Quick on the heels of Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard for a record $70 Billion, Sony has announced acquisition news of its own, by deciding to buy Destiny 2-maker Bungie for $3.6 billion.
Bungie will reportedly remain “an independent subsidiary” of Sony Interactive Entertainment after the deal closes, leaving it free “to self-publish and reach players” however it chooses, according to Sony. That’s in contrast to past acquisitions by both Sony and Microsoft which have seen previously multiplatform studios like Bethesda go exclusive.
“This is an important step in our strategy to expand the reach of PlayStation to a much wider audience,” PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said in a press release. ‘We understand how vital Bungie’s community is to the studio and look forward to supporting them as they remain independent and continue to grow.”
In addition to big plans for the future of Destiny 2, Bungie’s popular and continually updated sci-fi loot shooter, the 900 employee studio is also working on other projects including an original new IP which was scheduled to release by 2025. Bungie first became a household name in the video game industry when it released Halo as a launch exclusive for the original Xbox.
Bungie eventually broke with Microsoft to go back to being independent only to hook up with Activision Blizzard to publish Destiny 1. In 2019, Bungie split with the Call of Duty maker as well, following years of what was reportedly a very strained business partnership.
