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Bethesda parent ZeniMax acquires id Software

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On June 24, 2009, 12:30 PM

In a rather unexpected move, ZeniMax Media, parent company of development studio and publisher Bethesda Softworks, announced today that it is purchasing the longstanding independent developer behind Doom and Quake. The acquisition joins together two of the most acclaimed game studios of all time, combining the first person shooter expertise of id Software with Bethesda’s proven track record in making great role playing titles like Fallout 3 the Elder Scrolls series.

In an interview with Kotaku, id co-founder John Carmack said no significant changes are being made to either company. The studio will continue to be run under the direction of Carmack and the company’s principal employees are all sticking around. Bethesda will publish all of id's games going forward, except for those already signed with third-parties, including the Activision-backed Wolfenstein and the EA Partners-planned Rage.

Carmack hopes the matchup will make business dealings easier for id Software. No financial details were revealed regarding the acquisition, but it is likely to be bigger than Bethesda's recent deals.

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  1. June 24, 2009 12:46 PM
    TomSEA
    TomSEA, TechSpot Chancellor, said:

    Bethesda is really becoming a major power in the computer gaming community.

    Reply
  2. June 24, 2009 2:20 PM
    Rage_3K_Moiz
    Rage_3K_Moiz, Sith Lord, said:

    Woah!

    Excellent news!

    Reply
  3. June 24, 2009 2:37 PM
    poundsmack said:

    This gives Bethesda access to id's Tech engine instead of licencing Gamebryo's engine. It would save the company TONS of money in licencing fees, though as a developer it would make me sad to see a switch of off Gamebryo entirely as it is a fantastic engine. All in all, i think this is a good move on both parts.

    Reply
  4. June 24, 2009 3:36 PM
    Relic
    Relic, TechSpot Chancellor, said:

    Woah, this is definitely a surprise but I am a huge fan of both and own multiple titles from them. This could be good news for gamers overall imo :-) .

    Reply
  5. June 24, 2009 6:39 PM
    tengeta
    tengeta said:

    As long as they don't go EA style with the buyouts, this one should be good.

    Reply

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