Sony acquires Halo & Destiny creator Bungie for $3.6 billion

Sony has announced the acquisition of video game developer Bungie, creators of the Halo franchise and current hit Destiny, in a $3.6 billion deal. The move comes as the arms race in the gaming industry heats up after Microsoft’s acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.

In a blog post, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons said that the studio will continue to independently publish and develop games. “In SIE, we have found a partner who unconditionally supports us in all we are and who wants to accelerate our vision to create generation-spanning entertainment, all while preserving the creative independence that beats in Bungie’s heart,” Parsons wrote.

Destiny 2 to remain cross platform

Destiny 2, the company’s current flagship game, boasts a player base of over 38 million. It is currently available on both Sony and Microsoft’s consoles, along with PC. Bungie has made clear that Destiny 2 would continue to be multiplatform in the future, explicitly stating that the game will receive no preferential treatment or exclusive content on Sony’s PS4 and PS5 consoles.

According to Bungie, any future games they develop will also remain cross-platform, and not exclusives for Sony consoles. “We will continue to be self-published, creatively independent, and we will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community,” the company said in a statement.

Also Read: Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox? All you need to know about Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal

The creators of Halo

Bungie was the original developer and creator of Microsoft’s hit franchise Halo. Under Bungie’s direction, Halo grew to be one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. Bungie gave up control of the first-person shooter to become an independent company in 2007. The company continued to make Halo games until Halo: Reach in 2010, where it handed over the reins of the Halo franchise to current developer 343 Industries.

In 2010, Bungie announced a publishing deal with Activision for its shooter Destiny, which was launched in 2013. Bungie then launched Destiny 2 in 2017.