If this were prison life, ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, would have just bought a new bitch for a pack or two of cigarettes. Luckily, this isn't a prison, and instead of cigarettes I'm sure ZeniMax had to pay a pretty penny to fold id Software into their company. But id Software isn't going anywhere, John Carmack will still remain Technical Director of id, and gamers shouldn't expect any radical shifts in direction for the development studio. This acquisition simply means, "we will now have financial and business resources to support the future growth of id Software, a huge advantage which will result in more and even better games for our fans," says id CEO Todd Hollenshead. ZeniMax is basically the company's backer--giving id the resources they need to expand and grow.

Now as everyone who plays video games knows, Besthesda Softworks is the company behind Elder Scrolls and Fallout--having received massive amounts of critical praise for their work on Fallout 3 last year. And id Software's track record ain't too shabby either--having created a number of classic FPS games such as Doom, Wolfenstein, and Quake. So what this merger means for gamers is that we get to have our cake and eat it to. Being able to benefit from how these two video game juggernauts work together towards producing the best possible AAA titles on the market. For example, Besthesda's games might be massive in scope and interactivity but they surely lack in the visuals department. However, id Software has been known to be on the cutting edge of graphical technology, as seen in such titles as Doom 3 when it released. Thus, both companies could benefit from each other's strengths and give us (gamers) the best of both worlds.

Overall this is a great deal for both companies--id Software gets the security and resources they need to diversify, and ZeniMax and Bethesda get a partner who has a fine grasp on two very popular aspects of the video game market--the shooter and graphics. This is easily considered a win/win.