Sony Acquires Halo and Destiny Developer Bungie

The bidding wars have begun! Earlier this month, Microsoft shook the gaming industry’s equilibrium by announcing that they were purchasing Activision Blizzard for a whopping $69 billion. This has led a lot of people to speculate about what Sony would do in answer. Most of the buzz has been around Spartacus, the rumored PlayStation equivalent of Xbox Game Pass. However, today, a blog post on Bungie’s official site has announced that Sony is acquiring the team behind the original Halo games and Destiny. Pete Parsons, Bungie CEO, wrote this in the announcement post:

We believe games have limitless potential, and that to do anything worthwhile in entertainment, we must bet big on our vision, on our studio, and on our incredible team of trusted creators who build unforgettable worlds that truly matter to people.​

In SIE, we have found a partner who unconditionally supports us in all we are and who wants to accelerate our vision to create generation-spanning entertainment, all while preserving the creative independence that beats in Bungie’s heart. Like us, SIE believes that game worlds are only the beginning of what our IPs can become. Together, we share a dream of creating and fostering iconic franchises that unite friends around the world, families across generations, and fans across multiple platforms and entertainment mediums.​

Today, Bungie begins our journey to become a global multi-media entertainment company.

Needless to say, this is big news. And not just in terms of money, although $3.6 billion is nothing to scoff at. This also implies some sort of a battle between the two massive console producers and could signal more purchases of massive studios moving forward. The discourse around this news on Twitter will be nothing short of noxious. Furthermore, it means that leadership at Sony may be feeling some sort of pressure to please gamers after Microsoft’s big acquisitions this generation.

Although Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO, states in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, that this acquisition isn’t a response to that deal, and that it has to do with the live service games, similar to Destiny 2, that PlayStation Studios is producing. Bungie’s knowledge in developing a successful live-service online game in this genre will help other PlayStation teams on their games. Jim Ryan also says that more acquisitions are to be expected.

Pete Parsons goes on to emphasize that Bungie, although now a part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, still has the autonomy to publish and develop games. The most immediate change to come from this deal is that Bungie will hire new talent for the team. While it is specified that the new members will help on Destiny 2, the blog post also says “and for all new worlds beyond” signifying that Bungie is working on other projects alongside their big science-fiction first-person shooter.

One fun byproduct of these recent purchases from both sides is that in Microsoft’s recent acquisition, they made Crash Bandicoot, the old PlayStation mascot, an Xbox IP, and with the acquisition of Bungie, Sony now owns the company that made Xbox’s most iconic franchise, Halo. But that’s all you need to know as of now about this deal. Let us know what you think about Sony’s powerplay down in the comments below.