Which company did Microsoft acquire in 2021 to bring Bethesda Softworks under Xbox?

Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media in 2021 to bring Bethesda Softworks under Xbox.

The acquisition was announced in September 2020 and completed in March 2021. ZeniMax Media was the parent company of Bethesda Softworks and owned studios including Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Arkane, MachineGames, and Tango Gameworks. Microsoft placed these businesses within its Xbox division, later known as Xbox Game Studios and related publishing operations.

Bethesda Softworks is the better-known publishing label, but ZeniMax Media was the corporate entity Microsoft purchased. That distinction explains why the acquisition’s official value and legal description refer to ZeniMax rather than only Bethesda.

The deal expanded Xbox’s portfolio with franchises such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Quake, Dishonored, and Wolfenstein. It also affected the availability of future Bethesda releases across Xbox, PC, and other platforms.