Although the announcement has already been made that Microsoft is in the process of acquiring the giant ZeniMax, it turns out that the deal is not yet done and still needs approval. Reported by VGC, the European Union is still in the process of deciding if the deal falls within competition regulations for it to take place.
A final decision on the matter will have to be made by March 5 on the partnership, for Microsoft to officially own ZeniMax and its massive network of games including all of Bethesda's library of titles from Fallout to The Elder Scrolls. The way the acquisition is set up involves Microsoft's new subsidiary, called 'Vault' merging with ZeniMax.
As Vault and Zenimax would be going through a merger, it's up to EU regulation to decide if the merger would put a strain on gaming competition. Basically, if it's deemed that the merger would be bad for the industry as a whole due to Microsoft having too much of a hold on games, the merger would potentially be blocked by the EU. Right now regulators are consulting relevant third parties to determine if the merger proposition is okay and by March 5 a decision will be made.
Although it's certainly unlikely that the merger will be blocked (Microsoft would have considered this far before this process to make sure their plans weren't immediately scuppered) it's not impossible that the committee decides that the partnership is inappropriate. We don't expect that to happen, but who knows - maybe Sony is complaining off in the distance somewhere.
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If the merger does go ahead, Microsoft would have control of some of the biggest gaming series in history, including The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Fallout, as well as upcoming titles Starfield and Deathloop. Does this mean they'll be exclusives to Xboxes in the future? Well although Microsoft wouldn't put The Elder Scrolls 6 on PlayStation to make a profit, it's likely it'll come to Sony gamers anyway.
Featured Image Credit: Bethesda