Sony recently announced plans to acquire Destiny XNUMX developer Bungie for €XNUMX billion and in a recent earnings call, Sony suggested the move isn't just restricted to games.
Speaking throughout the Q&A segment of the earnings call (via IGN), Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki was asked shortly before the end of the meeting about the advantages Sony sees for itself. same, exactly the same and for Bungie after the acquisition.
Regarding the advantages for Sony, Totoki spoke of Bungie's "ability to deliver across a variety of platforms" as well as its experience developing live service games, stating that "we have a lot to learn from them, so our studios are going to learn from Bungie."
As for what Bungie gets out of the deal, Totoki mentioned Sony's ability to help the studio with "retention" and recruiting, but more importantly, he added that Sony, being a media company, would be helpful. for Bungie.
"Not just for the game zone," Totoki explained, "but for the multiple use of IP and the commercialization of IP. A game title, for example, "can be put into movies."
"Bungie wants to nurture the IP they have in a multi-dimensional way, and that's their hope," added Totoki, "For that, we think we can help. We have Images and Music and Bungie can leverage our platform to help their IP thrive and grow." .
Analysis: Not the biggest surprise
Totoki's confirmation of Sony's claim to help Bungie with a media expansion might not come as the biggest surprise. In a weblog post announcing the Sony acquisition earlier this week, Bungie already made it clear that it was looking beyond gaming, writing: "Today Bungie begins our journey to become a global multimedia entertainment company." .
Expanding on this, Bungie wrote that in Sony it has "found a partner who wholeheartedly supports us in all that we are and wants to accelerate our vision to create cross-generational entertainment," adding: "Like , SIE believes that gaming worlds are just the beginning of what our IPs can become.Together, we share the dream of creating and nurturing iconic franchises that unite friends from all over the planet, families of each and every generation, and enthusiasts across multiple platforms and media. entertainment".
Overall, it seems pretty clear. With Sony already expanding its gaming IP into the world of film and TV with things like the upcoming Uncharted movie and The Last of Us series, this seems like a partnership with potential.
As for Sony's desire to learn from Bungie's experience in live service games, that makes a lot of sense too, after Sony confirmed that it plans to release ten live PS games by XNUMX.