This year kicked off with the massive news that Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) had plans to acquire Destiny developer, Bungie.
Late on Friday, the deal was finalised via a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US. The filing confirms that SIE now owns 100 percent of the shares of Bungie. The value of those shares is said to be approximately $3.7 billion.
This is slightly over the $3.6 billion that was originally reported, but it has been six months and Bungie has had a stellar time during that period.
Bungie will join a growing number of developers at SIE. Specifically, Bungie will use its expertise to on “multi-platform development and live game services” for SIE games. We hope this means more PlayStation exclusives heading to PC. We aren’t expecting PlayStation exclusives to land on Xbox, but anything could happen.
As for fears that this deal would see Destiny once again becoming a PlayStation exclusive, Bungie addressed those fears in January when this announcement was made.
“We will continue to independently publish and creatively develop our games. We will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community. Our games will continue to be where our community is, wherever they choose to play,” chief executive officer at Bungie, Pete Parsons said.
In January, Parsons said that the most immediate change that would be seen is an acceleration of talent hiring to support Bungie’s ambitious visions. Those visions include the conclusion of the Destiny Light vs Dark saga, a game known only as Matter and other media inspired by the Destiny universe.
We’re also keen to see how Bungie is pulled in to assist Sony with live service games. While Destiny is by no means perfect, it’s longevity as a live service game surely helped influence Sony’s decision to make the purchase.
This mirrors Sony’s actions over the last year rather closely with exclusive titles having their universes expanded into films and other media.
“More than anything, Sony 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,” added Parsons.
We wish Bungie and its burgeoning team all the best under the SIE banner.
