Sony has invested another $200 million in Epic Games
Fortnite maker completes new funding round, is now valued at $28.7 billion
Sony has invested an additional $200 million in Epic Games, which announced the completion of a new $1 billion funding round on Tuesday.
The PlayStation maker’s latest investment in Epic builds on the minority stake it took in the company in July 2020, when Sony made a strategic investment of $250 million in the Fortnite and Unreal Engine firm.
The latest investment was part of a wider funding round which Epic said will allow it to pursue future growth opportunities. Epic’s equity valuation is now $28.7 billion.
“We are grateful to our new and existing investors who support our vision for Epic and the Metaverse,” said Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, who is still the company’s controlling shareholder.
“Their investment will help accelerate our work around building connected social experiences in Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys, while empowering game developers and creators with Unreal Engine, Epic Online Services and the Epic Games Store.”
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Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida commented: “Epic continues to deliver revolutionary experiences through their array of cutting edge technologies that support creators in gaming and across the digital entertainment industry.
“We are excited to strengthen our collaboration to bring new entertainment experiences to people around the world. I strongly believe that this aligns with our purpose to fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology.”
Tuesday’s announcement coincides with the news that Aloy from Sony’s Horizon Zero Dawn franchise will appear in Fortnite.
An Aloy outfit will be available for purchase in the game’s Item Shop from April 15, along with a number of new Aloy-themed items including the Glinthawk Glider, the Aloy’s Spear Pickaxe and the Heart-rizon Emote.
On PS5, anyone who owns the Aloy outfit and plays Fortnite will also unlock the Ice Hunter Aloy Style, based on the Banuk Ice Hunter outfit from Horizon Zero Dawn.
There will also be a new Limited Time Mode called Team Up! Aloy & Lara, in which pairs of players are outfitted as Aloy and Lara Croft and will be armed with the bow and dual pistols respectively.
