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Microsoft’s $7.5 billion USD deal of Bethesda parent Zenimax seems like it’s going full steam ahead, as the EU Commission has cleared the deal with no concessions following a preliminary review process.
As reported by The Verge, the agreement between the two companies has been approved as it “does not raise serious doubts as to its compatibility with the common market” and is one of the final hurdles the deal had to pass before going ahead as planned.
The news also comes hot on the heels of (as reported by NME) a similar ruling by the US Securities & Exchange Commission that published their own ‘Note of Effectiveness‘ which assures both parties and investors that the body has looked through the details of the deal, and has found no reason to say the acqusition cannot take place.
Microsoft first announced their deal to buy Zenimax back in September and will bring the total number of Xbox Game Studios development teams from 15 to 23, including Bethesda themselves, Deathloop‘s Arkane, DOOM‘s id Software, Indiana Jones‘ Machine Games and several more. The deal is expected to be completed in the very near future.
Rumours have been swirling over the past week-or-so that Microsoft could be holding a Bethesda-focused ‘What’s New for Gaming’ event later this month, which if true will presumably be going ahead now there are few obstacles left in the way, although Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg said we probably shouldn’t expect any “game announcements or world premieres” from the rumoured event.
