Sony’s proposed Bungie acquisition is reportedly being scrutinised by the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reportedly launched an in-depth investigation into Sony’s proposed acquisition of Bungie.

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced in January that it plans to purchase the Destiny developer and Halo creator in a deal worth $3.6 billion.

According to The Information, the deal is now being probed by the FTC, which has taken a more aggressive approach to reviewing big tech mergers under the watch of Lina Khan, who was appointed chair of the commission by President Joe Biden in March 2021.

While the FTC didn’t look into Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda, which was completed in March 2021, it is currently scrutinising the Xbox maker’s proposed $68.7 billion merger with Activision Blizzard.

The FTC’s investigation may not meaningfully impact Sony’s Bungie deal, but it’s reflective of growing concern around potential antitrust issues during a time of increasing consolidation in the gaming industry.

M&A activity in the games industry hit a record $85 billion in 2021 and has been forecast to reach $150 billion this year.

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Sony has claimed that Bungie will be “an independent subsidiary” of the PlayStation firm and remain a multiplatform studio should the acquisition go through as planned.

Bungie has also said that existing and future games currently in development will not be exclusive to PlayStation platforms following the completion of the deal.