While Microsoft certainly has been the top dog in terms of acquisitions these past couple of years, Sony has also kicked things into gear. Just earlier this year, the company announced that it would be acquiring Bungie in massive deal worth $3.6 billion, and now, we also have a clearer idea of when to expect that deal to be finalized.
In its latest quarterly fiscal report, Sony stated that it’s projecting its operating income in fiscal year 2022-23 (April 2022-March 2023) to drop by 41 billon yen. Why? According to the company, the acquisition of Bungie (which is currently being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission) will make a dent, and that deal is expected to close in Q3 of the fiscal year, which is the October-December period of 2022.
“This forecast is based on the assumption that the acquisition of Bungie, Inc. (“Bungie”), which is currently under review by the relevant authority, will close in the third quarter ending December 31, 2022,” Sony wrote in its report.
As previously announced, once the ink is dry on the deal, Bungie will continue to operate with complete autonomy and creative control over itself, and its current and future games, including all things Destiny, will remain multiplatform titles rather than becoming PlayStation exclusives. Sony is also expecting the Bungie deal to significantly fast-track its efforts to expand in the live service space, so doubtless, the company will be hoping to wrap up the deal as quickly and neatly as possible.
Recently, Sony also announced the acquisition of Haven Studios, following which PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan reiterated that the company still has more acquisitions planned.