Visitors line up to play the video game Fallout 76, developed and published by Bethesda Softworks, during Paris Games Week on October 27, 2018.
Chesnot | Getty Images
LONDON – The European Union has approved Microsoft’s $ 7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax, the parent company of iconic video game publisher Bethesda Softworks.
The European Commission – the EU’s executive body – has decided to lift the Microsoft-ZeniMax deal on Friday, according to an update to its merger register. The Commission states that it did not find any competition concerns as a result of the takeover.
Microsoft has announced that it will buy ZeniMax in September. It is the largest game acquisition in Microsoft’s history, eclipsing the $ 2.5 billion the company paid for developer Minecraft Mojang in 2014.
Bethesda is a well-known name in the video game industry, known for publishing a series of successful gaming franchises, including Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and Doom. Microsoft plans to promote its Xbox Game Pass subscription offering by bringing Bethesda games to its extensive library of titles.