Based off in Maryland, US, Bethesda is a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media. Initially, it was a video game developer. Since 2001, it has two separate divisions, Game Studios, and Softworks, for developing and publishing, respectively. Bethesda Softworks publishes games of other studios as well including, ZeniMax, Arkane and Tango Gameworks. Christopher Weaver founded it as a division of Media Technology Limited in 1986 before its acquisition by ZeniMax in 1999.
WWW: https://bethesda.net/
Address: 1370 Piccard Drive, Suite 120, Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: +1 301 9268300
Fax: +1 301 9268010
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How Did Bethesda Shoot To Fame?
It developed the first-ever physics-based sports game ‘Gridiron!’ in 1986. Bethesda Softworks shot to fame because of the launch of The Elder Scrolls, an RPG game. The first part, Arena, was launched in 1994. The company went on to acquire many studios but faced backlash in 1997 and 1998, after the release of Daggerfall’s expansion pack. It considered filing for bankruptcy.
In 1999, Robert A. Altman helped form ZeniMax to act as Bethesda’s parent company. In 2007, the Fallout franchise was acquired from Interplay Entertainment. Fallout 3 and subsequent parts were developed and published by Bethesda. The company eventually expanded its capital and published games of third-party developers to diversify its operations.
The studio started to experiment with mobile games and also launched Skyrim and reboot of Doom. It now focuses on developing franchises for mobile games based off on PC games. Doom Eternal and Rage 2 are the latest games developed by Bethesda.
What Are Some Of The Best Works Of Bethesda Softworks?
The studio has developed a few masterpieces. The games are mostly RPG and Massively Multiplayer Online. Few of them include:
- The Elder Scrolls is a long-running series that begun in 1994. It is available on almost every platform. All the games are based on the continent of Tamriel. The open-world is a mixture of real-world elements and fiction. The series can be said to have 5 main installments. The main credit for the success and grand development could be given to Julian Lefay.
- Fallout series was started as a post-apocalyptic RPG by Interplay Entertainment. It consists of 4 main parts and 4 spin-offs. The game is set in the future with a twisted past post World War 2. The game has been received well by the fans but the latest spinoff, Fallout 76 did not do well.
- Doom Franchise is a collection of FPS games. An unnamed space marine fights off demons and undead in the space. The game started in 1993 and has sold over 10 million copies since. Doom Eternal, a sequel to the 2016 reboot could be launched by March 2020.
Be A Part Of Controversial Yet Stunning Video Games
Bethesda has had its fair share of controversies. Most of them related to ownership rights over Fallout with Interplay Entertainment. Regardless, it has succeeded in most of the lawsuits. The studio is an expert at MMORPG games and even though, Fallout 76 was a disaster, it aims to continue the franchise. Bethesda Softworks has never given up and with Orion suite and Doom sequel, the future of the studio looks promising.