The Japanese giant Sony announced on Monday January 31 to acquire the American studio Bungie, which is working on the development of the online multiplayer game Destiny. The amount of the operation amounts to 3.6 billion dollars, or 3.2 billion euros.
This new takeover comes only ten days after Microsoft announced the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard (Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, etc.) for a record amount of 60 billion euros. If it is a lesser sum, Sony’s gesture is symbolic here because the Japanese firm is buying here one of the former flagships of Microsoft Studios.
Bungie had indeed been one of the first studios to belong to the Redmond firm between the year 2000 and 2007, boom years when the studio had created and developed the Halo saga. He then handed over to 343 Industries for this license and took off to create Destiny. This latest game has earned an excellent reputation over time, while Bungie is considering the sequel.
Bungie will remain an independent publisher
For the time being, nothing has been specified as to the fact that this series or another will become exclusive to the PlayStation universe. But the beginning of an answer to this question has been provided through the official PlayStation Twitter account.
In the link published on its blog, Sony speaks with a letter from Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “First, I want to make it very clear to the community that Bungie will remain an independent, cross-platform studio and publisher. As such, we think it makes sense for him to sit alongside the PlayStation Studios organization, and we’re incredibly excited about the opportunities for synergies and collaboration between these two world-class groups.” A sentence which therefore suggests that the studio will not only work in collaboration with the Japanese group, but will always be able to develop its creations on other platforms.
Bungie is joining PlayStation.
Here’s what to expect from this exciting news: https://t.co/s1L3PhQ9vK pic.twitter.com/0R1qhnEDKk
—PlayStation (@PlayStation) January 31, 2022
For his part, the boss of Bungie Studios Pete Parsons underlined: “Like us, Sony believes that the worlds of gaming are only the beginning of what our important licenses can become. Together, we share a dream of creating and promoting iconic franchises that unite friends around the world, families across generations, and fans across multiple platforms and entertainment mediums.”
And to continue: “Over the past thirty years, the incredible worlds we have built have transformed into thriving communities, and this community is the real magic. These communities took Bungie beyond games. They forged lifelong bonds.”
With this acquisition, Sony intends to consolidate its leading position in video games by adding Destiny, a popular license in its purse, but also other projects that could be in the boxes of Bungie. The studio currently employs over 800 people worldwide.