Microsoft's ZeniMax Acquisition Reaction: The Internet Freaks Out Over Xbox And Bethesda's Partnership

Earlier today, Microsoft announced its acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion. The purchase raised eyebrows online, with some excited about a possible Doom/Halo crossover. This is just one of the many reactions the internet had to the news; you can check out other responses below.

Wishing for a Doom/Halo crossover--particularly a buddy cop version, as Twitch streamer ItMeJP jokingly requested--is one of the more obvious reactions to Microsoft and ZeniMax's deal. The two legendary, suited-up super soldiers make sense together, especially given Doom Eternal and Halo Infinite's revamped gameplay and traversal mechanics.

Others responded with memes, like one with Xbox boss Phil Spencer facing the camera and a shopping list floating to the right. The list features various grocery items like bread and eggs, as well as Bethesda. Or another using a scene from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia to posit a reunion, in which Charlie (Charlie Day, or in this case, Bethesda Game Studios) and Mac (Rob McElhenney, or Obsidian Entertainment) spot each other in a restaurant.

Even The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian shared its opinion on the news. When someone asked if Fallout New Vegas 2 was a "legit possibility" following the acquisition, Obsidian simply shrugged.

It was recently revealed that Spencer had the Xbox Series S, the cheaper and smaller version of the Series X, hidden on his shelf since July 2020. Game developer Steve Kim took that image, cropped and placed a tiny Todd Howard in the background, and said Howard was sitting on Spencer's shelf, too, right next to the Series S.

Additionally, legendary computer programmer and former Doom developer John Carmack weighed in on the acquisition, saying he may "be able to re-engage with some of [his] old titles." In addition to Doom, Carmack worked on Quake 4, Rage, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Shadowcaster, Wolfenstein 3D, and other iconic id Software games.

An unexpected reaction, however, comes from Psychonauts 2 developer Double Fine Productions. The studio, which was acquired by Microsoft back in September 2019, said it is buying some pizza today.

The deal between Microsoft and ZeniMax Media includes all the latter's subsidiaries, such as Arkane Studios, Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, and others. According to GamesIndustry, Bethesda will still publish its own titles. And Spencer said PlayStation-exclusives like Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo will proceed as promised.