Bethesda "has begun direct publishing operations in Europe"

Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax, is to open a London office and "has begun direct publishing operations in Europe", the company just announced.

It's unclear whether or not Fallout 3 will be self-published by Bethesda later this year, as the announcement said that ZeniMax is "continuing to work with strategic European distribution partners," but that it "plans to deliver a range of compelling titles to the European market in the coming years, including the highly anticipated Fallout 3 in Fall 2008."

Bethesda RPG Oblivion was published by 2K and Ubisoft in Europe.

“This is an important step for us as we look to expand our presence in markets outside of North America,” said Robert Altman, ZeniMax CEO. “We want to establish direct relationships with retailers and distributors throughout Europe and the UK as we bring exciting titles like Fallout 3 and Rogue Warrior to gamers worldwide.”