Sony Paid $229 Million To Acquire Marvel's Spider-Man Developer Insomniac Games

Marvel's Spider-Man was one of the biggest games of 2018. The title was not only a financial [...]

Marvel's Spider-Man was one of the biggest games of 2018. The title was not only a financial success for Sony, but also a critical one, racking up a number of "Game of the Year" nominations from various outlets. As such, it came as little surprise last November when Sony announced that they had purchased the title's developer, Insomniac Games. At the time, the figure Sony paid was not disclosed, but an SEC filing discovered by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad has revealed the company paid $229 million for the developer. According to the filing, Sony mostly paid cash for the purchase.

It's always interesting to get a look behind the curtain regarding the goings on of the video game industry. While Insomniac Games has developed a number of successful titles over the years, the purchase clearly says a lot about Sony's future plans for the Spider-Man brand. Sony was reportedly granted exclusive rights to make games based on Spider-Man as part of the initial deal that allowed Marvel Studios to use Spider-Man in films such as Captain America: Civil War and Avengers Endgame. While the deal looked to be in jeopardy last year, the efforts of Tom Holland helped convince Marvel and Sony to come back to the table. Sony has already made a connection between their Spider-Man video game, and a Spider-Man movie released by Sony. Spider-Man's Advanced Suit, created specifically for the game, made a cameo in the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

As of July, Marvel's Spider-Man sold more than 13 million copies globally on PlayStation 4. Naturally, a sequel from Insomniac Games is rumored to be in the works, but no details have been released at this time.

As the cost of game development continues to increase, it's unsurprising to see developers accept purchase offers from bigger publishers. Insomniac Games has had a strong relationship with Sony since the days of the original PlayStation, which likely made Sony's offer all the more tempting. Besides Marvel's Spider-Man, Insomniac Games has been responsible for games such as Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, and Sunset Overdrive.

What do you think about Sony's acquisition of Insomniac Games? Are you surprised by the amount paid? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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