With Bungie Acquisition, Sony Is Looking At Destiny’s Future Beyond Games

Sony’s announcement that it will acquire Destiny 2 developer and Halo creator Bungie for $3.6 billion is a massive one for the games industry. And as usual, the news has triggered a lot of speculation about what the corporate overlords at Sony have in mind for the game development studio. Bungie has already made clear that Destiny 2 won’t become a PlayStation exclusive. There have been reports that Sony is looking to beef up its offerings for a subscription-based competitor to Xbox’s Game Pass, for instance, and Destiny 2, with its large dedicated player base, would make for a useful addition to that initiative. But while we’re speculating, here’s my feeling on the situation: This is as much about things beyond video games as it is about Sony continuing to expand its PlayStation portfolio.

Sony isn’t just looking at Destiny 2 for its big player base, or the possibilities of adding to its subscription service, or the revenue that selling expansions and seasonal content might bring in. Sony is building out its opportunities to make not just games, but movies and TV shows. Viewed in that light, Bungie is a big win–because the developer also has its eyes on other media.

Back in early 2021, Destiny 2’s former director, Luke Smith, and project lead Mark Noseworthy were both promoted into new roles. Noseworthy became vice president of the “Destiny universe,” while Smith became its executive creative director. In a press release, Bungie said it was interested in expanding into additional media.