Hot off the heels of announcing its intent to acquire Bungie, Sony already has some grand ambitions for its move into the live service space. In an investor call, the company stated that it plans to launch at least 10 live service games over the course of the next four years, by March 31, 2026.
Sony’s plan to forcefully move towards live service games is grand but will be aided, at least in part, by Bungie. “The strategic significance of this acquisition lies not only in obtaining the highly successful Destiny franchise,” said Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki,” as well as a major new IP that Bungie is currently developing, but also in incorporating into the Sony Group the expertise and technology that Bungie has developed in the live game services space.”
As for the company’s specific plans for future live service titles, nothing was flat-out announced. However, it seems likely that some extant PlayStation franchises, like Guerrilla’s Horizon series or Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, could see live service entries in the future. Part of Sony’s plan, according to the call, is to expand “first party titles into the live game service area.”
While it’s not clear how reliant on Bungie Sony will be as these plans develop, an interview with PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst confirmed that the two companies plan to work together. When asked if the two companies would work closely, Hulst answered definitively, saying “Absolutely. And obviously, it’s still early, the deal itself needs to be finalized before we can officially start discussing detailed collaboration.”
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