Why Microsoft Paid $7.5 Billion for the Maker of Doom and Fallout

Why Microsoft Paid $7.5 Billion for the Maker of Doom and Fallout

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) recently agreed to buy privately held ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion in cash. ZeniMax's core subsidiary, Bethesda Softworks, publishes popular video game franchises like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Doom, Wolfenstein, and Dishonored. This marks Microsoft's biggest gaming-related acquisition ever, and dwarfs its $2.5 billion takeover of Minecraft-maker Mojang six years ago.