PlayStation's Promise to Bungie: Marathon Success Hints at Future Cross-Platform Games
PlayStation's acquisition of Bungie pays off with the revival of Marathon franchise, proving Sony's commitment to gamers The cross-platform release of Marathon could have implications for the future of Call of Duty
Fans had been eagerly anticipating the May 24 PlayStation Showcase, speculating that Bungie's first new IP since being acquired by Sony in 2022 would be revealed. However, the announcement that the new IP would actually be a reboot of Bungie's Marathon, with a style and tone more in line with their work on Destiny, was a surprise. What was even more unexpected was the confirmation that Marathon would be multi-platform and support cross-play at launch, fulfilling Sony's commitment to allowing the developer to continue creating titles for non-Sony hardware. This news is in stark contrast to Microsoft's handling of cross-platform releases from Bethesda Studios.
Sony Staying True to Its Word Is Great News for Gamers
Acquiring studios can benefit the gaming industry by promoting competition among console manufacturers. Sony's successful strategy of producing groundbreaking system exclusives has been evident throughout the PS4 era and the current PS5 roadmap. However, players are concerned that games will become exclusive to the parent company's platform when studios are bought by larger companies. Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda and its subsidiaries is a prime example of this. When Sony acquired Bungie, they made it clear that Bungie would continue to make cross-platform games and steer their own ship. The recent announcement of Marathon being the first project under this partnership and confirmed for cross-platform play sets an example of how studio acquisitions should be handled.
Sony's acquisition of Bungie may lead to the creation of system or timed-exclusive titles. However, the studio will still have the freedom to develop games that are playable on other consoles. This could potentially encourage other console manufacturers to follow suit and allow their first-party studios to do the same. As a result, healthy competition may spark innovation and excellence in the gaming industry.
Marathon's Cross-Platform Release Could Bode Well for Call of Duty
Throughout 2022, Sony Interactive Entertainment's President and CEO Jim Ryan garnered attention for his efforts to discourage the Microsoft-Activision merger. One of Ryan's main concerns was the immense success of Call of Duty, owned by Activision, which he viewed as a significant player in the gaming industry.
An acquisition of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft would result in the company having full control over Call of Duty, potentially limiting its availability on Sony platforms. Despite Microsoft's promise to keep the franchise on PlayStation, there is a possibility that Call of Duty could become an exclusive for Xbox. Sony's approach of participating in the exclusivity game while still allowing their studios to create games for multiple platforms could serve as a model for Microsoft's future decisions regarding Call of Duty. However, the fact that Marathon remains a multi-platform game is a positive example of a hardware manufacturer keeping their promises.
Marathon is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
