Sony has done some buying of its own. The Japanese giant announced yesterday its acquisition of Bungie for $3.6 billion. The creators of the original Halo, Bungie is nowadays known for making and maintaining the online multiplayer series Destiny. Should players be worried about Destiny 2 becoming a PlayStation exclusive?
Bungie has said that it will remain an independent subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, and will retain "full creative control and publishing independence of the Destiny universe". Bungie also detailed its roadmap for Destiny 2 going ahead, in a post on its website.
The post emphasizes that little will change for Destiny players: "Every player should have an amazing Destiny experience, no matter where you choose to play". This means Bungie's plans for seasons, events, and expansions will be unaffected and that plans for the Light and Dark Saga are "unchanged", all the way to The Final Shape in 2024.
"Our commitment to Destiny 2 as a multi-platform game with full Cross Play remains unchanged. We want you to play The Witch Queen on February 22, 2022, on the platform of YOUR choice," the post reads. The Witch Queen expansion is due to launch on February 22.
In addition, Bungie's aim is a "single global community, that you can play anywhere, on any device". The developer, which is based in Washington, America, has been notable in the past for splitting with Xbox and Activision due to differences over direction of Halo and Destiny respectively. In Sony, Bungie appears to have found a parent that will allow it to remain proudly independent. However, Destiny 2 fans have noted that timed exclusives for PlayStation platforms remain a possibility. These exclusives have occurred before, with Destiny 2 players on PS4 finding armour, weapons, and strikes solely for that platform.
Bungie CEO Pete Parsons wrote a separate post for the PlayStation Blog, in which he detailed his view of the partnership: "In Sony, we have found a partner who unconditionally supports us in all we are and who wants to accelerate our vision to create generation-spanning entertainment, all while preserving the creative independence that beats in Bungie’s heart."