Sony has announced its plan to acquire "Destiny 2" publisher and former "Halo" developer, Bungie for $3.6 billion, though its future projects will remain open to other platforms besides PlayStation moving forward.
Sony potentially countering Microsoft
The news comes almost two weeks after Microsoft announced its plans to buy Activision Blizzard for a whopping $70 billion – a deal that if were ever to be finalized in 2023 as planned would net the company the biggest portfolio of major IPs ("Diablo," "Candy Crush," "Call of Duty," etc) to date. Microsoft previously acquired Bethesda and its IPS that include "Fallout," "Doom," "The Elder Scrolls," and many more.
Given this massive shakeup and the short time between both acquisitions, there is speculation that Sony's decision might have been spurred by Microsoft's own. However, the company refuted these claims.
Unlike Microsoft's deal with Activision Blizzard, Sony has no plans on making any of Bungie's franchises exclusive to its PlayStation platform moving forward. Instead, the latter will remain a completely independent entity following the acquisition. These plans were outlined in a FAQ page appearing on Bungie's official website consisting of a Q&A format. Particularly, in response to the potential question on whether there would be any changes made to its games and add-ons following the acquisition.
Bungie's answer was as follows:
"Q. Will any announced seasons, events, packs, or expansions be changed or impacted by Bungie becoming part of PlayStation?
A. No. Bungie retains full creative independence for our games and our community. Our plans for the Light and Dark Saga are unchanged, all the way through The Final Shape in 2024."
From Microsoft to Sony
Bungie got its start in 1991 and developed hallmark titles such as "Pathways to Darkness," "Oni," and "Marathon" for Mac/PC platforms.
But its prominence had skyrocketed after it was acquired by Microsoft at the start of the 21st century. The studio went on to play a pivotal role in shaping and articulating the Xbox brand in its emergence at that point by developing the 'Halo' franchise across the Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms.
Following the enormous success of "Halo 3," Bungie and Microsoft announced they were splitting up with the former partnering up with Activision to develop "Destiny" across several platforms in 2013.
Shortly after the release, this partnership would also come to an end in 2019 due to conflict forming between the two companies. Bungie would go fully independent and gain control over its current game "Destiny 2."
Given this latest shakeup, questions still remain on whether Sony's acquisition will still affect Bungie's operations moving forward despite the assurance of the contrary. The same also goes for Microsoft and its acquisitions. Only time will tell.
