Microsoft is acquiring the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, the developer of games such as Doom, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, for $7.5 billion (Dh27.5bn).
The deal for Zenimax Media will bring "an impressive portfolio of games, technology and talent" to Microsoft's Xbox platform, the company said in a statement on Monday.
“Gaming is the most expansive category in the entertainment industry, as people everywhere turn to gaming to connect, socialise and play with their friends,” Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella, said. “As a proven game developer and publisher, Bethesda has seen success across every category of games, and together we will further our ambition to empower the more than three billion gamers worldwide.”
The games industry is now worth more than the music and the film industry combined, with a report from consultancy Newzoo forecasting industry revenue of about $159.3bn this year, a 9.3 per cent annual increase. This is set to grow to more than $200bn by 2023 as user numbers climb above 3 billion.
Microsoft is expected to release the latest version of its Xbox console, the Xbox Series X, on November 10. The platform is much faster than its predecessor, offering frame rates of 120 frames per second and what the company describes as a 'True 4K' resolution.
However, Microsoft said its strategy recognises the move "from a device-centric era to a player-centric era" and is focused on allowing gamers to play what they want on whatever devices they want, adding that Xbox Game Pass – its game subscription service – now has more than 15 million subscribers.
Zenimax Media was founded in 1999 by Robert Altman and has 2,300 employees in games development studios and publishing offices around the world. The company's existing structure and management team will be maintained, Microsoft said.
"We have enjoyed a close partnership with Microsoft for decades, and this deal is a natural progression of those years working together,” Mr Altman said.
The deal is subject to regulatory and other approvals and is expected to close in the second half of its 2021 fiscal year, which ends in June next year.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
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France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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