Zenimax Studios are responsible for games like "Doom" or "The Elder Scrolls"
Photo:
Christian Petersen / AFP
With a billion dollar acquisition, Microsoft is strengthening its gaming division around the Xbox game console.
The company announced on Monday a takeover agreement with Zenimax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks and several other well-known game developers.
Accordingly, Microsoft pays 7.5 billion US dollars (6.4 billion euros) in cash.
Zenimax and its studios are responsible for hit games such as "Doom", "Fallout" or "The Elder Scrolls" and, according to their own information, has around 2,300 employees.
The company, headquartered in Washington DC, was founded in 1999 and will continue to operate under the Microsoft corporate umbrella in its familiar structure and with its previous management team.
The takeover has yet to be approved by the relevant regulatory authorities.
Microsoft expects to complete them in the second half of the current fiscal year.
The transaction is likely to affect operating profit only "minimally", announced the group.
Investors were cautious about the news, the share barely reacted.
Icon: The mirror
pbe / dpa