A momentous occasion has occurred at Microsoft this past week. Last Friday, the public learned that Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media had been officially approved. The following Monday, the European Commission followed suit. With those two major milestones behind it, Microsoft is now ready to begin talking about what comes next. The company confirmed Thursday morning that it would host a Bethesda Joins Xbox roundtable starting at 10:00 AM PT.
One thing Microsoft makes clear upfront is that this Bethesda Joins Xbox roundtable is not focused on news, reveals, or announcements. There are many rumors swirling about what's next for many of ZeniMax Media and Bethesda's studios, and while Microsoft does plan to have conversations about that in the future, this is not that event. Instead, as Bethesda SVP of global marketing Pete Hines says, this is an opportunity to get to know some of the faces behind Bethesda's games and studios.
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Exactly what that means isn't clear, but a key descriptor being used to describe the conversation is that it's a "celebration" of Bethesda joining the Xbox team. As such, it's likely to include Bethesda leadership talking about what being a part of Xbox means to them and what they're looking forward too, as well as Xbox leadership discussing how Bethesda will help make the Xbox team stronger.
It's rare for a company like Microsoft to provide this kind of public conversation, but that just goes to show how meaningful this acquisition is. Xbox fans are understandably excited about what this means for games on Xbox platforms, but they also have a lot of questions. Microsoft will be able to use this event to answer many of those questions, put a spotlight on the ongoing work at Bethesda, and hopefully build some excitement for what's to come.
What's previously been shared about the Bethesda acquisition is that, for the time being, ZeniMax Media will continue to run independently. It may not even be brought under the Xbox label, but rather be a separate Microsoft subsidiary for some time. This would allow the current teams at ZeniMax Media and Bethesda to continue their work without any massive obstructions.
Over time, however, ZeniMax Media and Bethesda will become more and more a part of the Xbox team. And today's Xbox roundtable is likely to discuss the first aspects of that process and how it will impact game players. Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media is the second-largest acquisition in history, costing 7.5 billion. It's a major deal that will take years to unfold, but for now, it's going to start with a conversation.
Tune in to the Bethesda Joins Xbox roundtable on YouTube starting at 10:00 AM PT.