Bethesda, id parent scores $150 million investment

Today, id Software and Bethesda Softworks' parent company received a massive infusion of cash. This morning, ZeniMax Media announced that private venture-capital firm Providence Equity Partners is investing $150 million in the Bethesda, Maryland-based media firm for "increased game development, expanded publishing operations, and strategic acquisitions."

This isn't the first time Providence has made a massive investment in ZeniMax. In October 2007, the firm announced it was investing $300 million to "increase game development and publishing, facilitate acquisitions, and finance massively multiplayer online games."

While ZeniMax Online's MMOG--widely suspected to be based on the Elder Scrolls franchise--did not surface in the intervening three years, ZeniMax did say today its development resources have tripled. That was in large part due to the reportedly $105 million acquisition of id Software, the developer behind the Quake and Doom franchises, as well as the upcoming Rage. Then this past August, ZeniMax bought Arx Fatalis creator and BioShock 2 contributor Arkane Studios for an undisclosed sum.