Sony Online Entertainment Leaves Sony

Massively multiplayer online video game developer Sony Online Entertainment is breaking away from Sony to become an independent studio, renamed Daybreak Game Company.

The company - who is responsible for such online games as DC Universe Online, the EverQuest series, and PlanetSide 2 – also hinted that is seeking to develop for Xbox systems, after previously being bound to PlayStation and PC development.

The transition comes after investment management firm Columbus Nova purchased the company for an undisclosed sum.

"So what exactly does this mean for you? It will be business as usual and all SOE games will continue on their current path of development and operation," the studio said in the announcement. "In fact, we expect to have even more resources available to us as a result of this acquisition. It also means new exciting developments for our existing IP and games as we can now fully embrace the multi-platform world we are living in."

No further details were divulged, but the purchase could open a whole new arena for Daybreak's impressive roster of online titles.