We’ve heard for quite some time now that Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, which will bring Bethesda into the fold at Xbox Game Studios, has been slated to happen pretty soon. While an exact date for the deal to close has yet to come about, new information that has emerged now tells us that the acquisition could become official as soon as today.
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The United States Securities and Exchange Commission today released a note making it clear that Microsoft‘s filing to acquire ZeniMax Media has now been approved. The move has been in the review stage for the past few months since Xbox first announced that the deal was set to take place. This clearance from the SEC now makes this whole situation that much closer to finally happening, although there still is one more hurdle left to vault.
While the U.S. commission has now signed off on this acquisition, Europe’s own board now also needs to approve the deal as well. Bbased on a deadline that is mentioned on the European Commission website, a decision should be made before the end of today, March 5. That being said, there’s always the chance that things could end up moving around just a bit.
Even though Microsoft and Xbox might not formally talk about the deal in depth until a later date, assuming Europe approves this process on its own end, Microsoft could be the new parent company of ZeniMax Media and Bethesda by the end of today. If this ends up transpiring, we’ll be sure to update this story accordingly.
As for what Xbox might do once Bethesda does join its team, well, previous reports and rumors have suggested that the console manufacturer could hold an event of some sort later this month. Details on this showcase aren’t extensive, but Xbox may look to simply talk about how Bethesda will fit into its plans moving forward, which is something that hasn’t transpired that much to this point.
If any sort of event like that did end up coming about, we would obviously keep you in the loop here on ComicBook.com. Until then, you can continue following all of our future coverage related to Xbox right here.
[H/T Game World Observer]
