Several people in the video game industry have been reporting that Sony Entertainment is on the verge of making a major announcement about the acquisition of another large gaming company. A couple of my sources got back to me today and confirmed that Sony is not too far away from the announcement of said acquisition. Gaming giants Sony and Microsoft have been at war with one another making landmark deal after landmark deal in an attempt to shore up IP offerings as gaming shifts into a new era.
Microsoft shocked the gaming world when it announced its plan to buy Activision and their Call of Duty brand in an astonishing $68.7m dollar deal that is going to need Congressional approval before it can take place. While that may not happen, it hasn’t stopped Sony from reacting and picking up Destiny and Halo creator Bungie Software for $3.6b. Now the rumor mill is churning out hot rumor after hot rumor that the next company to be swooped up will be another company with internal issues and enormous IP offerings. Read into that what you will.
Should the information the source gave me turn out to be correct, it would definitely be a landmark deal for Sony and the company being purchased. The acquisition of this company also won’t fall under the U.S. purview and jurisdiction, so they’ll get absolutely no say in whether or not these two companies can form as one. While the company I’ve been told will be picked up is massive in their own right, it still wouldn’t quite be as big as the Activision and Microsoft partnership, but it would definitely mark a new era for two of some of the oldest companies in the game.
The timing for an expected announcement hasn’t been made clear to me, but I’m told it will be sooner than later. The date doesn’t matter, as it will undoubtedly make headlines when it’s formally announced, that is for sure. I’m not sure if I like or dislike the way the gaming industry is going, but I will say it’s definitely different and could be much, much better for gamers. Sony and Microsoft are much more likely to produce quality titles if their name is attached to it. We know that’s the case for Sony, but hopefully Microsoft catches up in the first-party game. For what it’s worth, some of the greatest games in PlayStation history have come from this developer & been exclusive to the PlayStation, so at least we have that going for us should this information pan out.