Sony Interactive Entertainment announced they acquired Bungie, the video game developing studio that worked on major titles such as Halo and Destiny, for $3.6 billion-adding them to the list of companies working under the PlayStation umbrella alongside Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, and Sucker Punch Productions.
In a blog posted on the company's website, president and chief executive officer of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan, said that Bungie's expertise and reputation in publishing games on multiple formats would help them take the gaming platform beyond its role as a console while increasing its potential audience.
Ryan then added that their track record in developing successful science-fiction shooting games would complement Sony Interactive Entertainment's portfolio of games.
Bungie is joining PlayStation.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) January 31, 2022
Here’s what to expect from this exciting news: https://t.co/s1L3PhQ9vK pic.twitter.com/0R1qhnEDKk
He also said that the partnership between the two companies is a strategic step towards evolving and inspiring gaming experiences to both the platform's community and the fanbase of Bungie-produced games.
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He added that Sony Interactive Entertainment had a strong Relationship with Bungie before the acquisition for years before the acquisition. Both of them spent time developing the right relationship that promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Business-wise, Sony Interactive Entertainment can be benefitted from their acquisition of Bungie. According to The Verge, right before the former bought the latter, Bungie's Destiny 2 became one of the top ten games players play in their PlayStation 5 based on gameplay hours.
Through the acquisition, the company can earn an investment that Destiny 2 made from purchases for its cosmetics, seasonal battle passes, and downloadable content (DLC) packs through micro-transactions just like what they did to Fortnite, where they made $250 million from it in 2020 and an additional $200 million last year.
In a separate statement, Bungie said that they have a partner who will support and accelerate their vision in creating generation-spanning entertainment with the acquisition. Also, it will help them push their boundaries for their future game titles.
The developing studio then added that despite working under the PlayStation umbrella, they would continue to work and publish their games independently, including Destiny 2, on multiple gaming platforms.
They also said that Sony Interactive Entertainment's support could hire more talented and created people, no matter where they are from, to support their vision for Destiny 2 and their other possible game projects.
Sony's acquisition of Bungie is not the only deal between two gaming companies this year. Last January, Microsoft announced that they bought Blizzard Activision for $69 billion.
After the acquisition, Activision announced that they are working on three new Call of Duty games, including a possible sequel for Call of Duty: Warzone and a new entry for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
These three new games are reported to be released for the PlayStation 5 console as part of a continuing partnership between Activision and Sony.
On the other hand, Blizzard also revealed that they are developing a brand-new survival game that will set on a new world.
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