Report: ZeniMax Acquires Ex-Starbreeze Founder's Studio Machinegames

Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax media has reportedly acquired Swedish developer Machinegames, according to an anonymous informant on Twitter and subsequently revealed business records. A recent post from an industry-monitoring Twitter account indicated that the multimedia corporation has purchased the studio, which is led by veterans from The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay developer Starbreeze Studios. Swedish business records for Zenimax reveal [via Kotaku] that Machinegames has been officially labeled as ZeniMax Sweden AB, adding credibility to the Twitter report. [UPDATE: The report has been confirmed by Gamasutra sources, off the record.] Machinegames studio was created by Starbreeze founder Magnus Hogdahl and other key members of the Riddick developer. Though they have yet to announce their first project, their official website notes the studio plans to work on "AAA titles for next-gen platforms." Last month ZeniMax announced it had received over $150 million in funding to fuel additional studio acquisitions, and attributed its growing development portfolio to the company's success.