Sony Buys Bungie For $3.6 Billion And More Deals Coming Down The Pipe
Microsoft opened up with a big salvo but Sony is planning to fight back with slightly smaller acquisitions. The Gamer Arms Race has begun.
You’ve probably seen the news or read the headline. “Sony Buys Bungie For $3.6 Billion” — it’s been making the rounds. But this is a big deal for video games and gaming moving forward. While it’s not quite as eye popping as the Microsoft deal to acquire Activision/Blizzard, it’s still a LOT of money. Plus that Microsoft deal is so big, the FTC is taking a closer look at it. So what does all this matter? Because it’s just the start.
The Great Gamer Arms Race
The Sony deal to buy Bungie is just the beginning. According to PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, “[Sony has] many more moves to make.” You can infer that to mean more deals are coming down the pipe. And don’t think for a second that this deal was just a gut reaction to “catch-up” to the Microsoft deal. These types of things take months to hammer out. Sure, 2022 has seen lots of these types deals being announced within weeks of each other. But the talks of this sale started five or six months ago.
Why This Deal Is A Good Idea For Sony
PlayStation purchasing Bungie is a smart move. Destiny 2 is kind of a big deal in the “games as a live service” space. It might not be Epic Games’ Fortnite big, but it’s a cash cow with a very active player base. For example, more that one million Destiny players have pre-ordered Destiny 2: The Witch Queen which launches later this month.
Thank you to the more than ONE MILLION Destiny players who have pre-ordered Destiny 2: The Witch Queen.
With your incredible support, it’s on track to be the most pre-ordered expansion in Destiny 2 history.
See you on 2.22.22, Guardians! pic.twitter.com/1fFzAWyV30
Advertisement— Destiny 2 (@DestinyTheGame) February 1, 2022
The Standard edition of that expansion starts at $39.99. While the Deluxe edition + Bungie 30th Anniversary Bundle clocks in at $99.99. It’s pretty safe to say that those pre-orders generated somewhere between $40-$100 million for them. Furthermore, the player base is very active.
if you’re wondering how big Destiny 2 is for Sony…
860,000 players played Destiny 2 yesterday, at a slow point in a season about to end later this month
Advertisement• 275,000 on Xbox
• 355,000 on PlayStation
• 224,000 on Steam
• 5,390 on Stadia— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) February 1, 2022
Yeah…860,000 players logged on yesterday across all the various platforms. And it’s not exactly “peak” activity for the current season. So there is an entrenched player base and they are willing to spend money on the “box sales” but also on those dreaded microtransactions. In 2019, it was estimated that Destiny 2 made roughly $300 million by way of those microtransactions.
On top of that, this also allows Sony to acquire all the tech that Bungie built to allow for Cross-platform play. This was alluded to more in the interview with gamesindustry.biz and why this is such a good acquisition for Sony. Gamers want to play games on the platforms of their choice with their other friends across other platforms. Epic Games got a jump on this trend with Fortnite and everyone else is playing catch-up. Bungie built their infrastructure to allow for Cross-saves first and then enabled Cross-play later. That is valuable knowledge to have moving towards a new digital gaming landscape.
Platform Exclusives?
Bungie and Sony have had a history of working together. They’ve also had a history of releasing Platform exclusive content for Destiny and Destiny 2. Thankfully, that pretty much ended with the more recent years of Destiny 2. In the official blog post on PlayStation, the companies pushed that Bungie is going to independently publish their games.
There was also a Q&A published by Bungie that answered a ton of questions. The key one for many players is this one:
Q. Will any announced seasons, events, packs, or expansions be changed or impacted by Bungie becoming part of PlayStation?
No. Bungie retains full creative independence for our games and our community. Our plans for the Light and Dark Saga are unchanged, all the way through The Final Shape in 2024.
So take a breath if you are a fan of Destiny 2 and playing on other platforms. You’re good. At least through 2024.
Sony Isn’t Just PlayStation
In September of last year, Bungie also announced plans for a Destiny Film/TV Show. It was still very early in the pipeline for that project. However, now that Halo is getting a TV show on Paramount+ this is all starting to make a lot more sense. Sony isn’t just about PlayStation video game sales. They are also a powerhouse in movies, television, music, and more. This purchase really does open up some big opportunities for the Destiny IP and franchise as a whole.
The Gaming landscape is changing. We’re witnessing the start of these big multi-platform moves. It’s not just about the games; it’s about building a IP up to the point where you’re sitting on the next MCU style franchise. Yes, video games are involved. But get ready for more toys, more movies, more television, and whatever else they can sell you. Sony has “many more moves to make.”
Forget the Console Wars. This is something MUCH bigger.
