Fallout 76 official artwork without logo

[Update]: Bethesda has opened up the ability to transfer your Bethesda.net Launcher games over to Steam.

In a move that I doubt many people could've truly anticipated, Microsoft has now announced that they are in the process of acquiring ZeniMax Media. Since ZeniMax is the parent company of Bethesda, id Software and Arkane, this means that Microsoft has just acquired The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Quake, Starfield and a whole bunch more.

"Bethesda’s games have always had a special place on Xbox and in the hearts of millions of gamers around the world," reads the brief announcement. "Our teams have a close and storied history working together, from the amazing first DOOM, and its id Tech engine, innovating games on PCs to Bethesda bringing their first console game to the original Xbox, the groundbreaking The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind."

"Like us, Bethesda are passionate believers in building a diverse array of creative experiences, in exploring new game franchises, and in telling stories in bold ways. All of their great work will of course continue and grow and we look forward to empowering them with the resources and support of Microsoft to scale their creative visions to more players in new ways for you."

While nothing will likely change in the near future, this acquisition is most definitely going to have a massive impact on things moving forward. Not only has the Xbox team just obtained a massive amount of quality games and IPs, but they have also acquired the studios behind them. So if Xbox decides to play rough and keep the above-mentioned series locked to their ecosystem, it could be a serious blow to Sony and their upcoming PlayStation 5.

On a slightly different note, I feel like it's also worth mentioning that Obsidian, Bethesda and the Fallout IP are now all in Microsoft's hands! So if the stars align and the studios decide to cooperate, we might be lucky enough to get the most legendary Fallout game of all time!

Alas, we'll have to wait for quite a while before any serious announcements start flying out. Until then, you can read more about this acquisition over at the Xbox website.