Sony, the manufacturer of the PlayStation, revealed intentions on Monday to spend $3.6 billion on Bungie – the massive game developer behind Destiny 2 and the massively popular Halo – and that’s only the beginning of the spending binge.
The surprising revelation came on the heels of the shocking news last week that Xbox manufacturer Microsoft intended to acquire Activision Blizzard — so the Japanese business retaliated with its own significant gaming purchase. Also Sony buys Bungie for $3.6 billion in groundbreaking deal
In a blog post announcing the acquisition, Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, stated, “I want to be absolutely clear to the community that Bungie will remain an independent and multi-platform company and publisher.” “As such, we feel it makes sense for it to reside alongside the PlayStation Studios organisation, and we are tremendously pleased about the synergies and cooperation prospects between these two world-class organisations.”
The announcement comes only a week after Microsoft revealed intentions to purchase game company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, making this $3.6 billion transaction appear tiny. However, appearances can be deceiving: Few studios have the size of Activision, so any acquisition would be insignificant. And, if Sony goes on a purchasing spree, it might swiftly build up a massive gaming sector — and expand the gap between PlayStation and Xbox.
Bungie creates games with exceptional technology that are extremely enjoyable to play,” said Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios. “They also have an unrivalled devotion to the communities who play their games, and everyone at PlayStation and PlayStation Studios is delighted to share and learn from them.”
“Bungie has created and continues to evolve some of the world’s most beloved videogame franchises, and by aligning its values with people’s desire to share gameplay experiences, they bring together millions of people around the world,” Sony Group Corporation president and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said in a statement. “We will leverage the Sony Group’s vast array of entertainment and technological assets to support Bungie’s continued development and ability to build iconic worlds across many platforms and media.”
And this is only the beginning.
Ryan highlighted the move as “only the beginning of the company’s objectives” in an exclusive interview with Gamesindustry.biz. In other words, more purchases are undoubtedly on the way.
“Expect more,” he said.