After Microsoft, it’s Sony’s turn to make a major acquisition, by acquiring the studio behind the Destiny saga.
Just a few weeks ago, Microsoft made a huge acquisition, buying Activision-Blizzard-King studios, then in turmoil after revelations of sexist and racist harassment. A kick in the video game industry that does not come alone: yesterday, it was Sony’s turn to also announce a major takeover. The parent company of PlayStation has indeed confirmed acquisition of Bungie Studioscreator of several historic franchises such as destiny or Halo.
A long-standing merger
If the ax falls just a few days after Microsoft’s resounding announcement, Sony’s takeover of Bungie is not new. Between the two companies, negotiations began last summer. The synchronicity of the respective calendars of Xbox and PlayStation would therefore result from a happy coincidence more than a hot reaction from Sony. It must be said that since last year, the console wars have resumed. Each on their side, the two entertainment giants had already formalized the acquisition of several studios, with the aim of expanding their cloud gaming catalog by subscription.
$3.6 billion
Confirmed by Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation studios, this acquisition marks a promising start to the year for Sony. Especially since in addition to its exorbitant price (3.6 billion dollars), Bungie takeover is highly symbolic. Recall that between 2000 and 2007, the development studio belonged to Microsoft. Having since become independent, Bungie remains at the origin of several cult franchises, which should quickly migrate to PlayStation consoles.
I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Bungie to the PlayStation family! Bungie creates community-driven games with outstanding technology that are enormous fun to play, and I know that everyone at PlayStation Studios will be excited about what we can share and learn together. pic.twitter.com/VySocfBxtx
—Hermen Hulst (@hermenhulst) January 31, 2022
With $3.6 billion at stake, Sony is obviously a far cry from the titanic merger between Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard, which was signed for $70 billion. However, the Japanese company, which feared that Redmond would not respect its commitments in terms of multiplatform agreements, can now also put pressure on its side. Especially since according to Hermen Hulst, further acquisitions are yet to be announced in the course of 2022.
Note, however, that despite this takeover, Bungie should only join the PlayStation Studios family. Officially, the company will remain independent, and should not change guidelines on its future projects.
