It’s not hard to see why. After all, Microsoft is essentially handing over the reigns to one of its biggest competitors in a sector that is rapidly becoming more and more critical to consumer entertainment. With Sony’s announcement yesterday that it would be acquiring Bungie Studios, there is no question that Sony is making a major play for the living room with the purchase of two of the most powerful names in gaming. The only question now appears to be how Microsoft and Sony will proceed once they each have their massive gaming divisions under their respective corporate umbrellas. Effects of Bungie sale It seems that Microsoft may now be regretting selling off ‘Halo’ and the rest of their gaming business to the tune of $3.6 billion after a report from gaming site Solitaired revealed a massive surge in Xbox owners searching for how to sell their consoles online. This is particularly true for the UK, where more people than usual started researching how to sell their Xbox console online on the day that Sony announced its acquisition of Bungie and the rest of Microsoft’s gaming business. A new report suggests that Sony’s recent acquisition of Bungie may have been a direct counter-move to Microsoft’s deal for Activision. According to the PlayStation Lifestyle, just weeks after Microsoft picked up Activision-Blizzard, Sony purchased game developer Bungie, and plans to use it as the basis for a “large, independent studio that will be free from corporate oversight.” The timing was pure coincidence, but it seems as though Sony has been planning this for some time. The site suggests that this is part of a plan to “go toe-to-toe” with Microsoft in the console war by picking up some of the biggest names in gaming, opening them up to an even bigger audience on PlayStation consoles. Console wars When Microsoft bought Bungie, it was seen as a huge step forward for the fledgeling Xbox-brand. At the time, Halo was still considered a PC game that had been ported over to consoles for a quick buck. Now it seems that Xbox players have ditched their consoles after the sale of Bungie. The company was incredibly important in the creation of Halo, and many saw it as one of Microsoft’s biggest assets. That said, it’s easy to see why so many people are up in arms about this news. After all, Bungie is one of the most talented studios in the world and they’ve been making Halo games for a long time. To see them go to one of their biggest rivals has to be a little bit disheartening, especially if you’re an Xbox gamer. A spokesperson from Solitaired said that it was evidence of the ‘console wars’ going strong: “The console wars between Xbox and Playstation have been going on for over two decades now and the fight is still strong.” They added: “It’s interesting to see that the original creators of the hit Xbox exclusive series, Halo, are now owned by their main competitor.” Bungie and Activision partnered with Sony to make the PlayStation exclusive deal for Destiny 2. This partnership led many fans of the franchise to question why Sony would be willing to give up on a massive fan base. It has been revealed by analysts that many players are planning to leave Xbox and join the PlayStation specifically for Destiny 2. Would you sell your Xbox console? Let us know in the comments below.
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