Sony Interactive Entertainment, the company behind PlayStation, is acquiring Bungie, the company behind the popular game Destiny, in a $3.6 billion deal. From Halo to Destiny January has a wild month in gaming. Take-Two acquired Zynga for $12.7 billion, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, and now Sony is acquiring Bungie for $3.6 billion. Sony said that Bungie, including its Destiny game franchise, will remain independent and multi-platform, meaning that its games will still be available on Xbox too.

- "First off, I want to be very clear to the community that Bungie will remain an independent and multi-platform studio and publisher," said Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment. "As such, we believe it makes sense for it to sit alongside the PlayStation Studios organization, and we are incredibly excited about the opportunities for synergies and collaboration between these two world-class groups."

Bungie is working on expanding the Destiny franchise and new IP. Sony believes that its investment will enable the game studio "to do that they best; build incredible worlds that captivate millions of people".

The acquisition could be tied to Sony's plans to launch a direct Xbox Game Pass competitor.

Bungie is also the original creator of Halo which was unveiled in 1999 as a third-person shooter game at Apple's Macworld Expo. Microsoft acquired Bungie in 2000 to include Halo as a launch title for the Xbox. The game studio split from Microsoft in 2007 and is now joining Sony – what a ride.

- "In Sony, we have found a partner who unconditionally supports us in all we are and who wants to accelerate our vision to create generation-spanning entertainment, all while preserving the creative independence that beats in Bungie’s heart. Like us, Sony believes that game worlds are only the beginning of what our IPs can become. Together, we share a dream of creating and fostering iconic franchises that unite friends around the world, families across generations, and fans across multiple platforms and entertainment mediums," said Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie.

Source: https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1643689547