The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has opened a probe into Sony’s recent acquisition of Bungie.
In January, Sony announced its plans to buy Destiny maker Bungie for a tidy $3.6bn. And, as has become the norm for deals such as this, the FTC has opened an in-depth investigation into this takeover.
According to sources (via The Information), this investigation may set the closing date of this deal back by six months, if not more. While we were never given a firm date of when Sony had hoped to have this deal all squared away by on its initial announcement, reports now state that any closure will be happening early next year.
But, as noted by The Information, “while the FTC may not be able to block the deal, its decision to review it is the latest example of how aggressive the agency is becoming in reviewing mergers.”
The FTC has reportedly voiced concerns that Bungie’s future games may become Sony platform exclusives.
However, this is something the developer itself has previously stated will not happen. “No. We want the worlds we are creating to extend to anywhere people play games. We will continue to be self-published, creatively independent, and we will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community,” it wrote in January following the initial aquisition announcement.
The FTC is also currently examining the details of Microsoft’s proposed $68bn deal to buy Activision Blizzard, after four politicians, including former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, signed a letter to the Federal Trade Commission alerting it to the issue.
Microsoft’s deal to buy Activision Blizzard is also expected to be finalised next year.
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