The Information: US FTC investigates Bungie takeover by Sony

The US Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into Sony’s acquisition of Bungie. Sources report this to The Information. This could potentially delay the takeover by months.

The FTC reportedly launched its investigation into the proposed takeover last week, sources report to The Information, which more often shares information about tech companies. The Information writes that this could delay the acquisition by up to six months or more. Sony previously did not indicate when it expects to complete the acquisition. The Information writes that due to the investigation, the deal may be completed in early 2023.

The FTC will investigate, among other things, the consequences for competition in the gaming sector, writes IGN based on The Information. The regulator would focus on concerns that Sony may prevent access to Bungie games on other platforms, such as Xbox. When announcing the acquisition plans, Sony stated that games from Bungie will remain cross-platform.

Sony announced in January that it would acquire game maker Bungie for $3.6 billion. That announcement followed a few weeks after the announcement that Microsoft wants to buy Activision Blizzard. The FTC is also investigating that acquisition, which is also due to close next year.