ZeniMax Gobbles Up Another Studio

[Andy Chalk]

ZeniMax Gobbles Up Another Studio

Like some kind of boardroom Sinistar, the rapacious Machinegames [http://www.zenimax.com/], a Swedish studio formed by veterans of Chronicles of Riddick developer Starbreeze.

Machinegames may not have quite the same high profile as ZeniMax's other recent acquisitions but its lineage is more than respectable. The studio was founded last year by several former members of Syndicate [http://www.starbreeze.com/].

The studio has apparently been officially re-christened as ZeniMax Sweden AB, although it will probably hang on to the Machinegames name for public consumption. What Bethesda has in minds for its latest pick-up isn't yet known; the Machinegames website says only that the studio is "a developer of exciting AAA titles for next-gen platforms."

Machinegames joins Bethesda Softworks [http://www.idsoftware.com/] under the ZeniMax banner, bringing a company that until recently was virtually unknown to most gamers one step closer to becoming a true industry heavyweight.

Source: Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/31346/Report_ZeniMax_Acquires_ExStarbreeze_Founders_Studio_Machinegames.php]


Permalink

 

[Michael O'Hair]

Run, Coward!

 

[Brotherofwill]

Zenimax is assuming direct control! Zomg!

Whatever Zenimax does, please don't make the other studios use the F3 engine, please...

 

[Korey Von Doom]

ZeniMax is the only Publisher I don't mind buying out studios, because unlike other publishers, they don't push around their studios and make them do what they want, they just throw money at them and tell the to make it good.

 

[SaintWaldo]

LOL! Excellent lede.

"ZeniMax hungers..."

I will now have the teaser descending synth-note arpeggiation running in my head all day. Thank you for making my brain sound like Aladdin's Castle, again!

 

[SaintWaldo]

Run, Coward!

HHHHRRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!

 

[sir.rutthed]

I wonder why Zenimax suddenly decided they wanted to play ball with the big boys. They seemed to have been doing fine with just Bethesda under their banner.

 

[Scops]

ZeniMax is the only Publisher I don't mind buying out studios, because unlike other publishers, they don't push around their studios and make them do what they want, they just throw money at them and tell the to make it good.

Yes, despite the title of this article, it doesn't fill me with the same dread as articles describing Activision or EA's latest maneuverings. Developers will always talk up their publishers in order to maintain good relations, but it has always seemed to me that Zenimax's praise is a little more genuine.

I wonder why Zenimax suddenly decided they wanted to play ball with the big boys. They seemed to have been doing fine with just Bethesda under their banner.

Remember, game publishers are big businesses, and tend to be run as such -- at least much more so than the developers. And with traditional businesses, if you aren't growing, you're dying...

 

[Galaxy613]

And with traditional businesses, if you aren't growing, you're dying...

Because all businesses should rush to be big and bureaucratic and lose all freedom and mobility a smaller companies affords. It's their choice, but being bureaucratic leads to people like Kotick taking charge....

 

[Scops]

And with traditional businesses, if you aren't growing, you're dying...

Because all businesses should rush to be big and bureaucratic and lose all freedom and mobility a smaller companies affords. It's their choice, but being bureaucratic leads to people like Kotick taking charge....

Kotick's been at Activision's helm since 1991. The guy must know the taste of his own foot pretty well by now, but that doesn't change the fact he's led his company to the top. To us, he's a bastard, but to his shareholders, he's a hero.

Although, looking at the litigation in Robert Altman's (ZeniMax's CEO) past, maybe the two have a lot in common.

 

[FruitFusion]

If they become a true heavy weight dose that mean they have to act like one and stop producing good games?

I was almost going to say "They are still better then EA"
Then i read your post and i hope they stay that way.