Epic has gained a strategic investment from Sony Corporation in the form of USD 250 million, taking a minority interest in the gaming and gaming engine software company.
Sony Investment
The investment in Epic from Sony firms up a close existing relationship between the two companies and will reinforce their shared mission to advance state-of-the-art advanced gaming entertainment technology. Sony is the maker of the Sony Playstation, one of the leading gaming console machines and a competitor to Nintendo and Microsoft.
“Epic’s powerful technology in areas such as graphics places them at the forefront of game engine development with Unreal Engine and other innovations. 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,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President, and CEO, Sony Corporation.
Rise of the Tomb Raider the 20 Year Celebration Launch is one of the newest Sony computer games.
“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,” said Tim Sweeney, Founder, and CEO of Epic.
Architosh Analysis and Commentary
Sony got its big start in the world of computer games with the original PlayStation and the game Crash Bandicoot. The PlayStation is now at version 5 in its hardware evolution. Another big game franchise has been Laura Croft. That game is entering its 20th-year celebration with “Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration.” Earlier this year (May) we looked at Epic’s news of Unreal Engine 5 preview running on PlayStation 5 in an early build of “Lumen in the Land of Nanite.”
There is a lot to look forward to on the pro apps side with Unreal Engine 5, it’s advances in dynamic global illumination being a chief one. The Land of Nanite demo shows that off very convincingly. With such a large infusion of funds from Sony, we can imagine Epic advancing Unreal Engine further and faster, which is critical given the strength of its main competitor in Unity. With these two gaming giants—already very sizeable companies—able to take on these kinds of partnership investments, one has to begin wondering how smaller discreet rendering software companies will compete and defend themselves in the pro apps market.
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