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Sony makes $250 million investment in Epic Games

Sony is now a minority stakeholder in the creator of Fortnite following a quarter billion investment.

Donovan Erskine

July 9, 2020 2:20 PM

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Epic Games has been around for quite a while, and has had a profound influence on the video game industry at large. From their work on Gears of War, to the Unreal Engine, which is the foundation that so many beloved titles were built on. The crowning achievement for Epic Games in recent years has undoubtedly been Fortnite, the immensely popular Battle Royale game. Epic has had a close relationship with Sony, and it looks like the two are getting closer. Sony has invested a whopping $250 million into Epic Games.

The two companies announced the deal today. Sony is now a minority stakeholder in the Fortnite developer. Epic Games was already worth well over a billion dollars, but the Sony deal will push them even closer to the 2 billion mark. Sony and Epic Games recently demonstrated their close-knit relationship when Epic unveiled and showcased their brand new Unreal Engine 5 running on a PS5. This move just further stamps their association.

It’s important to note that this move does not have any major implication on Epic Games releases the way that we know them. Fortnite isn’t becoming a PlayStation exclusive, and Epic Games isn’t becoming a PlayStation studio. Of course, this deal will lead to more partnerships between the two. Epic has already proved to have a number of valuable tools in their belt, just look at what they’ve done for crossplay over the last couple of years. This deal will surely allow Sony easier access to Epic’s technology.

More than anything, this move is fascinating as the release of the PlayStation 5 is coming later this year. As Microsoft and Sony gear up for the next generation of gaming, both companies are looking to add every possible weapon to their arsenal. The real effects of this deal won’t be seen for likely years to come. Until then, we’ll be keeping our fingers to the pulse of all next gen news right here on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_