Perché Microsoft è la scelta perfetta
Oggi abbiamo annunciato il nostro ingresso nella famiglia Microsoft (comunicato stampa più avanti).
E se non avete avuto occasione di leggere cos’hanno detto Phil Spencer e Todd Howard nei rispettivi post, allora vi consiglio di farlo.
Quando lavori in un posto da tanto tempo, come me in Bethesda da quasi 21 anni, vedi alcune cose. Prima fra tutte, il cambiamento. Quando ho iniziato, Bethesda non era altro che un gruppo di persone. Al team che lavorava a Morrowind bastavano un paio di uffici, e probabilmente eravamo sei o sette di noi altri occupati altrove.
Bethesda Softworks, la nostra società principale ZeniMax Media e i nostri numerosi studi interni ora impiegano migliaia di persone di talento che lavorano in uffici di publishing e studi di sviluppo in tutto il mondo. Siamo passati da uno studio interno a diversi studi. Dai GDR per giocatore singolo allo sviluppo di enormi MMO, sparatutto in soggettiva e tutto il resto. Il mondo, il nostro settore e la nostra azienda sono cambiati molto durante i 34 anni dalla fondazione di Bethesda Softworks. Oggi, sono cambiati di nuovo. So che questo suscita dubbi e domande.
Ma il punto è che siamo sempre Bethesda. Lavoriamo ancora agli stessi giochi di ieri, realizzati dagli stessi studi con cui abbiamo lavorato per anni, e quei giochi saranno pubblicati da noi.
Quindi... perché cambiare? Perché ci permetterà di creare giochi migliori in futuro. Microsoft è un partner incredibile e offre accesso a risorse che ci renderanno migliori come publisher e come sviluppatori. Riteniamo che questo significherà giochi migliori per voi. In parole povere: il cambiamento è importante per migliorarsi. Crediamo che metterci alla prova sia il meglio per noi. Per innovare. Per crescere.
E noi abbiamo una collaborazione di lungo corso con Microsoft. Le nostre società condividono molti degli stessi principi di base. Crediamo in una cultura che dà valore a passione, qualità, collaborazione e innovazione. Quando ripenso alla prima volta che abbiamo deciso di passare dall’essere uno sviluppatore esclusivamente per PC alla creazione di Morrowind per la prima Xbox, ricordo che molti credevano che non avrebbe funzionato. Nessuno, su console, voleva un gioco così grande e complesso. Ma Microsoft credette in noi, così come avete fatto voi. E adesso i GDR di ogni forma e dimensione hanno un grande successo su console.
Sì, è un grande cambiamento per noi. Ma dopo aver impiegato un minuto per interiorizzare l’entità di questa acquisizione, continueremo a fare ciò che conosciamo e amiamo: realizzare grandi giochi. Ambieremo a nuove vette. Useremo la stessa passione che abbiamo riversato in ciò che facciamo e la passione che la nostra community infonde nelle nostre creazioni, per fare sempre meglio.
E, presto, l’argomento di questa conversazione passerà dall’acquisizione ai nostri giochi. Di nuovo. E io potrò tornare a rispondere a quelle domande che ci galvanizzano. Dimmi di più su DEATHLOOP. E Ghostwire? Ci sono dei video? Cosa bolle in pentola nel quarto trimestre per The Elder Scrolls Online? Voglio altri DLC per DOOM Eternal. E QUANDO INTENDETE DIRCI QUALCOSA SU STARFIELD?!? Sono entusiasta di queste conversazioni e non vedo l’ora di parlarvi di tutto questo e molto, molto altro nelle settimane, nei mesi e negli anni a venire.
Credo nella gente con la quale lavoro. Credo nella società che insieme abbiamo creato. Credo nelle community che si sono formate attorno ai nostri giochi. E credo che l’annuncio di oggi sia soltanto il primo di una lunga serie che ci porterà a essere sempre più grandi e a produrre giochi sempre migliori.
Pete Hines
Vicepresidente, marketing globale e comunicazioni
COMUNICATO STAMPA
Microsoft to Acquire ZeniMax Media and Its Game Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Iconic games portfolio, publishing expertise, and world-class talent accelerates growth in Microsoft’s Gaming business
REDMOND, Wash. September 21, 2020 – More than three billion people on the planet play games for fun, escape, and human connection. Unlike any other medium, games empower people to engage in creativity, strategic thinking and teamwork, immersing them into interactive stories and worlds created by some of the world’s most amazing creators. The cultural phenomenon of gaming has made it the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment in the world—an industry that is expected to be more than $200 billion in annual revenue in 2021.
