An absurd rumor is making its rounds that suggests Sony is planning to purchase ZeniMax Media, the parent company of developer/publisher Bethesda, Tango Gameworks, Arkane Studios, and Machine Games. This rumor, however, is almost certainly fake. Its source has no previous credibility or proof and the mere idea of a media monstrosity like ZeniMax being purchased by Sony is not realistic at all. To add to the absurdity, the rumor also claims that Bethesda’s space RPG Starfield was canceled as the developer pushes towards shipping The Elder Scrolls VI as soon as 2021, and says Fallout remakes are coming even sooner.
The rumor started a couple of days ago after a Redditor by the name of Zenimaxinsider with no previous history posted multiple threads in various subreddits claiming the acquisition would be finalized as early as February. Apparently, the Redditor will have more to say “soon,” but we’re betting the additional words are likely to be “haha, gotcha” or “Sorry for fooling everyone.” Except that they really aren’t fooling anyone. The post in full reads:
Deal would be finalized by the end of January/early February.
Star field was canned 3 months ago, all hands on deck for TES 6 for a 2022 release date. Fallout remakes next year.
Can give more details soon.
A trademark for the Starfield was filed at the end of 2019, so it’s quite unlikely the game has been canceled. And while Starfield still has a ways to go in terms of development, Bethesda’s maintained that it will release before The Elder Scrolls VI, both of which are planned to launch on the next generation of consoles. Starfield has been in development since at least 2015 and it’s not likely that things have shifted that radically at the studio. The portion with the most potential to come true is the Fallout remakes, which don’t fly out of the realm of possibility, but the source has zero credibility (and everything else is laughably false), so take this rumor with a grain of salt.
The studios under ZeniMax have released some of the most notable titles across multiple platforms over the years. One of the last generation’s most rereleased games is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which shipped in the fall of 2011 on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It later came to PS4, Xbox One, PSVR, and even the Nintendo Switch (and a few other platforms), and has racked up more than 30 million copies sold. Likewise, ZeniMax owns franchises like Arkane Studios’ Prey and Dishonored, Machine Games’ Wolfenstein, and Tango Gameworks’ The Evil Within.
[Source (of the absurd and most certainly not true rumor): Reddit]
