We are thrilled to announce that Sony Interactive Entertainment has entered into an agreement to acquire Bungie, which will bring one of the world’s greatest development studios into the PlayStation family. Bungie has created two of gaming’s most iconic franchises, Halo and Destiny, and has deep expertise in bringing incredible immersive experiences at great scale to the community through games that evolve and develop over time, and has a hugely impressive roadmap for future content. It’s that expertise coupled with the highly engaged PlayStation community that makes this partnership such an incredibly exciting addition.

Bungie’s successful track record in multi-format publishing and live game services will assist us in realizing our ambitions to take PlayStation beyond the console and increase our potential audience. They will remain independent and multi-platform, will enjoy creative freedom, and their track record in developing massively successful franchises in the sci-fi shooter genre will be highly complementary to SIE’s own IP portfolio.    

This is a strategic step towards continuing to evolve the gaming experiences that we build. Bungie’s expertise in delivering a world-class service approach and long-term community engagement is extremely compelling and will support the development of several future live services titles from PlayStation Studios. Equally, we see the exceptional skills that PlayStation Studios possess offers the potential to enhance Bungie’s existing and future IP portfolio.

We have a long history of understanding the creative process, developing best in class technology, and delivering the most powerful storytelling in the industry. We are developer-and gamer-focused and entertainment is in our DNA. From our early acquisitions of iconic studios including Naughty Dog (2001), Guerrilla (2005), and Sucker Punch Productions (2011) to our homegrown development studios including Santa Monica Studio and Polyphony Digital, we have great experience in fostering creative talent and maintaining a culture that allows creative independence but also provides structure and support.

We’ve had a strong relationship with Bungie for many years. And we’ve spent considerable time with the Bungie management team to develop the right relationship that promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing. During the extensive conversations that have taken place over the past few months, it is apparent that Bungie’s management is incredibly excited at the prospect of collaborating with the PlayStation Studios teams.

This partnership will bring inspiring new experiences to both the PlayStation community and the community that Bungie has built. We believe that creativity, technology, and collaboration ultimately make for better games and experiences and that’s what matters most to us. At Sony, we are dedicated to entertainment and filling the world with emotion. And we hope you agree there has never been a better time to be a gamer.

Read more from Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, as he shares a bit more on what this means for PlayStation Studios.

To find out what this means from the PlayStation Studios perspective, check out Hermen Hulst’s thoughts here.