January was a month of acquisitions with Take-Two Interactive acquiring Zynga, Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard and now Sony Interactive Entertainment acquiring Bungie.

Yes, we have come full circle folks. Bungie made the original Halo games which were Xbox system sellers before departing. After a stint of independence Bungie entered into a publishing agreement with Activision Blizzard. That deal was ultimately terminated and Bungie was once again independent.

That is until this deal closes of course and that depends on regulatory approval and other closing conditions.

“Bungie’s technical expertise, coupled with their track record of building highly engaged communities, make them a natural fit for collaboration with PlayStation Studios. We are excited to make plans to share skills and expertise, and to unlock the potential in having the brilliant minds at Bungie under the PlayStation roof,” wrote head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst.

With Bungie’s recent push for cross-play and Sony being the roadblock for many developers looking to include cross-play in their games, there were worries that this deal would mean Sony had exclusive access to Destiny.

Bungie assuaged these worries but stating that none of its plans for Destiny 2 would be affected by this acquisition. You can read an FAQ about what this means for The Witch Queen and beyond here.

“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. 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,” wrote Bungie chief executive officer, Pete Parsons.

As for what the future holds, that’s unclear as you might expect. Will future games be platform exclusive? We simply don’t know but we would expect that at least some titles would be platform exclusive. With that having been said, the success of God of War, Days Gone and Horizon Zero Dawn on PC is surely a good thing for Sony and allows it to diversify its revenue streams.

While it might seem strange at first that Bungie is jumping into bed with another publisher relatively soon after leaving Activision Blizzard, one should bear in mind the toxicity of that company and the push for change Bungie has been leading since its departure.

This is good news for Bungie but how the acquisition will play out for fans of the developer remains to be seen especially as regards future titles.