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Bethesda Softworks founder says “Sony won’t get what Microsoft owns”

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A few days ago, Microsoft announced the purchase of Bethesda. Because of this, discussions began on the Web about whether the studio’s major franchises would go to the PlayStation. Microsoft and Zenimax executives are largely silent about what the deal means for Bethesda, but company founder Christopher Weaver (who left in 2002) is free to talk about the matter. In 2007, he was Zenimax’s largest shareholder with 33 percent of the company. Now, according to him, he has only “an insignificant share” left, but, nevertheless, he is interested in this deal. Inverse.com asked a few questions to Weaver through Email, and here are his answers.

Obviously, Microsoft has a lot to gain from this deal, but what will Bethesda get out of it?

I think this is an extremely interesting acquisition on both sides. Microsoft instantly deepens its position with one of the most experienced entertainment software companies (at a time when video game sales are at an all-time high), and Bethesda gains an advantage by focusing its creativity on the software that Microsoft needs. This is a good and promising meeting of interests with a major domestic partner.

Did Microsoft overpay for this deal?

Since Bethesda is a private company, its internal budget is kept secret. Microsoft is a very sophisticated buyer, and I’m sure their due diligence supported the deal they made with Zenimax.

Microsoft and Sony have spent the past few years acquiring game studios. How will consolidation affect the gaming industry?

This is a difficult answer because it depends a lot on the company being acquired. On the one hand, digital distribution, powerful tools, and sophisticated game engines have reduced the cost of high-quality development to the level of indie. After all, a product can be as good as its creators can be. Properly managed consolidation can create a well-coordinated mechanism for studios to exchange experience and practice.

I think that the news about the acquisition of the Studio, just a couple of days after the Sony conference, did not appear by chance. There are few time-tested creators of AAA games. Sony won’t get what Microsoft owns. Consolidation between certain partners can provide a positive effect of scale, but we can see whether this is the case or not over time by looking at the quality of products.

How can the sale of Bethesda affect games in development, such as Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield?

As far as I understand, Microsoft respects Bethesda for working on high-quality games for 34 years and promised that it will not affect the internal culture of the company. However, I have yet to meet an executive who doesn’t want to speed up the release of a product. The trick is to keep these managers at Bay until the product is actually ready for release at the right time. Bethesda has been producing software for a very long time. I believe that Microsoft executives will respect Bethesda’s contribution.

I enjoy playing games, and gaming is a passion of mine. Among my favorite games are Tears of the Kingdom, GTA, and Cyberpunk.

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