You can't deny that EPIC has been paving the way. Lately, the promotion of the free games is working out for them, rivalling Steam. Next to that, more exclusive titles will be attracted to the platform as well. Combined with their engine Unreal Engine and the games that derive from it, it is a dominant company

Perhaps all these facts combined made Sony decided to invest a total of US $250 million in Epic Games, shares that is.  This is what Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said about it:

“Epic’s powerful technology in areas such as graphics places them at the forefront of game engine development with Unreal Engine and other innovations. There’s no better example of this than the revolutionary entertainment experience, Fortnite. 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,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Corporation.

“Sony and Epic have both built businesses at the intersection of creativity and technology, and we share a vision of real-time 3D social experiences leading to a convergence of gaming, film, and music. Together we strive to build an even more open and accessible digital ecosystem for all consumers and content creators alike,” said Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic.

It will be interesting to see what developments will be made jointly by Epic and Sony after this research. The statement mentions they plan to create new "real-time 3D social experiences".

Sony Buys $250 million in Epic Games shares