Sony's Bungie Acquisition Not a Response to Microsoft Acquiring Activision Blizzard
When Sony announced its intent to purchase Bungie earlier this week, many gamers were quick to assume that the move was made in response to Microsoft's impending purchase of Activision Blizzard. However, it seems that's very much not the case. According to GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring, the deal has actually been in the works for the last five to six months. Given the timing of the announcement, gamers can hardly be blamed for thinking there might be some kind of connection, but deals worth $3.6 billion dollars don't happen overnight, or within a few short weeks, for that matter!
Dring's Tweet about the purchase can be found embedded below.
The deal was in the works for the past 5/6 months. Its not a reaction to the Take-Two/Zynga or Microsoft/Activision deals.
— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) January 31, 2022
Sony's purchase of Bungie came as a very big surprise when it was announced! The former Halo developer seemed like a strange fit for PlayStation, but it actually makes quite a bit of sense. According to PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, the purpose of the Bungie purchase was not to obtain exclusive games, but to gain Bungie's expertise at creating live-service games. Bungie's experience with the Destiny franchise gives them an advantage over the rest of PlayStation's in-house teams, who are more suited to creating single-player experiences. As such, Bungie could be a big help, particular as PlayStation looks to expand its first-party offerings.
While PlayStation's purchase of Bungie hasn't gone through yet, the company is already looking ahead at other studios to purchase. Some gamers are notably hesitant about the idea of Sony and Microsoft purchasing so many other companies, and what it could mean for competition in the industry. In fact, the United States Federal Trade Commission is reportedly investigating Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal, in order to make sure it does not give the company an unfair competitive advantage. No official announcement has been made about an investigation, and it's unclear whether the FTC will similarly look into Sony's purchase of Bungie. While there might not be any actual connection between the two deals, it could mark the beginning of a trend for the industry.
How do you feel about Sony's purchase of Bungie? Did you think there was a connection to the Activision Blizzard deal? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!