It was Sony’s turn to announce a major acquisition deal this week after the PlayStation maker confirmed it is buying Bungie for $3.6 billion. The developer, currently most famous for the “Destiny” franchise, was also quick to assure fans that “Destiny 2” and its future project will be released on multiple platforms.
As with the usual concerns with studios getting acquired by console makers, one of the first questions video game fans asked about the deal is its potential impacts on Bungie’s existing and upcoming IPs. But in the official statements from both Sony and Bungie, the companies told fans that the latter will continue to be an “independent and multi-platform studio and publisher.”
Immediately after the acquisition’s announcement, the “Destiny 2” developer released a very straightforward FAQ page that should address those concerns. Simply put, the availability of “Destiny 2” will not be affected by the deal, according to Bungie. On the same page, the “Destiny 2” developer says it will still have “full creative control” and will make the final decision when it comes to publishing “Destiny” games and content. The developer also maintained that the game’s upcoming expansion, “The Witch Queen,” will still be available on platforms other than PlayStation once it is released on Tuesday, Feb. 22.
Bungie also told fans that cross-platform features on “Destiny 2,” such as cross-save, cross-play, and other related apps, will still be available to every player regardless of where they are playing. That means fans of the free-to-play online multiplayer shooter will remain accessible to players using Steam, Xbox, and Stadia.
With video game studio acquisitions, though, it is typical for the developer being acquired to keep their existing titles on multiple platforms even after the deal is completed. But like in the case of Bethesda’s “Starfield,” the bigger question is whether or not Bungie’s future games will still have the same availability.
The good news is Bungie also assured fans that its “future games in development” are not planned to be exclusive on PlayStation consoles. “We want the worlds we are creating to extend to anywhere people play games,” the studio wrote.