Tag Archives: ZeniMax

Bethesda seems to think last weekend’s Elder Scrolls V comments were blown out of proportion, so the master of massively single player RPGs decided to clarify things a bit.

“At his QuakeCon talk he was asked when TESV is coming out and Todd replied, ‘Don’t look for a new Elder Scrolls game in the near future.’ He also went on to say how much the franchise means to us and that it definitely will continue. He just wasn’t going to provide any timeframe on ‘when,’ wrote Pete Hines on the Bethesda Blog.

“Todd and Bethesda Game Studios are hard at work on their next big game, and we’re not ready to discuss it. As always, we prefer to have something amazing to show when we talk about it. We aren’t going to confirm or deny or comment on speculation, nor are we going to give hints about anything. If you know us by now, you know we don’t really do that.”

He also noted that ZeniMax Online Studios — not Bethesda — is hard at work on an MMO, though when the big game will be ready for its big day is anyone’s guess.

So, that’s it for today’s Bethesda news. If you’d like to know anything else about the company, just leave a misinterpreted, hyperbole-packed message at the sound of the beep.

John Carmack has told QuakeCon attendees that id Software has hired on three teams.

These teams, he said will work on three AAA titles for the company, and thanks to being incredibly well-funded by Zenimax and access to the tech over at Bethesda , it makes things easier on the development side of things.

This means that since Zenimax is privately owned, it doesn’t need to publicize ship dates and whatnot, considering it is unsure what its next game will be.

So, to refresh, three teams were hired, three AAA titles are on the way, but id does not know what they are just yet.

Good to know.

Bethesda bossman Pete Hines has said that id will not be creating a new IP for the firm any time soon, as it has its own projects in the fryer for the moment.

The fact that id has hired a third team has more to do with current titles in development and nothing to do with creating something for Bethesda.

“id has plenty of their own IP to keep themselves busy,” said Hines told GI.biz. “It was their desire to build to three teams and bring the development of their IP in-house. So we’ll help them build up to the three full teams a little faster, now that they have additional resources, and they’ll work on Rage and Doom 4 and whatever else it is they’d like to do.

“But with Quake, Doom, Wolfenstein, and Rage, they already have more IP than they have teams to work on them. So right now creating new IP or having them work on our Bethesda IP isn’t even being considered.

“We do have a strong portfolio with games like Oblivion and Fallout, and the folks at Bethesda Game Studios will continue to work on those, but these games aren’t the same kinds of games that id makes. So there’s room for them all.”

More through the link.

ZeniMax raised $105 million in convertible debt and promissory notes in order to buy, id Software, VentureBeat reports.

The figure comes from an SEC filing – financials figures weren’t disclosed when the deal was announced in June.

ZeniMax previously raised $300 million in private equity funding in 2007.

Full thing through there.

Cliff Bleszinski’s shocked by the fact id sold to Zenimax. We know, because he told Develop so.

My mind is blown. id was always the studio I had my eyes on in the early days as far as wondering if we could be as good as them if not better. 

When we had Unreal Tournament they had Quake 3 which is one of those legendary showdowns between two games. To see this happen to the id guys just blows my mind.

To see the old standbys go through these kinds of changes – like with 3D Realms closing up Duke Nukem – it’s really shocking. We all came from the same mould from the shareware days; these studios have been around forever, and to see them acquired like that is a surprise.

I think in the long term it will probably be a good thing for id. It will add stability, it will help them leverage their properties more; but in the meantime it’s so surreal. As they say, the one constant is change.

“Good thing for id” is probably the thing to take away from that. There’s a full interview through the link.

Zenimax first started talking to id about the possibility of buying the firm about a year ago, ZeniMax CEO Robert Altman has told Joystiq.

“I had my first meeting with Todd Hollenshead at E3 a year ago,” he said.

“We had a general discussion about how our two companies might explore matters of mutual interest and the conversations then took place over the ensuing months.

“So it’s been almost a year, on and off, that we’ve been having these conversations.”

Zenimax was announced as the new owner of id earlier this week.

There’s an interview with Altman and John Carmack through the link.

John Carmack’s told VentureBeat that id was sold to Zenimax as going with an EA or Activision acquistion would have meant getting sucked into the corporate machine.

“The two obvious choices [of id buyers] were Electronic Arts and Activision,” said the fabled developer.

“They’re the two giants of the industry. But we knew that we would have to go through big corporate changes if we went with them. We know the developers at the studios owned by those companies. And while they have good things to say, there is no doubt about it that things would change at a company of that scale.

“If we had gone to one of those companies, we would be one more studio. We would be a prized studio. But we wouldn’t even be their only shooter studio.”

Zenimax confirmed yesterday that it had sold to the Bethesda parent, effectively ending one of the greatest indie stories in the games industry.

Read the full thing through the link.

Bethesda parent Zenimax has bought id Software.

Kotaku’s got an interview with John Carmack live.

“We’re really getting kind of tired competing with our own publishers in terms of how our titles will be featured,” Carmack said.

“And we’ve really gotten more IPs than we’ve been able to take advantage of. And working with other companies hasn’t been working out as spectacularly as it could. So the idea of actually becoming a publisher and merging Bethesda and ZeniMax on there [is ideal.] It would be hard to imagine a more complementary relationship.

“They are tripe A, top-of-the-line in what they do in the RPGs. And they have no overlap with all the things we do in the FPSes.”

The end-goal of the sale, said Carmack, is for id to handle its own IPs.

