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Sony has invested $250 million into a minority stake at Epic Games in a bid to bring the two companies’ partnership closer and reinforce the shared mission to evolve state of the art technology.
The investment between the two companies will allow a deeper collaboration across Sony’s entertainment properties and technology. The aim is to evolve not only games but all elements of digital technology with both companies assets.
Epic Games recently unveiled its Unreal Engine 5, which the company developed. The new engine will mark the future of gaming and is expected to be utilised across the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Sony acknowledged the Unreal Engine in a press release [via BusinessWire] about the investment. “Epic’s powerful technology in areas such as graphics places them at the forefront of game engine development with Unreal Engine and other innovations,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, the President and CEO of Sony Corporation. “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.”
Epic Games also spoke about the deal with Founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney, stating: “Sony and Epic have both built businesses at the intersection of creativity and technology, and we share a vision of real-time 3D social experiences leading to a convergence of gaming, film, and music. Together we strive to build an even more open and accessible digital ecosystem for all consumers and content creators alike.”
Sony recently funded money into a Bug Bounty program, which will task users to seek out bugs across PlayStation systems with pay-outs of up to USD$50,000 (£39,665). The aim of the program is deliver players “a safer place to play”.
Former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden shared his thoughts on the AAA game model that many developers are pursuing. Layden stated that the current model is becoming too expensive, adding that “it’s just not sustainable”.
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