Sony & KIRKBI Make Huge $2 Billion Investment In Epic Games’ Metaverse Expansion

Epic Games announced on Monday that they have received $2 billion in funding. Sony invested half of the sum, adding to the $450 million they put toward Epic Games last year while KIRKBI, the company behind LEGO, invested the other half.

“As a creative entertainment company, we are thrilled to invest in Epic to deepen our relationship in the metaverse field, a space where creators and users share their time,” Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said in an official statement.

“We are also confident that Epic’s expertise, including their powerful game engine, combined with Sony’s technologies, will accelerate our various efforts such as the development of new digital fan experiences in sports and our virtual production initiatives,” Yoshida added.

Epic Games is working on new tech including the Unreal 5, a 3-D rendering machine, which they unveiled last week. Neither side listed specific projects that the funds will go toward besides expansion, however, the statements suggest that the two companies could be working toward Epic Games installments made exclusively for PlayStation.

“This investment will accelerate our work to build the metaverse and create spaces where players can have fun with friends, brands can build creative and immersive experiences and creators can build a community and thrive,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said in a press release.

KIRKBI released a similar statement, emphasizing their investment in the future metaverse.

“Epic Games is known for building playful and creative experiences and empowering creators large and small,” KIRKBI CEO Søren Thorup Sørensen. “A proportion of our investments is focused on trends we believe will impact the future world that we and our children will live in. This investment will accelerate our engagement in the world of digital play, and we are pleased to be investing in Epic Games to support their continued growth journey, with a long-term focus toward the future metaverse.”