To me, this seems like Sony investing in a studio (and property) that has game-as-a-service title chops. MMOs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy 14 create

To me, this seems like Sony investing in a studio (and property) that has game-as-a-service title chops. MMOs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy 14 create a steady, predictable stream of income. While Destiny 2 doesn't have a monthly subscription, its regular content updates do create money on an annual basis, with aesthetic microtransactions to boot. Contrast this to first-party Sony studios like Naughty Dog, which will take a minimum of several years to develop a game like The Last of Us or the next Uncharted. Even if you extend the moneymaking tail by trickling out DLC for a year or two after release, you're basically betting on a hit that will produce enough money at one time to justify paying several hundred salaries for several years after that. It's not hard to see why Sony would want a regular moneymaker in the difficult-to-break-into GAAS space. And for Bungie, they've openly confirmed that they've had incubation projects for several years. Getting a gigantic publisher like Sony will give them the financial freedom they need to start building out whatever the next game is. This was basically the logic with the Activision partnership: they needed deep pockets upfront to build out the tech that powers Destiny. That done, they were able to return to their complete independence. Will it happen again?