Not even two weeks after Microsoft announced its move to purchase Activision Blizzard, Sony and PlayStation are firing back with their own bombshell purchase of Bungie, the studio that originally created Halo, in a $3.6 billion deal. However, while it’s certain that some of the industry’s largest competitors have come to play ball, Bungie has surprisingly confirmed that its future games are planned to stay multiplatform. Bungie will operate as an independent subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).
I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Bungie to the PlayStation family! Bungie create community-driven games with outstanding technology that are enormous fun to play, and I know that everyone at PlayStation Studios will be excited about what we can share and learn together. pic.twitter.com/VySocfBxtx
— Hermen Hulst (@hermenhulst) January 31, 2022
“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,” said Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie, in a statement. SIE “unconditionally supports” the company and cares about preserving its “creative independence.”
Parsons continued on to say, “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.”
Meanwhile, in a separate frequently asked questions section of its website, Bungie confirmed plans to release future games on multiple platforms, not just Sony PlayStation:
Q. Bungie has future games in development, will they now become PlayStation exclusives? No. We want the worlds we are creating to extend to anywhere people play games. We will continue to be self-published, creatively independent, and we will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community.
Bungie left the Halo series with Halo Reach in 2010 and has since been on a journey of its own with Destiny, a similar-but-different sci-fi first-person shooter with heavy live-service elements. Though off to a rough start with its original release in 2014, the IP found a strong following and continued with a sequel in 2017, maintaining a devoted fanbase since. It’s unclear how Sony buying Bungie will impact the future of Destiny, so be sure to stay tuned for more updates.
