"We’re in discussions with Bungie and we have more planned": Which studio could Sony acquire next in 2022

2022 has been a busy year for Sony, be it for its acquisitions or the games it's releasing. Microsoft may have started the year with a bang with its announcement of the Activision Blizzard deal.

Since then, the Japanese giants have announced the acquisitions of Destiny maker Bungie and Montreal-based Haven Studios. If anyone thinks that Sony is done, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has reiterated that more is to come. This has created an avenue for speculation among fans over what could be their next move.

The first quarter of the new year has been a busy one for PlayStation and Sony. The first major release have been the acclaimed: Horizon Forbidden West.

PlayStation has also announced a restructuring of its PS Plus service set to compete with Xbox Game Pass. To top it all off, Jim Ryan has announced that there's more to come as the year progresses.

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Sony could invest in specific exciting options in the months to come

The fresh speculation comes from what Sony PlayStation boss Jim Ryan had to say a couple of days back. He said that the game had been successful as he had expected. He added that while discussions with Bungie carry on, there are plans for "more."

"We're growing our studios organically, and we're growing through acquisition. We acquired five studios during 2021, we're in discussions with Bungie, and we have more planned. This is getting us into a virtuous cycle where success begets success."

The Japanese brand has been getting into partnerships with studios with console exclusives. However, there's a good chance that PlayStation could acquire more studios under them. What makes the move interesting is that two great potential targets could add a lot of value.

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Konami

The rumors linking PlayStation with Konami have been ongoing for some time now. Both have origins in Japan, and Konami hasn't been recently at the best of places. However, the company owns some massive IPs in the gaming world. This could make the deal quite fruitful for Sony, but there's a catch.

Konami doesn't have a major studio at the moment developing an IP. This could be counter-productive for PlayStation as it will have to invest heavily. The console giants will have to either set up new studios or divert staff from their existing studios. The scale of money required could be more, and given that the Bungie acquisition will take place, a Konami acquisition is unlikely.

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NetherRealm

Sony's love for fighting games is well-known for its investment in EVO. It's unclear what Warner Bros. plans to do about its gaming division's future. While it may not sell its DC IPs, a studio like NetherRealm can offer incredible value to PlayStation.

Despite Sony's love for the fighting genre, it doesn't have an in-house fighting game at the moment. Acquiring NetherRealm could solve the issue as the studio brings the expertise to make fighting games. A move for Arc Systems Work could also work for the same reason.

Arc Systems Work is renowned for its work with fighting games. Guilty Gear Strive is already a console exclusive on PlayStation. A move in the upcoming future could occur if NetherRealm goes out the window.

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Jim Ryan explains the absence of day one exclusives on the revamped PS Plus

A central point was noticeable following the announcement of PlayStation's plans to revamp the PS Plus. Unlike the Xbox Game Pass, there will be no availability for the day-one release of the exclusives. Jim explained that the decision was based on the quality of the products.

"The games that we make are getting bigger; they're getting better, they're getting more beautiful, they're getting richer, the narrative is getting stronger… this is really great, and gamers tell us this is what they really want from PlayStation.

He added that making the games available on the subscription service at release will make it unsustainable for them.

"Now, I have to say, putting these games into a subscription service immediately upon their release would break this virtuous circle, and we wouldn't be able to invest in the way that we're currently able to. So we're not doing it. We're going to stick to the approach that we have and has served us well for many years now."

2022 has started excitingly for Sony and PlayStation. However, what the remainder of the year brings for the fans and gaming community remains to be seen.