Epic Games is seeing its relationship with Sony going from strength to strength with the news that the Sony Group are investing another $1 billion into their business. The investment follows a series of huge cash injections over the last couple of years.
Back in July 2020 Sony invested $250 million into Epic Games, and then followed this up in April 2021 with a further investment to the tune of $200 million. Sony is clearly placing a high amount of value into its partnership with Epic Games, but what does this mean for them?
Primarily, we can probably expect to see Sony making much more use of Epic’s Unreal Engine 5 in its games going forward. Having said that, Sony has made special mention of the metaverse in its statement on the investment, so it’s possible that the company has plans to cooperate with Epic Games on ventures that stretch past the gaming world.
Sony Group Corporation President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida spoke of his excitement at the prospects of Sony and Epic’s ongoing partnership on the official Epic Games website.
As a creative entertainment company, we are thrilled to invest in Epic to deepen our relationship in the metaverse field, a space where creators and users share their time. We are also confident that Epic’s expertise, including their powerful game engine, combined with Sony’s technologies, will accelerate our various efforts such as the development of new digital fan experiences in sports and our virtual production initiatives.
Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO, Sony Group Corporation
In addition to Sony’s investment, it’s also been revealed that KIRKBI, the holding and investment company behind The LEGO Group, has also invested $1 billion in Epic Games. LEGO is clearly planning to form a big part of Epic’s family-friendly gaming strategy, with KIRKBI CEO Søren Thorup Sørensen explaining their vision behind the partnership.
A proportion of our investments is focused on trends we believe will impact the future world that we and our children will live in. This investment will accelerate our engagement in the world of digital play, and we are pleased to be investing in Epic Games to support their continued growth journey, with a long-term focus toward the future metaverse.
Søren Thorup Sørensen, CEO, KIRKBI
It’s interesting to note both companies mention the metaverse as a long-term focal point, but for now, it’s clear that Epic Games continues its spectacular growth, with a valuation now sitting at $31.5 billion.
