The North Carolina-based group said Monday it had secured $ 1 billion each from Japanese console and game developer Sony and Kirkbi, the investment firm behind the Lego Group. The deal values Epic at $ 31.5 billion. Following the transaction, Kirkbi will own 3 percent of the company, while Sony will own 4.9 percent. Lego and Epic announced last week that they had set up a “long-term partnership” to create a so-called post-universe, especially for children, but gave few details on how the project would be funded. “This investment will accelerate our work to create the post-universe and create spaces where players can have fun with friends, names can create creative and immersive experiences, and creators can create a community and thrive,” he said. Tim Sweeney, CEO and Founder of Epic Games. . The move comes after Microsoft reached an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard for $ 75 billion. CEO Satya Nadella said the deal would allow her to gain ground in the post-meta, a well-publicized and still cloudy idea that tech and gaming visionaries claim will shape the way people socialize, work – and spend – in the coming decades. It has sent shockwaves through the industry, with Microsoft in a tough battle with Sony over console gaming dominance, sparking a wave of unification between gaming companies. The PlayStation developer had already provided $ 250 million in funding to Epic Games in July 2020, followed by another $ 200 million in April 2021, bringing the total to $ 1.45 billion. Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony, said: “We are also confident that Epic’s expertise, including its powerful gaming machine, combined with Sony’s technologies, will accelerate our various efforts, such as the development of new digital fan experiences. in our sport and virtual production. initiatives “, he added. Epic Games has already created a successful virtual world through its most popular game, Fortnite. The Unreal Engine software that supports it provides a prototype of technology that would operate in a virtual world in which thousands of people can move between distinct digital spaces as 3D images. However, there is still a long way to go before these virtual worlds reach the smooth lag required to become attractive enough to replace real-world interaction. Sweeney, a computer programmer who still does a lot of coding himself, has previously said he believes metaverse offers a “multi-trillion dollar” opportunity, with the coming years proving crucial for companies such as Microsoft, Epic, Meta. and US rival Roblox to secure their first billion users.
