Sony to buy video game maker Bungie for $5 billion

Sony has agreed to buy the video game maker responsible for Halo and Destiny in a whopping $5 billion megadeal as a series of takeovers rock the industry.

PlayStation-maker Sony has agreed to buy the video game maker responsible for Halo and Destiny in a whopping $5 billion megadeal as a series of takeovers rock the industry.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) said on Monday local time it would spend $US3.6 billion ($A5.089 billion) to buy Bungie Inc, an independent game publisher based in Washington and the original developer of Xbox-owned Halo.

Bungie was originally acquired by Microsoft in 2000, but split from them in 2007 while retaining intellectual property rights to the Halo franchise.

“Bungie has created and continues to evolve some of the world’s most beloved video game franchises and, by aligning its values with people’s desire to share gameplay experiences, they bring together millions of people around the world,” chairman, president and CEO of Sony, Kenichiro Yoshida, said of the deal.

Sony has agreed to buy the video game maker responsible for Halo and Destiny in a whopping $5 billion megadeal as a series of takeovers rock the industry. Picture: Chris Delmas/AFP

The video game maker said in a statement that 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”.

The sale comes as a gaming industry battle heats up against Microsoft. Picture: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP

“Like us, SIE believes that game worlds are only the beginning of what our IPs can become. Together, we share a dream of creating and fostering iconic franchises that unite friends around the world, families across generations, and fans across multiple platforms and entertainment mediums,” the studio added.

“Today, Bungie begins our journey to become a global multimedia entertainment company.”

It also implied that it would continue to develop its games for all platforms.

“We will continue to independently publish and creatively develop our games,” the studio said in its statement.

“We will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community. Our games will continue to be where our community is, wherever they choose to play.”

Originally published as Sony to buy video game maker Bungie for $5 billion