The last couple of years has seen a lot of consolidation in the videogame industry. Today brings news that the mergers & acquisitions brigade is alive and well (and seemingly marching onward nailgun in hand) with the acquisition of id Software by Zenimax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Both parties have stated that id will continue to function as an autonomous development entity and will not see major changes as a result of the deal.
The buyout brings some of the biggest franchises in gaming under one roof. Along with much revered FPS titles like Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein, Zenimax can now boast of owning the publishing rights to all future id developed titles. The deal does not include the long awaited in-development FPS/racer hybrid Rage, which will still be published by EA, or Wolfenstein, in line for an August release by Activision. However, the next Doom game which is currently in pre-production and without a publisher will find a home in the new arrangement. Zenimax will also have access to the much talked about Rage Engine and it should be interesting to see what applications they can find for it within the Bethesda portfolio, if any.
