Microsoft to buy video-game publisher Bethesda for $7.5bn 

Biggest video game purchase ever to boost Xbox

Microsoft said it plans to acquire ZeniMax Media, owner of the storied video-game publisher Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5bn (€6.3bn) in cash, marking its biggest video game purchase ever.

Bethesda is the publisher of games like The Elder Scrolls, Doom, and Fallout and also has at least two titles slated for debut next year. ZeniMax also owns several other studios across the globe, giving Microsoft’s Xbox business a much-needed infusion of titles and game developers. It’s one of the biggest privately-held game companies with 2,300 employees worldwide, Microsoft said.

Microsoft is leaning on its game subscription service, Game Pass, to draw in users and boost revenue and needs compelling content to attract customers to that product

Microsoft is launching a new generation of Xbox consoles in November at the same time as Sony’s PlayStation 5. The games lined up for the new Xbox have so far disappointed some players, especially after Microsoft delayed its biggest title, Halo Infinite, until next year. The software maker has been adding new game creators and content, including acquiring six studios in 2018 and one last year. It spent $2.5bn to purchase the maker of Minecraft in 2014.

Microsoft is leaning on its game subscription service, Game Pass, to draw in users and boost revenue and needs compelling content to attract customers to that product. Microsoft said Game Pass now has 15 million subscribers, up from April's 10 million. Bloomberg