Sony's answer to Microsoft's buyout of Activision is all over the news today, and it's almost unbelievable. Sony has purchased Bungie, the creators of the Halo series, and the current team behind Destiny 2. What's really amusing is that Microsoft used to own Bungie, having acquired the studio in 2000, with Bungie going independent in 2007. Then Bungie signed a ten-year deal with Activision in 2010, but the studio ended its partnership with Activision in 2019. Bungie has since been going it solo, but today's news indeed means Bungie will now be joining with Sony after the $3.6 billion acquisition closes.

Bungie gets around, no doubt about that, but will this acquisition end up like the previous partnerships, or will the Goldilocks of the gaming industry finally find a bed that's just right? Only time will tell.

Despite how weird it sounds, Sony is purchasing the creators of the Halo series in a huge $3.6 billion deal. What's even stranger is that Bungie will remain an independent and multi-platform studio, which is good news for consumers in the short term since we won't have to worry about exclusives. Of course, Sony didn't just spend $3.6 billion for nothing, so I wouldn't say exclusives are out of the picture either, but like with all things wrong in gaming, a slow slide down the slippery slope is pretty much expected.

Ideally, Sony's acquisition will afford Bungie some breathing room and monetary support as it develops new games, strengthening Sony's library while Bungie retains its creative independence. This means Destiny will remain in the hands of Bungie, with no impact on current plans for the game, which is good news for all of you Stadia players out there.

Still, it's hard to ignore that so many studios as of late are being bought up, with Microsoft leading the way along with Tencent, and now Sony has joined in on the fun with a significant purchase. Somehow I doubt this will turn out good for us, the consumers. Less competition is rarely a good thing when it comes to pricing, and seeing how greedy many of these studios have become with their ridiculous monetization (after all, Destiny's confusing design and constant churn of new monetization that removes content you already purchased is proof positive everything we hate about mobile gaming is making its way into the AAA industry), somehow it doesn't feel like these acquisitions, no matter how many assurances are provided, will end up being good for gamers. So yes, Bungie says no exclusives for now, but what about two years from now, or five, or ten?