be the best modern Fallout game, at the very least, it was universally beloved by fans of the series. Despite the game’s success, Bethesda and Obsidian would have a falling out regarding the game’s royalties and licensing agreement, making it seem a sequel would never be realized. Now that both studios are owned by Microsoft, this potential sequel now seems to be a distinct possibility.
9 Worried About: Console Exclusivity
With the advent of cross platform playability, for a brief period of time between 2018 and 2019 it seemed that console exclusives would become a relic of the past. Console giants were willing to cooperate with one another in the name of profit. This would not last, with Sony securing more exclusives by the week, and Microsoft openly stating that console exclusivity would play a role in Bethesda’s games from now on, it seems that the questionable practice is still alive and kicking.
8 Best: More Resources And Capabilities
Bethesda is one of the gaming industries most prolific publishers, and while they have produced their fair share of lackluster titles, they are especially well known for creating timeless masterpieces that transcend generations. After this purchase the potential for growth and innovation cannot be ignored, the possibilities of what the great minds at Bethesda can accomplish with the added resources of Microsoft is truly endless.
7 Worried About: Micromanagement
The concern of micromanagement following a corporate giant buying out a smaller games publisher or studio is natural. Microsoft as a publicly traded company is legally obliged to adhere to one main purpose and goal, creating profit for it’s investors.
These investor interests will inevitably have an impact on the direction and decision making process of Bethesda following it’s acquisition.
6 Best: Higher Levels Of Quality Assurance
While in most cases corporate micromanagement is negative, there are certain areas where it can be positive, and even welcomed. Bethesda is notorious for games filled to the brim with glitches and bugs, especially at launch. Now that it is a subsidy of a much larger, more refined company, with strict quality assurance standards the threshold for quality slips Bethesda games can get away with, will thankfully be much lower.
5 Worried About: Putting Fuel On The Console War Fire
This kind of move put’s Sony in a precarious position. This kind of move has created a competition between the two companies where all gloves are off, and the rules are minimal. The last time the gaming industry saw such a heated rivalry was in the 90s between Sega and Nintendo.
While this period produced some of the greatest gaming platforms in history, it was also riddled with questionable business tactics that bordered on the illegal. Hopefully more civility, and corporate responsibility will be seen here.
4 Best: Competition Encourages Innovation
While two large corporations competing for market revenue can certainly lead to ethically questionable decisions, it simultaneously leads to outside the box thinking and innovation. The more intense this competition gets, the more each side will be pushed to innovate and produce better products. At the very least a gamers choice between the two consoles will mean a lot more than simple aesthetic preference between a Wi-Fi router and fridge.
3 Worried About: Changes To The Formula
Bethesda games, specifically especially regarding the Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises follow a similar formula, going back generations. This formula, consisting of open worlds, player choice, diverse and deep NPCs, and varied forms of player progression and world building, have created a gaming experience like nothing else. While Microsoft has not made any statements indicating a desire to change this, such a massive rock to the Bethesda boat could put these franchises in danger for major change.
2 Best: Broader Horizons
Microsoft owns a multitude of other gaming studios and publishers. This litany of new colleagues and partners will only present each respective studio with countless opportunities for a cooperative venture. Bethesda will now have the ability to work with other legendary industry actors such as 343 Studios, InXile, Mojang, and Ninja Theory, to name only a few. The possibilities will be endless, gamers may even finally get to see Master Chief and Doom Slayer duke it out in a Halo/Doom crossover.
1 Worried About: Sony Response
No matter what will come to unravel in the following months as a result of Microsoft’s acquisition, one thing can be absolutely certain, Sony will not take this laying down. Their response will be equally as big, unexpected, and industry changing. This change in the industry can be considered unwelcome, as gaming in general was having some many positive trends and all together heading in a great direction. As the old adage goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
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