Sony backs Epic Games in a bid to expand its live in-game services
Sony Interactive Entertainment will invest $250 million in “Fortnite” developer Epic Games, the game publisher announced Thursday in a deal that VentureBeat estimated placed an $18 billion valuation on Epic.
Sony will take a 1.4% minority stake in Epic, which is also backed by Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent. Tencent took a roughly 40% ownership stake of Epic Games when it invested $330 million in 2012.

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Click Here Already a subscriber? LoginBy backing Epic, Sony gains further access to Epic’s proprietary game development technology, the Unreal Engine 5, which was used in a widely shared June 15 demonstration video of gameplay on the upcoming PlayStation 5.
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The Unreal Engine turned heads after its PlayStation 5 debut in May, where Epic showed off the game development engine’s capabilities, which include enhanced levels of geometric detail and dynamic in-game lighting.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has been open about wanting to collaborate with Sony, noting several months ago in May: “100% of the stuff we’ve been working on with Sony over the past months is now publicly announced: The UE5 demo on PlayStation 5, Nanite, Lumen, and Epic Online Services for cross-platform play across all platforms,” Sweeney said.
On Thursday, Sweeney said the investment discussions began shortly after the Unreal Engine 5 demo. “Serious investment discussions followed from the Unreal Engine 5 demo we showed on PlayStation 5. I guess they liked it,” he said.
“The investment allows Sony and Epic to aim to broaden their collaboration across Sony’s leading portfolio of entertainment assets and technology, and Epic’s social entertainment platform and digital ecosystem to create unique experiences for consumers and creators,” Epic said in a statement.
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“Epic’s powerful technology in areas such as graphics places them at the forefront of game engine development with Unreal Engine and other innovations,” Sony Corp. CEO and President Kenichiro Yoshida said in a statement. “There’s no better example of this than the revolutionary entertainment experience, ‘Fortnite.'”
“Fortnite” has become a paragon of in-game entertainment since coronavirus forced the globe into quarantine — it used its massive multiplayer Party Royale battle mode as a virtual concert stage for rapper Travis Scott that attracted over 12 million unique viewers. Epic has held several other in-game concerts using Party Royale mode with artists like Marshmello, Young Thug, and Diplo.
Yoshida said that Sony intends to capitalize on Epic’s developing live entertainment offerings. “Through our investment, we will explore opportunities for further collaboration with Epic to delight and bring value to consumers and the industry at large, not only in games, but also across the rapidly evolving digital entertainment landscape,” Yoshida said.
The Sony spokesperson confirmed to TheWrap that Sony looks to capitalize on Epic’s live services as part of the deal. “We will be exploring opportunities for further collaboration mainly in the area of our entertainment businesses,” the spokesperson said. “This approach presents many touchpoints with the array of content, creative talent and IP we have at Sony, and we believe that, going forward, we can generate opportunities for new value creation in areas such as virtual platforms for live content.”
37 Worst Sitcoms of All Time: From 'Mama's Family' to 'Coupling' (Photos)
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A good sitcom can make viewers forget their troubles for 22 minutes. Warning: The following list does not name any of those kinds of shows.
TheWrap dumpster-dives deep to find for you these, the 37 worst sitcoms of all time. Happy browsing!
Also Read: ‘Game of Thrones’ 5 Lowest-Rated Episodes So Far (Photos)
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NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
"My Mother the Car" (1965-66) One has to wonder what kind of Freudian therapy session must have birthed this idea: A man buys a dilapidated touring car when he discovers that it's the reincarnation of his deceased mother, who talks to him through the radio. Maybe creator Allan Burns just needed to get this out of his system before he could make "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Rhoda."
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ABC
"The Ropers" (1979-80) Everyone liked Mr. Furley on "Three's Company," no one liked Mr. Roper. Guess which one got a spinoff? Bad choice.
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“Joanie Loves Chachi” (1982-83) Everyone loved "Happy Days." No one even liked this spinoff.
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"AfterMASH" (1983-85) Arguably the greatest TV dramedy of all time, "MASH" successfully blended the horrors of war with the comedy that was essential for the beleaguered doctors and nurses to remain sane. But what happens when you take away much of the great ensemble cast and replace the horrors of war with the boredom of suburbia? Nothing, apparently.
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Ron Tom/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
"Mama's Family" (1983-90) If Tyler Perry's Madea were an old white lady, it might look a little something like this. The show was canceled after one season on NBC but somehow managed a second life for five seasons in syndication.
Also Read: Tyler Perry Inks Overall Deal With Viacom for Both TV and Film
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NBC
"Ferris Bueller" (1990-91) The movie on which the show was based covered one awesome day. "Ferris Bueller" the TV show wasn't even good for that long. (And yes, that is pre-"Friends" Jennifer Aniston.)
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Universal Television
"Harry & the Hendersons" (1991-93) Let's just say this early '90s sitcom was a little before the "War for the Planet of the Apes" technology.
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"George" (1993-94) What's funnier than a boxer-turned-grill-pitchman? Everything.
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"Homeboys in Outer Space" (1996-97) This was the real name of a real TV show. And the title of the sci-fi sitcom is pretty much all you need to know about how "Homeboys" made our list.
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“The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer” (1998) It should have stayed a secret.
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CBS
"Yes, Dear" (2000-06) No, thank you, said viewers.
