$ 2 billion in mammoth funding from Sony and its Lego parent company was provided by the video game company Epic Games, which owns the "Fortnite" game, among others.
It is a development that demonstrates the dynamics and prospects of the "metaverse", the new digital world, where users have access thanks to Internet technologies and virtual and augmented reality.
This development comes a few days after the announcement of Epic's partnership with Lego, with the aim of jointly developing a "family-friendly" version of metaverse to be suitable for children.
Lego already has a number of successful video games based on lucrative franchises, including Disney's "Star Wars" and Warner Bros. '"Batman."
According to Epic Games, the financial injection it received will be used to develop the construction of its own post-universe.
Epic Games CEO and founder Tim Sweeney said the new funds would help the company "accelerate its metaverse work", noting that as they reorganize the future of entertainment and gaming, they need partners who share their vision. . He added that they were found in their cooperation with Sony.
Sony Group Corporation CEO Kenisiro Yoshinda said: "Epic's know-how, including its powerful gaming machine, combined with Sony's technologies, will accelerate our various efforts, such as the development of new digital experiences for sports fans and our virtual production initiatives ".
As it became known, the company will remain under the control of CEO Tim Sweeney.
Epic Games has not revealed its plans for metaverse. However, it is the latest in a series of gaming and e-sports companies turning to metaverse.
The post-universe and the third generation of the Internet (Web3) are gaining more and more interest in the world of these activities. All of this is happening while a large number of gambling and e-sports companies (esports) are exploring the prospects that technology has for their greater development.
These include companies such as Yesports, BAYZ and EVOS Esports, while the European e-sports organization, MAD Lions, recently announced a partnership focusing on entering the post-universe.
Video games
It is recalled that in January Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for a price of 75 billion dollars paid in cash. Later that month, Sony's video game division acquired video game development company Bungie in a $ 3,6 billion deal.
The video game market has reached new heights as more people turned to it during the pandemic COVID-19, pushing companies to capitalize on their recent momentum.
Sony's investment in Epic makes a lot of sense by industry standards because there are very few billion-dollar deals being made in the gaming industry, according to market analysts at WSJ.
The average size of an investment in the gambling industry is usually a few tens of millions of dollars, with investments of hundreds of millions being considered rare, the same sources said.
Epic Games is best known for the "Fortnite" game, while also controlling the Rocket League and being the creator of the Unreal Engine video game engine. He recently partnered with BLAST to produce the "Fortnite Championship Series".
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