Xbox-owner Microsoft has acquired the games company behind blockbuster titles including Doom, Fallout, Skyrim and Wolfenstein.
It is paying US $7.5 billion for Bethesda's parent ZeniMax Media.
Xbox has said that the publisher's franchises would be added to its Game Pass subscription package for consoles and PCs.
This could help make the forthcoming Xbox Series X more attractive than the PlayStation 5 to some players.
Both machines are due to launch in November.