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NBC
"Coupling" (American version) (2003) As if the copied-and-pasted scripts, the complete lack of chemistry among the cast, the canned laughs and the overall below-average quality wasn't enough to dissuade NBC execs from exporting one of the UK's best sitcoms to America, they forgot this part: There was already an American "Coupling"; it was called "Friends." And for proof that nobody wants below quality "Friends," see our "Joey" slide again.
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“My Big Fat Greek Life” (2003) "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was a great date-night movie. "My Big Fat Greek Life" was a perfect reason to turn the TV off at dinner time.
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"Joey" (2004-06) You know what was funny? "Friends." You know what wasn't funny? One "Friend."
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Richard Cartwright/ABC Via Getty Images
“Emily's Reasons Why Not” (2006) We have about a million reasons why not.
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CBS
"S#*! My Dad Says" (2010-11) There's a reason why tweets are limited to 140 characters, and not as many jokes as you can cram into 22 minutes.
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MTV
“The Hard Times of RJ Berger” (2010-11) The nerdy title character becomes popular after his entire school accidentally sees his surprisingly large genitalia. "RJ Berger" was kind of like "Superbad," just without the laughs.
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NBC
"The Paul Reiser Show" (2011) It's like "Mad About You," except without everything you liked about "Mad About You."
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CBS
"2 Broke Girls" (2011-17) It's easier to get through an episode if you imagine the characters are in a race to mention sex or body parts as many times as possible, and rack up bonus points for stereotypes.
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“Are You There, Chelsea?” (2012) Are you there, viewers? No? OK, never mind.
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CBS
"Rob!" (2012) No! "Saturday Night Live" alumnus Rob Schneider's family-focused sitcom couldn't connect.
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Byron Cohen/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
"1600 Penn" (2012-13) It's not a great sign for a sitcom when the dramatic version of the show -- in this case, "The West Wing" -- is 10x funnier than the comedic one. Maybe we were all still in the "Book of Mormon" haze with Josh Gad and really wanted to see Bill Pullman back in the Oval Office, but that's no excuse.
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"Work It" (2012-13) Panned by nearly every reviewer imaginable when it debuted in 2012, it seems unfathomable how "Work It" even made it on the air, until you see this part from the promos: "From the writers of 'Friends'." Men dressing up as women to get ahead hasn't worked since "Bosom Buddies," and even then it was only funny because of Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari's chemistry.
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ABC
"Cavemen" (2013) This show was based on a GEICO Insurance commercial of all things. Let that sink in for a minute.
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Fox
"Dads" (2013-14) The Seth MacFarlane live-action sitcom featured Martin Mull calling Asians “Orientals” and telling his son not to trust the Chinese: "There’s a reason Shanghai’s a verb.”
Yeah, there's a reason this show didn't even make it one season.
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CBS
"The Millers" (2013-15) In all fairness, "The Millers" isn't necessarily terrible; it's just terribly average. It becomes unforgivable when you remember that, before "Millers," Greg Garcia created "Raising Hope," one of the most delightful (and hilarious) shows in recent memory. Plus, CBS chose "Millers" over Garcia's much better pilot, "Super Clyde," starring Rupert Grint and Stephen Fry. Oh, the pain...
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NBC
“Bad Judge” (2014-15) Bad show.
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Fox
“Mulaney” (2014-15) John Mulaney is a funny dude. "Mulaney" was not a funny show. That's an important distinction.
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CBS
“Angel From Hell” (2016) The sitcom from hell. The CBS series starring Jane Lynch was yanked after just five episodes.
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CBS
"The Great Indoors" (2016-17) There was nothing "great" about Joel McHale's CBS series. Yes, we could have used the same joke had this show been called "The Pretty Good Indoors."
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ABC
"Imaginary Mary" (2017) Let's just pretend this Jenna Elfman show never happened.
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CBS
"9JKL" (2017-18) The real-life story of how creator and star Mark Feuerstein lived as an adult in apartment 9K in the building he grew up in, sandwiched between his intrusive parents' apartment, 9J, and his brother, sister-in-law and their baby's apartment, 9L, is cute. The TV show version was unappealing.
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CBS
"Living Biblically" (2018) Jay R. Ferguson tries to live in accordance with the Bible's teachings as closely as possible. This show went to hell in a hand basket.
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NBC
“Abby’s” (2019)
“Abby’s” centers on an ex-Marine sergeant who turns her backyard into an illicit bar. Unfortunately the last call for this NBC sitcom came after just one season.
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NBC
“Sunnyside” (2019)
While this former New York City Councilman found a passion in helping immigrants searching for the American Dream, “Sunnyside” had its own dream crushed after being cancelled after just one season.
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NBC
"Indebted" (2020)
NBC didn’t feel indebted to this 2020 sitcom created by Dan Levy.
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Fox
"Outmatched" (2020)
“Psych” star Maggie Lawson starred in this family sitcom but apparently this show was, in fact, outmatched.
Hey, not everything can be ”Seinfeld“
A good sitcom can make viewers forget their troubles for 22 minutes. Warning: The following list does not name any of those kinds of shows.
TheWrap dumpster-dives deep to find for you these, the 37 worst sitcoms of all time. Happy browsing!
Also Read: ‘Game of Thrones’ 5 Lowest-Rated Episodes So Far (Photos)
Samson Amore
Reporter • samson.amore@thewrap.com • Twitter: @Samsonamore