PlayStation’s acquisition of Bungie is being probed by the FTC, which could impact when the deal closes. Earlier this year, PlayStation announced its intent to buy Bungie for $3.6 billion. The deal was massive, as Bungie was once an Xbox-owned studio and is responsible for creating the platform holder’s biggest franchise in Halo. Since splintering off of Microsoft and leaving Halo behind, Bungie has been working on the Destiny series, which has proven to be so successful that it has helped spawn many other live service titles. As such, PlayStation saw the value in the developer and sought to scoop them up. The news broke just shortly after Microsoft announced its acquisition of Activision, but Sony maintained its deal had been in the works for months.
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Now, the FTC has opened an investigation into PlayStation’s acquisition of Bungie. This doesn’t mean anything bad has happened behind-the-scenes, but the investigation is primarily used to comb over the details with a fine tooth comb. According to The Information, the investigation may set back the closing of the deal more than six months. The FTC is reportedly getting more aggressive about reviewing these types of deals as they become more prominent. The agency is also concerned that Sony will make Bungie’s games exclusive to PlayStation, but the platform holder stressed that would not be the case when the deal was announced.
As of right now, the deal is reportedly expected to close sometime in early 2023. It seems unlikely the deal will be outright blocked so long as Sony maintains its promise to keep Bungie’s games multi-platform. It seems more likely that Sony will be using the developer to strengthen its free-to-play and FPS offerings in addition to giving Bungie the resources to expand its worlds outside of gaming by utilizing Sony Pictures for films or shows. We’ll likely hear more about all of the specific plans sometime next year.
What do you think of the PlayStation and Bungie deal? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
