Sony Interactive Entertainment has purchased Destiny studio and original Halo developer Bungie.
The deal comes at a cost of $3.6 billion for Sony and now Bungie is part of SIE and PlayStation Studios. This acquisition comes after Microsoft recently purchased Activision Blizzard in a landscape-altering move. The former Halo studio says the move is part one of Bungie becoming “a global multi-media entertainment company” and that it will continue to independently publish and creatively develop its titles.
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“Our games will continue to be where our community is, wherever they choose to play,” said Bungie CEO Pete Parsons on its website. “With SIE’s support, the most immediate change you will see is an acceleration in hiring talent across the entire studio to support our ambitious vision. If this speaks to you, and you want to help us put a dent in the universe, we are hiring across all disciplines for Destiny 2 and for all new worlds beyond.”
Parsons goes on to state that “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 … More than anything, SIE understands that our people and our community are both the priority, and the heart of our success, and are willing to stand alongside us as we continue to use our platform to drive action towards a more welcoming and equitable world. Our goal is to build a place where the world’s most creative and talented people can come and do their best work, no matter who they are, where they are from, or how they identify.”
Bungie was initially acquired by Microsoft in 2000 and rose to prominence for its Halo series of first-person shooters before splitting in 2007. Bungie then signed a 10-year publishing deal with Activision that lasted until 2019 and the studio went independent and self-published.
