LogInIts independence is "getting lighter."
Bungie
Sony acquired Bungie, the creator of Halo and Destiny, 3 years ago for $3.6 billion, giving it more or less free rein to do whatever it is they do to create successful projects. However, it seems the tech giant's patience has run out, and it is taking over.
When the acquisition happened, Sony allowed Bungie to retain creative freedom and the ability to publish games on different platforms. However, during Sony's recent earnings call, its chief financial officer and corporate executive officer Lin Tao said that it would be getting a tighter grip on Bungie and fuse it with PlayStation Studios more.
"At the time of acquisition, we were offering a very independent environment," he explained (via Seeking Alpha). "So that was one way of thinking. However, thereafter, we have gone through structural reform as we have announced last year. So ... this independence is getting lighter. So Bungie is shifting into a role, which is becoming more part of PlayStation Studios. And integration is also proceeding. So in the long term ... the direction is to become part of PlayStation Studio."
This shift might be affected by Bungie's Marathon, a game destined to be less than welcome if it ever came out – full of issues like art theft, toxicity, and conflicts between its developers and executives. Sony recently canceled all marketing plans for the game, and Tao said that Sony is "now fixing the problems" and believes the launch will happen. " And if this launch is canceled, we need to do the revision of the valuation. However, as of now, this is not expected."
"We decided to postpone the release of Marathon to further improve the quality of the gameplay. Based on community feedback, we think we can further enhance the overall gaming experience by deepening gameplay and elevating narrative immersion."
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