“Future 2” builders react to Sony buyout, as Bungie guarantees no layoffs, restructuring

Although Bungie workers stated management has assured them there shall be “completely no layoffs” and nothing “main” by way of restructuring as soon as the Sony deal closes, the acquisition represents a notable shift for the Washington-based recreation builders. For roughly the final 15 years, Bungie’s enterprise dealings have been marked by repeated pushes to regain independence, an anomaly within the online game business. After being bought by Microsoft in 2000, the sport developer birthed the “Halo” franchise earlier than splitting from the tech titan in 2007. In 2019, Bungie reached an settlement with its associate in a publishing deal since 2010, Activision Blizzard, to regain management of publishing rights to its “Future” collection. For a studio that’s striven to take care of artistic freedom even whereas creating big-budget video video games, the Sony buyout is a shocking flip — albeit one firmly consistent with the business’s pivot towards consolidation, as finest exemplified by Microsoft’s $68.7 billion buy of Activision Blizzard in January.