Sony Acquire $250 Million Stake In Fortnite Creator Epic Games

Sony has taken a minority stake in Epic Games.

Sony has made a $250 million investment in Epic Games, creator of Fortnite, Gear of War and the popular Unreal Engine. The deal gives Sony a minority stake in the game development and publisher, which was recently estimated to be valued at $17 billion.

In a press release, the two companies stated that the invest “allows Sony and Epic to aim to broaden their collaboration across Sony’s leading portfolio of entertainment assets and technology, and Epic’s social entertainment platform and digital ecosystem to create unique experiences for consumers and creators”.

The partnership could also lead to more in-game events featuring Sony IPs, from Movies, music and even gaming. Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic, hinted as such in a statement:

“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.”

Epic Games was also quick to confirm one big detail. The deal does not mean that Epic Games would appear exclusively on the PlayStation console. With Epic continuing to publish on multiple platforms, including its own Epic Store.

Sony makes PS5 moves

The press release talks about the deal not forming exclusives. But it does certainly put Sony in a strong position going into the PS5. Sony now has a stake in one of the largest games on the planet. Along with it is the most popular games engine. The Unreal Engine is the most popular gaming engine going into the next generation. And the fact the two companies have already worked together on the Unreal Engine 5 reveal speaks volumes.

Even with the above cast aside, Epic Games’ former relationship with Xbox will be a feather in the cap of Sony. Microsoft has been quick to work with many former Sony developers in the past. They even acquired one recently with Ninja Theory, the British developer of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Recently, another high profile acquisition saw Sony bring Spiderman and Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac into the Sony family. Early in the Xbox One life, Insomniac worked on the Xbox console exclusive Sunset Overdrive.

We’ll likely see the fruit of this deal in the coming years. In the short term, lookout for more Unreal Engine demos showing off the PS5s power and Sony IPs showing up in Fortnite.