Sony Just Revealed What It Really Plans To Do With Bungie
It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Sony took some action in the wake of Microsoft's recent acquisitions. Just in the past year, the Xbox maker secured the purchase of Zenimax Media (Bethesda) and has already started the process of merging with Activision Blizzard despite some recent interest by the FTC. The acquisitions stand to make Microsoft a force to be reckoned with in gaming, assembling several large, popular AAA franchises under its umbrella.
Though Microsoft has repeatedly sworn titles would remain accessible outside PC and Xbox consoles, one can't blame Sony for being cautious after news hit that Starfield wouldn't be coming to PlayStation. Now Sony is spinning heads of its own after it moved to acquire Bungie, but at first, fans weren't sure if they knew why.
Initially, players speculated that "Destiny 2" or the unnamed project in development at Bungie might move to become PlayStation exclusives. When that didn't turn out the be the case, instead, they thought, maybe exclusive weapon and armor offers would return to PlayStation, but Bungie shot that down too. In fact, Bungie has come out to say that Sony's acquisition won't put the PlayStation company in any position of power to direct Bungie's course or determine where its games will be available. But if that's the case, then what does Sony really plan to do with Bungie?
Sony Wants To Make Destiny Movies
At first glance, it may look like Bungie is getting the better end of the deal. The company can essentially maintain its independence, updating "Destiny 2" on whichever platforms it chooses and releasing new content without restriction — but Bungie will still benefit from being bankrolled by Sony.
Now, Sony's motivations are becoming a little bit clearer. It seems that in addition to partnering with Bungie to learn how to make better live service games (per gamesindustry.biz), the media conglomerate also plans to take "Destiny" to the silver screen. At around 74 minutes into Sony's 75-minute 2021 Q3 Earnings call, CFO Hiroki Totoki all but confirmed Bungie and Sony were both working closely to bring "Destiny" to other mediums.
Via a translator, Totoki said, "Bungie wants to nurture the IP they have in the multi-dimensional manners, and that's their hope. In that, we believe we can help. We have pictures and music and Bungie can leverage our platform so that their IP can flourish and grow."
This may not be the first time fans are hearing about Bungie's desires to bring its franchise to films and tv. Last year, some may recall some job postings from Bungie looking to gear up for unannounced visual media projects (per Dexerto). Now Bungie can accelerate those plans with Sony's assistance — and Sony stands to earn a nice slice of the pie in the process.