The video game world is undergoing some dramatic changes. It wasn’t long ago that Microsoft, makers of the Xbox, purchased Activision Blizzard, leaving many reeling at the implications. But now Sony, makers of the PlayStation, have hit back. It has been announced that Sony officially purchased Bungie for a massive $3.6 billion. If it wasn’t clear that Microsoft and Sony are at billion dollar war, it certainly is now.
Bungie are, of course, most well known for making looter shooter Destiny 2. This means that the game now falls under the Sony umbrella. Though, fans of the game need not worry. According to a company spokesperson the game will not become exclusive to the PlayStation. Instead, it seems that the video game behemoth is taking a rather passive approach. The spokesperson declared that the smaller studio is to be an independent subsidiary, allowed to create and publish games however it chooses.
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Expanding PlayStation Reach
Jim Ryan, CEO of PlayStation, elaborated on the situation. He explained that the purchase is an important step in a larger strategy. The strategy is, he continued, to expand the reach of the PlayStation brand to a wider audience than ever before.
He went on to say that he understands how important the studio is to the video game community, stressing that he looks forward to supporting that community while allowing it to be independent.
Hence, it seems as if Bungie, which is a massive organization of 900 employees, will still be allowed to forge its own path in the market. Though now with the backing of a multi-billion dollar behemoth. Certainly good news for fans of Destiny 2.
Looking Closer At The Studio
Video game historians will know that it has been a long road for Bungie. The developer first became a household name with Halo, which saw release on the original Xbox. This means, of course, that the company was initially attached to Microsoft. But it wasn’t long after Halo that a new partnership was formed with Activision Blizzard. That new partnership dissolved in 2019, only for the studio to now be purchased by Sony in 2022.
It is truly a bizarre series of events that has resulted in the company now acting as a direct rival to original owners Microsoft. Either way the Destiny franchise is still going strong. Not to mention that the veteran developers are also rumored to be working on a whole new IP. Though this new game, whatever it happens to be, won’t see a release until 2025 at least.
