Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it has acquired the developer of the Destiny series and the original developer of Halo, Bungie.
Per Gamesindustry.biz, Sony and Bungie will go into this deal with Bungie remaining as an independent subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company will continue to develop and self-publish its titles on whichever platforms they choose to. This includes the currently in development Destiny 2 expansion, The Witch Queen, and possibly Bungie’s yet-to-be-named new IP.
Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie, had this to say about the acquisition:
“We believe games have limitless potential and that to do anything worthwhile in entertainment, we must bet big on our vision, on our studio, and on our incredible team of trusted creators who build unforgettable worlds that truly matter to people.
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.
Today, Bungie begins our journey to become a global multi-media entertainment company.”
SIE’s CEO Jim Ryan has been optimistic regarding the acquisition was quick to point out that this will not affect Bungies day to day operations. Ryan has confirmed that Bungie will be free to do as they feel, and will sit alongside the PlayStation Studios organization. While Herman Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, is “thrilled to announce a new member will be joining the PlayStation family!” and that he has been a fan of Bungie’s work for quite some time.Â
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
This was not a response to Microsoft acquiring either Zenimax Bethesda or Activision-Blizzard, and this deal was apparently 5-6 months in the making. What’s interesting about this all is typically when a company in the console space is acquired, there’s usually some sort of exclusivity expected. Yet, here, both Sony and Bungie are adamant that this will change nothing in terms of multiplatform gaming. Whether this stays throughout the remainder of the PlayStation’s and Bungie’s existence remains to be seen.
As for PlayStation, Jim Ryan has stated that we should expect more acquisitions, according to Gameindustry.biz’s Christopher Dring.
The deal was in the works for the past 5/6 months. Its not a reaction to the Take-Two/Zynga or Microsoft/Activision deals.
— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) January 31, 2022
As to what companies Jim and crew have in mind, that’s anyone’s guess. Still, judging from Twitter and other internet spaces, it’s clear that a vast number of PlayStation fans are crossing their fingers that either Capcom or Square-Enix is next.
PlayStation Studios have been doing a strategy of buying studios for the developers and giving them Sony IP’s to work on or to make new ones to fit under the PlayStation Studios umbrella. This acquisition definitely seems to correspond with that mentality. There are some fans hoping that we may see a reboot of the once popular Killzone game series or Resistance now that Sony has a very FPS geared studio under them.
Sources: PlayStation Blog, Bungie, Gameindustry.biz