Time.news – Sony takes cover after the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft and announces the acquisition of American video game studio Bungie, creator of the “Destiny” and “Halo” franchises, to incorporate him into his developer collective PlayStation Studios. The deal, valued at 3.6 billion dollars (about € 3.207 billion) and pending regulatory approval, is aimed at strengthening Sony’s outlook for online multiplayer titles, a joint statement read.
“Bungie will continue to operate independently, maintaining the ability to self-publish and reach players wherever they choose to play.”
Bungie will be an independent subsidiary of Sony and will remain under the direction of its current management, led by its president and CEO, Pete Parsons, said in the text.
Sony has made a number of such purchases over the past few years, adding to the number of attendees to its PlayStation Studios program.
The most recent was last June the acquisition of the indie studio Housemarque, creator of the best-seller “Returnal”.
Bungie will join the current collective of 17 developers, which also includes Insomniac (“Ratchet & Clank”), Guerrilla (“Horizon”), Naughty Dog (“Uncharted”, “The Last of Us”) and Santa Monica Studio (” God of War “).
“We’ve had a strong partnership with Bungie since the inception of the Destiny franchise and I couldn’t be more excited to officially welcome the studio to the PlayStation family,” said Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) President and CEO Jim Ryan.
“This is an important step in our strategy to expand the reach of the PlayStation to an even wider audience,” he added.
The Bungie president welcomed Sony’s support for its “creative independence” and said it would continue to “create games that value our community and find them wherever and however they choose to play,” in another apparent reference to the game. multiplatform.
The acquisition was welcomed by investors on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with the Japanese group’s shares up nearly 2% after the first hour of trading.