As the gaming industry transforms from a device-centric era to a player-centric era powered by new technology that provides the freedom to play with friends anywhere on any device, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) on Monday announced plans to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, one of the largest, privately held game developers and publishers in the world. Creators of critically acclaimed and best-selling gaming franchises including The Elder Scrolls and Fallout among many others, Bethesda brings an impressive portfolio of games, technology, talent, as well as a track record of blockbuster commercial success, to Xbox. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will acquire ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion in cash.
With unique investments in content, community, and the cloud, Microsoft’s gaming strategy differs from others by empowering people to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want. Games are the primary growth engine in gaming, and games are fueling new cloud-gaming services like Xbox Game Pass, which has reached a new milestone of over 15 million subscribers. With the addition of Bethesda, Microsoft will grow from 15 to 23 creative studio teams and will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass. This includes Microsoft’s intent to bring Bethesda’s future games into Xbox Game Pass the same day they launch on Xbox or PC, like Starfield, the highly anticipated, new space epic currently in development by Bethesda Game Studios.
“Gaming is the most expansive category in the entertainment industry, as people everywhere turn to gaming to connect, socialize and play with their friends,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “Quality differentiated content is the engine behind the growth and value of Xbox Game Pass—from Minecraft to Flight Simulator. As a proven game developer and publisher, Bethesda has seen success across every category of games, and together, we will further our ambition to empower the more than three billion gamers worldwide.”
“This is an awesome time to be an Xbox fan. In the last 10 days alone, we’ve released details on our two new consoles which go on pre-order tomorrow, launched cloud gaming in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and now we’re making another investment in the most critical part of our strategy: the games,” said Phil Spencer, executive vice president, Gaming at Microsoft. “Generations of gamers have been captivated by the renowned franchises in the Bethesda portfolio and will continue to be so for years to come as part of Xbox.”
The planned acquisition includes publishing offices and development studios spanning the globe with over 2,300 employees, including Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios. Bethesda’s critically acclaimed and best-selling franchises include The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein, and Dishonored, among others.
Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media was founded in 1999 by Chairman and CEO Robert A. Altman; Bethesda’s structure and leadership will remain in place.
“This is a thrilling day for this company, our employees, and our fans. We have enjoyed a close partnership with Microsoft for decades, and this deal is a natural progression of those years working together,” said Altman. “The big winners today are our fans. We are continuing to develop our slate of AAA games, but now with Microsoft’s scale and entire Game Stack, our games can only get better.”
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and completion of regulatory review. Microsoft expects the acquisition to close in the second half of fiscal year 2021 and to have minimal impact to non-GAAP operating income in fiscal years 2021 and 2022. Non-GAAP excludes the expected impact of purchase accounting adjustments, as well as integration and transaction-related expenses.
For more information, please visit the blog post from Phil Spencer, EVP Gaming at Microsoft.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
About ZeniMax Media Inc.
ZeniMax Media is a privately-owned media organization headquartered outside Washington DC with international publishing offices around the globe. Through its subsidiaries, ZeniMax Media creates and publishes original interactive entertainment content for consoles, PCs, and handheld/wireless devices. ZeniMax Media divisions include Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Arkane Studios, Tango Gameworks, MachineGames, ZeniMax Online Studios, Alpha Dog Games, Roundhouse Studios, ZeniMax Europe Ltd., ZeniMax Asia K.K., ZeniMax Asia Pacific Limited, and ZeniMax Australia Pty Ltd. For more information on ZeniMax Media, visit www.zenimax.com.
Forward looking statements
Statements in this release that are “forward-looking statements” are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors such as the risk that the ZeniMax Media transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all; any restrictions or limitations imposed by regulatory authorities; the impact of the acquisition on ZeniMax Media’s gaming community and customers; the impact of management and organizational changes on ZeniMax Media’s business; the impact on ZeniMax Media employees and our ability to retain key personnel; our effectiveness in integrating the ZeniMax Media platform and operations with Microsoft’s business; our ability to realize our broader strategic and operating objectives; significant investments in products and services that may not achieve expected returns; impairment of goodwill or amortizable intangible assets causing a significant charge to earnings; cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities that could lead to reduced revenue; increased costs, liability claims, or harm to our reputation or competitive position; excessive outages, data losses, and disruptions of our online services if we fail to maintain an adequate operations infrastructure; quality or supply problems; legal changes, our evolving business model, piracy, and other factors may decrease the value of our intellectual property; claims that Microsoft has infringed the intellectual property rights of others; claims against us that may result in adverse outcomes in legal disputes; damage to our reputation or our brands that may harm our business and operating results; exposure to increased economic and operational uncertainties from operating a global business, including the effects of foreign currency exchange; adverse economic or market conditions that may harm our business; catastrophic events or geo-political conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that may disrupt our business; and the dependence of our business on our ability to attract and retain talented employees. For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with Microsoft’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of Microsoft’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Microsoft’s Investor Relations department at (800) 285-7772 or at Microsoft’s Investor Relations website at www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor.
