Earlier this week, Sony (SNE) announced plans to acquire Bungie, a video game developer, for $3.6B — Bungie operated as part of Microsoft (MSFT) for 7 years, with its beloved Halo franchise becoming critical to the success of both the Xbox and the Xbox 360. This acquisition comes on the heels of an even larger buyout by Microsoft.

Major gaming studios are returning to where they started, as extensions of larger tech companies.

Meanwhile, consumer mentions of blockchain-based games, play-to-earn mechanics, and related NFT assets are still rising: +147% QoQ (30d MA).

The gaming landscape is shifting fast… And, it’s not a stretch to imagine that the rise of blockchain games has played a role in the recent consolidation of traditional market participants.