Epic Games has announced that they have received $2 billion in funding to advance the company’s vision to build the metaverse and support its continued growth. The funding has come from Sony Group Corporation as well as KIRKBI, the family owned holding and investment group behind The LEGO Group. Each group has invested $1 billion.
The aim of Epic Games and the investors is to create new social entertainment exploring the connection between digital and physical worlds. Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Group Corporation had this to say:
“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. 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.”
Søren Thorup Sørensen, CEO of KIRKBI, says that the investment is part of the group’s effort to fund trends that they believe will impact the future and the world, and how we interact with the digital world:
“Epic Games is known for building playful and creative experiences and empowering creators large and small. 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.”
Tim Sweeny, CEO and Founder of Epic Games has responded by saying that they will use the funding to continue to work on the metaverse an create places where creators and brands can build immersive experiences and grow communities:
“As we reimagine the future of entertainment and play we need partners who share our vision. We have found this in our partnership with Sony and KIRKBI. 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.”
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A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.