CNBC reports that Sony has bought a minority stake in Epic Games. Word is
the new $250 million investment expands upon their existing relationship.
Interestingly, this creates one degree of separation between Sony, a Japanese
company, and Tencent, the Chinese company that also owns a share of Epic. Here's
word:
Sony has invested $250 million in Epic Games, the company behind
the popular battle-royale video game “Fortnite.”
The PlayStation console maker will take a minority stake in Epic, the two
companies said Thursday, in a strategic investment deal that expands on an
existing relationship between both firms.
Other than being known for creating hit titles like “Fortnite” and the “Gears of
War” franchise, Epic is seen as a major player in the video games industry
thanks to its Unreal game-engine software that powers many of the world’s top
games. The company also runs an online video games store that competes with
Steam.
“Epic’s powerful technology in areas such as graphics places them at the
forefront of game engine development with Unreal Engine and other innovations,”
Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said in a statement Thursday. “There’s no better
example of this than the revolutionary entertainment experience, Fortnite.”
“Through our investment, we will explore opportunities for further collaboration
with Epic to delight and bring value to consumers and the industry at large, not
only in games, but also across the rapidly evolving digital entertainment
landscape.”
“I see this as more strategically broad,” than just gaming, Piers Harding-Rolls,
head of games research at Ampere Analysis, told CNBC. “Epic is increasingly
active in production across different entertainment markets and is enabling
content convergence through Fortnite. Much of this aligns to different
businesses within Sony.”
The investment is subject to regulatory approvals, Sony and Epic said.
It’s a significant deal for Sony into one of the world’s top gaming brands.
Privately-held Epic is also backed by another household name in the industry,
Chinese firm Tencent.
The news arrives as Sony gears up to launch its PlayStation 5 console later this
year. The Japanese firm has been intensifying its battle with Microsoft to
convince gamers to buy its next-generation device over the upcoming Xbox Series
X.