At id Software's Gamasutra-attended QuakeCon event on Thursday, Bethesda Softworks parent ZeniMax Media announced its acquisition of Lyon, France-headquartered
Arx Fatalis developer Arkane Studios.
The acquisition of Arkane comes just over a year after
Zenimax's acquisition of Mesquite, TX-based
Rage and
Doom developer id Software, which has run QuakeCon since 1996.
Bethesda public relations head Pete Hines said his company is working on a new unannounced project with Arkane, which most recently aided 2K Marin in the development of
BioShock 2. Arkane studios was founded in 1999, establishing an Austin, TX-based studio in 2006. The parties did not disclose the terms of the transaction.
Arkane CEO Raphael Colantonio told the attending audience, "We're really pleased to join the family. Bethesda, id Software -- I don't see how it could be better." Colantonio is leading Arkane as co-creative director along with Harvey Smith, industry veteran and lead designer on the classic
Deus Ex.
Bethesda, developer of
Fallout 3 and
The Elder Scrolls series, is currently working with RPG developer Obsidian Entertainment on the upcoming
Fallout: New Vegas, due to release this fall.
