Visitors line up to play the video game Fallout 76, developed 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 approval of ZeniMax, the parent company of iconic video game publisher Bethesda Softworks.
The European Commission – the EU’s executive body – decided on Friday to clear the Microsoft ZeniMax agreement, according to an update in its merger register. The Commission says it has found no competition concerns as a result of the takeover.
Microsoft has announced that it will buy ZeniMax in September. It is the largest acquisition of games in the history of Microsoft, which embezzled the $ 2.5 billion the company paid for Minecraft developer Mojang in 2014.
Bethesda is a well-known name in the video game industry, known for publishing a series of successful game franchises, including Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and Doom. Microsoft plans to push its subscriber offering, Xbox Game Pass, by bringing Bethesda’s games to its extensive library of titles.