Microsoft’s announcement of its planned $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard had a lot of gamers yelling or, more likely, frantically typing about monopolies and exclaiming that Microsoft basically owns everything now. It might surprise you to learn that this acquisition is predicted to position Microsoft’s new gaming division, Microsoft Gaming, as only the third biggest gaming company in terms of revenue. Sony still remains ahead, as does Chinese mobile gaming behemoth Tencent.
So, if Sony is still bigger than Microsoft (at least in terms of games), and Microsoft now owns “everything”, what does Sony own? Everything remastered? Everything: The Complete Edition? No. None of these answers is correct, or even remotely sensible. For a more accurate summary of what game companies and game franchises Sony owns, read on.
The list of gaming companies Sony owns is much simpler than the list of gaming companies Microsoft owns, mainly because Sony’s never bought out a major publisher, whereas Microsoft has basically bought out two in the space of the last year. Sony has acquired a lot of developers though (including Bungie, which was previously owned by Microsoft), as well as established many major studios of its own. And, of course, it owns the single most lucrative gaming brand of all: PlayStation. Here are all of the studios and franchises Sony owns:
Company: Bend StudioLocation: USAMajor Franchises:Syphon FilterDays Gone
Company: Bluepoint GamesLocation: USAMajor Remakes:
- God of WarIcoShadow of the ColossusUncharted
Company: BungieLocation: USAMajor Franchises:
- DestinyMarathonMythicCreated Halo, but that now belongs to Microsoft
Company: FirespriteLocation: UKMajor Spin-offs:
- Run Sackboy! Run!Horizon Call of the Mountain
Company: Guerrilla GamesLocation: The NetherlandsMajor Franchises:
- HorizonKillzone
Company: Haven StudiosLocation: CanadaMajor Franchises:
- Unannounced PlayStation IP
Company: HousemarqueLocation: FinlandMajor Franchises:
- ReturnalStardust
Company: Insomniac GamesLocation: USAMajor Franchises:
- Ratchet & ClankResistanceSpider-Man
Company: London StudioLocation: UKMajor Franchises:
- SingStar
Company: Media MoleculeLocation: UKMajor Franchises:
- DreamsLittleBigPlanet
Company: Naughty DogLocation: USAMajor Franchises:
- Jak and DaxterThe Last Of UsUncharted
Company: PixelopusLocation: USAMajor Franchises:
- Concrete GenieEntwined
Company: Polyphony DigitalLocation: JapanMajor Franchises:
- Gran Turismo
Company: San Diego StudioLocation: USAMajor Franchises:
- MLB: The Show
Company: Santa Monica StudioLocation: USAMajor Franchises:
- God of WarPixelJunkTwisted Metal
Company: Sucker Punch ProductionsLocation: USAMajor Franchises:
- Ghost of TsushimaInfamousSly Cooper
Company: Team AsobiLocation: JapanMajor Franchises:
- Ape EscapePlayroom
Sony also owns a handful of studios that provide development support to various first-party and second-party developers, but these are all of its lead development studios.
Finally, Sony owns a lot of major game franchises that are handled by second-party developers, or are not currently tied to any particular studio:
- Buzz!EverQuestEverybody’s GolfEverybody’s TennisLemmingsMediEvilMotorStormSirenSOCOM U.S. Navy SEALsWarhawkWild ArmsWipeout