Sony Just Bought Bungie To Rival Activision Blizzard Deal
The acquisition wars have begun. As gamers across the world are still shell-shocked from the news that Microsoft would acquire Activision for an unfathomable price, Sony is reported to have acquired Bungie in a counter move that will cost the game's publisher $3.6 billion.
The Console Wars
Click to enlargeThe report comes in from GamesIndustry.biz, which broke the news of the Sony Interactive Entertainment deal today (January 31). Once the deal has closed, Bungie will remain "an independent subsidiary" and with its games, such as Destiny 2, will continue as multi-platform releases. Sony also stated that Bungie has the option "to self-publish and reach players wherever they choose".
It was expected for Sony to make an acquisition to counter what is now the largest deal in gaming history from Microsoft. After putting a whopping $68.7 billion on the table for rights to properties like Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, and World of Warcraft, Microsoft has sprung forward in an exclusive titles race which Sony has long led with titles such as God of War and The Last Of Us.
The Rabbit And The Hare
Click to enlargeThis acquisition may mark the beginning of Sony's pushback against its competitor after the company was rumoured to combine its PS Plus and PS Now subscription services to counter Microsoft's Game Pass. However, at this moment it is unclear what the immediate gain from this acquisition will be. Bungie is known to be developing its next big yet unannounced IP, which could be eyeing up a exclusive release on PlayStation in light of the deal. However, as the company continues the support and expansion of Destiny 2, with the highly-anticipated expansion Destiny 2 Witch Queen just weeks away, both multi-platform releases and cross-play will remain for that franchise.
However, with Bungie known for both the original Halo trilogy and the continued success of Destiny, PlayStation fans will be ecstatic to see what exclusive content the merger may bring. We expect that more information about the acquisition will unfold as the week continues, so be sure to stick GGRecon for the latest news.