Microsoft's ZeniMax buyout complete, listed as 'realized' by investor

Microsoft's $7.5 billion acquisition for ZeniMax Media has apparently been approved by worldwide regulators, closing one of the biggest entertainment mergers in the history of the games industry.

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The Microsoft x ZeniMax merger has apparently gone through. Providence Equity, the main stakeholder in ZeniMax Media, has listed ZeniMax as a "realized" investment on its portfolio webpage.

This essentially confirms a deal has gone through. Investments are listed as either active or realized; when an investment is listed as realized, that means the stakeholder has made a profit by selling the investment stake for more money than it was purchased for. Conversely, an active investment means no profit has been made yet. As part of the acquisition, Microsoft promised Providence a six-fold return of their initial ZeniMax Media investment.

The merger has not been listed as approved in the European Commission, but Microsoft put out a new Notice of Effectiveness SEC filing. These notices are filed when one company gains control over another entity--in this case, Microsoft gaining control of ZeniMax Media.