At a mere fraction of what Microsoft Gaming paid for Activision Blizzard a few weeks ago, PlayStation’s Sony has acquired Bungie. The development studio is best known creating Halo, the Xbox’s leading sci-fi shooter, and for its open-world shooter Destiny.
Sony’s going for a Bungie
I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Bungie to the PlayStation family! Bungie create 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
The deal reportedly closed at $3.6 billion and (apparently) doesn’t come as a reaction to Microsoft’s massive deal earlier this year. According to sources, the deal had been in discussion for around six months before it closed yesterday.
“Bungie’s world-class expertise in multi-platform development and live game services will help us deliver on our vision of expanding PlayStation to hundreds of millions of gamers. Bungie is a great innovator and has developed incredible proprietary tools that will help PlayStation Studios achieve new heights under Hermen Hulst’s leadership,” says Jim Ryan, head of Sony’s PlayStation division in a blog post detailing the acquisition.
He states that the studio will retain a fair amount of creative independence, and it will offer its expertise in immersive game worlds. Bungie will remain multi-platform as always, which means Destiny won’t suddenly drop functionality on everything that isn’t a PlayStation.
“This is a strategic step towards continuing to evolve the gaming experiences that we build,” Ryan said in his statement. “This partnership will bring inspiring new experiences to both the PlayStation community and the community that Bungie has built.”