Sony to buy ‘Destiny’ videogame developer Bungie in $3.6b deal

Sony Interactive Entertainment will acquire Bungie Inc, the original creator of the “Halo” videogame and developer of “Destiny”, in a deal valued at $3.6 billion, making it the latest in a wave of consolidations sweeping the gaming sector.

Bungie will join Sony’s PlayStation family, the US company said in a blog post, as the Japanese conglomerate strengthens its network of in-house gaming studios behind hits such as “Spider-Man” to take on cash-rich rivals.

Microsoft Corp, whose Xbox consoles have long lagged Sony’s PlayStation in sales, pitched a whopping $69 billion for “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard earlier in January. 

“While this is one of Sony’s biggest-ever acquisitions, the amount paid by Microsoft puts into context the heavy competition faced in this sector,” said Piers Harding-Rolls, gaming analyst at Ampere Analysis.

Bellevue, Washington-based Bungie, which was owned by Microsoft before going private in 2007, had worked on the “Halo” videogame series when it was under the software giant. It has also worked on titles including “Marathon” and “Myth”.

Bungie now plans to hire more talent across the studio for “Destiny 2,” a videogame previously published by Activision Blizzard.