Some Xbox fans have wondered whether Microsoft might be buying Bungie back as part of its recent spree of game studio acquisitions, but it turns out that the Destiny developer and Halo creator is going to the opposite team instead.
As detailed in separate articles shared by PlayStation boss Jim Ryan and Bungie today, Bungie has joined Sony Interactive Entertainment as an independent, multi-platform studio and publisher. The deal is valued at 3.6 billion, according to GamesIndustry.biz, which was the first to report the news.
“[…] I want to be very clear to the community that Bungie will remain an independent and multi-platform studio and publisher,” Ryan clarified in his opening paragraph. “As such, we believe it makes sense for it to sit alongside the PlayStation Studios organization, and we are incredibly excited about the opportunities for synergies and collaboration between these two world-class groups.”
“We remain in charge of our destiny,” added Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie, stressing that the developer would remain creatively independent despite the acquistion. “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.”
Bungie was owned by Microsoft from 2000 to 2007, an era in which it helped propel the Xbox brand to prominence with multiple critically acclaimed Halo titles. The developer’s current project, Destiny 2, will seemingly operate as it always has even though it is now a part of the PlayStation family, according to an image shared by the company.
Source: PlayStation, Bungie