Sony and Lego parent company Kirkbi invest $2B in Epic Games to build the metaverse

Both Sony and Lego parent company Kirkbu have invested $2B in Fortnite developer Epic Games to build the metaverse.

The goal of the three firms is to develop new forms of social entertainment that explore the relationship between the digital and physical worlds. Each company made a $1B investment to advance Epic Games’ vision “to build the metaverse and support its continued growth.”

Before today’s announcement, Sony had already invested in Epic Games in 2020 with USD$250M and in 2021 with USD$200M. Meanwhile, Epic Games and Lego had already announced their partnership in order to make a family-friendly metaverse (archive | screenshot).

“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.” said Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO at Sony Group Corporation. “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.”

“Epic Games is known for building playful and creative experiences and empowering creators large and small,” said Søren Thorup Sørensen, CEO at KIRKBI. “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.”

[Source]: Epic Games: Sony and KIRKBI Invest in Epic Games to Build the Future of Digital Entertainment – [Archive] – [Screenshot].