Sony Corporation invested a whopping sum of $250 million in Epic Games. However, even though it is an impressive sum of money, the amount only grants Sony a 1.4% minority stake in Epic Games. This investment is not for any particular game or exclusive for the next-gen console, but for “technology, entertainment, and socially-connected online services” according to the press release.
As far as the amount goes, Tencent invested $330 million in 2012 acquiring 40% stakes at Epic. However, with the grand success of Fortnite, the company stands at a valuation of $17 billion in 2020, with over $400 million revenue generated in this year’s April itself. This basically explains the importance of Epic Games in the market, and why Sony has done the investment. Another reason would be the launch of Horizon Zero Dawn on the Epic Games Store which was previously a PlayStation Exclusive, also hinting at Sony’s interest in PC Gaming.
Lastly, Sony wants to create multimedia experiences with Epic similar to the live events seen in Fortnite – the Travis Scott concert, party royale celebrations wherein a movie was premiered, along with having popular EDM artists performing their sets live. Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney said “we share a vision of real-time 3D social experiences leading to a convergence of gaming, film, and music“, which means Sony is collaborating for improved future multimedia experiences.