“We can build the pipeline and have a regular pipeline of releases.”

Hit the link. Now.

Update: Press release added. Below the drop.

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WET has four new screens for the action shooter over on IGN.

It’s out this fall from Bethesda and AMM for PS3 and Xbox 360.

We can’t wait, really.

Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax, has filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for new project called Brink.

According to a report from Gamespot, not much is really known other than that, but when an application like this is filed, it falls under the realm of:

“Computer game software for use with personal computers and home video game consoles; downloadable computer game software offered via the internet and wireless devices; entertainment services, namely, providing on-line interactive computer games and providing information relating to electronic computer games via the internet.”

Currently, Bethesda and ZeniMax are working on an MMO with $300 million to put towards it and other development projects secured in 2007. This includes a development deal with Splash Damage which just got new staff additions by way of Fable II designer Paul Ham and Killzone 2 level designer Neil Alphonso.

Hopefully E3 will shed more light on this, but in the meantime Bethesda has yet to respond to Gamespot’s request for comment.

Grab the link for more.

Bethesda parent Zenimax said today it was entering the next phase of a large recruitment push in an effort to staff up for a new MMO.

“We’ve added some great people to the team so far and continue to look for experienced, talented developers in all areas to join the team and help us create the next great MMOG,” said Matt Firor, president of ZeniMax Online Studios.

The firm didn’t say how many staff it was looking to hire, or when the game would release.

Press release after the break.

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Eurogamer’s published one of its trademark comparison features, this time focussing solely on the differences between the three versions of Fallout 3.

We won’t spoil the outcome for you. Take a look.

Bethesda’s confirmed that 4.7 million units of Fallout 3 have shipped in the game’s first week on sale.

The amount of stock means muchos cash at retail, assuming it all sells: $300 million’s worth, in fact.

Press release after the link.

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As you can see from the state of this forum, Bethesda is taking something of a beating over alleged issues with the PS3 version of Fallout 3 from disgruntled fans.

There’s talk of lock-ups and slowdown in there. Trawl through it at your peril.

Thanks, Kotaku.

While the scores for Fallout 3 may have dazzled yesterday, Gamespot wasn’t shied off the truth. No sir. And, according to the site, the truth is that the PS3 version is technically “shockingly inferior” to both the 360 and PC games. Don’t mince those words, now.

From Gamespot’s review:

It’s a shame, in light of these impressive design elements, that the PlayStation 3 version is shockingly inferior to the others from a technical perspective. Although the Xbox 360 and PC versions display the occasional visual oddity and bland texture, these nitpicks are easy to overlook. Sadly, the jagged edges, washed-out lighting, and slightly diminished draw distance of the PS3 release aren’t so easy to dismiss. We also experienced a number of visual bugs on the PS3. Character faces disappeared several times, leaving only eyeballs and hair; limbs on robots went missing; some character models had an odd outline around them as if they were cel-shaded; and the day-to-night transition may cause odd streaks on the screen as you move the camera around. This version doesn’t even offer trophies, whereas the Xbox 360 and PC versions offer Xbox Live/Windows Live achievements.

“Whoops.”

Thanks, MaxConsole.

According to this 1UP story and plenty of other reports, Bethesda sent out a general notice last night asking that “all Fallout 3 trailers” be removed from sites.

God knows what’s happened here, but footage has been in the hands of the media for months. It’s apparently been withdrawn at the request of the ESRB and seems to be limited to US sites.

May as well get in one final bit of censorship before the game launches, eh? It reviewed quite well, so Bethesda’s probably stoical about the whole thing.

Full story through the link.

The Fallout 3 review embargo lifted at 4.00am UK time this morning, and it’s gone down very well. Samples:

• Eurogamer – 10/10
• PC IGN – 9.6/10
• PS3 IGN – 9.4/10
• 360 IGN – 9.6/10
• 1UP – A
• Xbox World 360 – 9.3/10
• Shacknews – No score (“If you have the means, I highly recommend it”)

If you should need such a thing, IGN’s also published a guide. There’s a video review after the break.

Which means all that’s left to do is buy it. So do.

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As you can see here, Fallout 3 is now available for pre-order on Steam ahead of its launch next week.

“Fallout 3 is one of the most important PC launches of 2008,” said Valve’s Gabe Newell.

“Last year, we were able to deliver major releases such as Bioshock and Call of Duty 4 to the millions of gamers connected to Steam. With Fallout 3 added to the line up of great titles coming to Steam, this year promises to be an even better holiday season for Steam gamers.”

More through the link.

Best Buy and Bethesda have announced midnight opening plans for Fallout 3 in the US, promising hot middle-of-the-night action in the Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas and Chicago areas.

“Fallout 3 has been a labor of love for the team at Bethesda and we can’t wait to get the game into the hands of consumers,” said dev team boss Todd Howard.

“We’re looking forward to celebrating the launch of Fallout 3 with the fans.”

Game’s out October 27. Release after the link.

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According to this Reuters report, Fallout fans aren’t going to have to wait another decade to get involved with another instalment in the series.

From the piece:

Gamers have been waiting 10 years for Bethesda Softworks’ “Fallout 3,” for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

“I think it’s good for people to miss things,” said Todd Howard, executive producer of the game. “Ten years between ‘Fallout’ is a bit long, but I think there’s this nostalgia factor.”

Fans of the post-Apocalyptic game, set in Washington, D.C., won’t have to wait another decade for “Fallout 4.” Howard said he believes three years is a good time frame between games.

More through the link.