FTC Launches Investigation Into Sony’s Acquisition Of Bungie

The Activision Blizzard and Microsoft merger apparently isn’t the only acquisition deal that’s under government scrutiny. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is currently looking into Sony’s acquisition of Destiny 2 developer Bungie, specifically on the possibility that Bungie’s games might become PlayStation-exclusive following the merger.

According to PCGamer, the FTC started their investigation at the end of April and is asking both parties for more information on how Sony will benefit from making Bungie’s games exclusive to their console, apart from obviously selling more consoles. This is in spite of Sony and Bungie’s continued assurance that the latter will continue to operate independently and that their games will remain available on their respective platforms.

The ongoing investigation could delay the merger by as much as six months. Future high-profile acquisitions could also face the same level of scrutiny as part of US President Joe Biden’s mandate that called on the FTC to “fairly and vigorously” enforce antitrust laws “to meet the challenges posed by new industries and technologies.”