Destiny developer Bungie in $3.6 billion deal

gamedeveloper.com:

Sony Interactive Entertainment has penned a deal to acquire Destiny and early Halo developer Bungie for the sizable sum of $3.6 billion dollars.

The sale would bring Bungie into the first-party PlayStation Studios family and notably follows closely on the heels of console competitor Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard earlier this month.

For SIE, the acquisition both gives them a sizable new name in their first-party catalogue, and brings Bungie's "world-class...live game services and technology expertise" into Sony Interactive Entertainment's overall business.

This deal builds on years of partnership between Bungie and SIE, particularly surrounding past promotion of Destiny and Destiny 2. Following the acquisition, Bungie and its 900 some employees will become part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, but the company stresses that the studio will continue to operate independently, and maintain the ability to self-publish, as part of SIE.

Similarly, Bungie has announced that Destiny support will continue on non-PlayStation platforms like Steam, Xbox, and Stadia, despite its new status as a first-party PlayStation developer.

"This is an important step in our strategy to expand the reach of PlayStation to a much wider audience," explains a statement from SIE president and CEO Jim Ryan. "We understand how vital Bungie’s community is to the studio and look forward to supporting them as they remain independent and continue to grow."

For Bungie, the deal stands to give the company access to a new level of resources and reach. Already, Bungie leadership has lightly announced plans to accelerate hiring to "support our ambitious vision." 

However, while Destiny seems on track to remain a multi-platform