왜 Microsoft가 완벽한 조합인가
오늘 저희는 Microsoft 가족의 일원이 되었음을 알려드립니다(보도 자료는 아래 참고).
Phil Spencer와 Todd Howard의 오늘 아침 게시글을 보지 못하셨다면, 둘 다 확인해보세요.
저처럼 한 회사에서 오래 일하다 보면(저는 Bethesda에서 21년 동안 일했습니다) 여러 가지 일을 보게 됩니다. 그중 가장 큰 것이 바로 변화입니다. 처음 제가 Bethesda에서 일하기 시작했을 때, 이곳에는 몇 명밖에 없었죠. Morrowind 작업팀은 두 개의 사무실에서 일해야 했고 6~7명이 거의 모든 것을 맡아서 했습니다.
Bethesda Softworks와 우리의 모회사 ZeniMax Media, 그리고 수많은 내부 스튜디오에는 지금 수만 명의 사람들이 세계 곳곳에 위치한 퍼블리싱 부서와 개발 스튜디오에서 일하고 있습니다. 하나밖에 없던 작은 스튜디오에서 우리는 이렇게나 성장했습니다. 싱글 플레이어 판타지 RPG 개발에서 대규모 MMO 개발, 1인칭 슈팅 게임 등 온갖 장르를 만들게 되었죠. 처음 Bethesda Softworks가 창립되고 지난 34년 동안 세계도, 게임 산업도, 우리 회사도 크게 변했습니다. 그리고 오늘, 다시 한번 새로운 변화를 맞이하게 되었습니다. 의문을 품으시는 분들도 계실지 모르겠습니다.
하지만 중요한 것은, 저희는 여전히 Bethesda라는 점입니다. 오랫동안 일해 왔던 똑같은 스튜디오에서 어제 작업하던 똑같은 게임을 계속해서 제작하고 제작된 게임을 우리가 배포하게 될 것입니다.
그런데 왜 바뀌었냐고요? 이 변화로 저희는 더 나은 게임을 만들 수 있을 것이기 때문입니다. Microsoft는 뛰어난 파트너이며, 다양한 자원을 제공하여 저희가 더 나은 퍼블리셔이자 개발사가 되도록 도울 수 있습니다. 그리고 여러분께 더 나은 게임을 선사할 수 있습니다. 간단하게 말해서, 저희는 이 변화가 더 나아지는 길이라고 생각합니다. 저희는 지금보다 더 나아질 수 있다고 믿습니다. 더 창의적이고, 더 성장할 수 있다고 믿습니다.
또한, 저희는 오랫동안 Microsoft와 일해왔습니다. 저희 회사는 수많은 기본 규칙을 공유하고 있습니다. 열정, 품질, 협업, 창의력이라는 가치를 나누고 있죠. 이 모든 시작은 원래 PC 게임만 개발하던 저희가 이것은 수많은 사람들이 이렇게 크고 복잡한 게임은 콘솔에서 절대 안 될 거라고 말하는데도 불구하고 Xbox용 Morrowind를 처음 만들었을 때로 거슬러 올라갑니다. Microsoft는 저희를 믿어주었고, 여러분도 저희를 믿어주셨습니다. 그리고 지금은 콘솔에서 온갖 규모와 유형의 RPG들이 큰 성공을 거두고 있습니다.
우리에게 이것은 큰 변화이지만, 이 합병으로 발생하는 변화를 받아들이고 계속해서 우리가 사랑하고 잘하는 일을 이어갈 것입니다. 바로 게임을 만드는 일이죠. 저희는 계속 새로운 시도를 할 것입니다. 지금까지 해왔던 것처럼 열정을 지니고, 우리 커뮤니티가 우리가 만든 것에 보이는 열정을 지켜보며 더욱더 잘하기 위해 노력할 것입니다.
그럼 합병에 관한 이야기보다 우리 게임에 관한 이야기가 다시 주제가 되겠죠. 그리고 우리 모두를 흥분시키는 질문으로 다시 돌아올 수 있을 겁니다. DEATHLOOP에 관해 더 얘기해주세요. Ghostwire는 언제 나오나요? The Elder Scrolls Online 4분기에는 어떤 내용이 준비되어 있나요? Doom Eternal DLC를 보고 싶어요. Starfield에 대해서는 언제 얘기해줄 거죠? 앞으로 몇 주, 몇 달, 그리고 몇 년 동안, 저도 여러분과 이 대화를 나눌 것을 정말, 정말 크게 기대하고 있습니다.
저는 저와 함께 일하는 사람들을 믿습니다. 저희가 함께 만든 이 회사를 믿습니다. 그리고 저희가 만든 게임을 중심으로 모인 커뮤니티를 믿습니다. 그리고 오늘의 발표가 저희가 앞으로 더 크고 좋은 게임을 만들기 위한 기나긴 역사의 한 줄로 남으리라 믿습니다.
Pete Hines
글로벌 마케팅 및 커뮤니케이션 상무
언론 보도 자료
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.
