Sony heeft aangekondigd Verant te gaan opkopen, voor een ongespecificeerd bedrag:No price was put on the deal, but the move is a clear one that Sony hopes to boost its presence in the online gaming world, perhaps pitting it in yet another battle with Microsoft, owner of The Zone."The acquisition of Verant is a very natural fit for us, considering the way our companies have worked together on games like Everquest. And, we've been very interested in having Kelly join us for some time," said Yair Landau, president of SPE's recently created Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment (SPDE) unit, which includes SOE. "Kelly is a world-cla executive who commands enormous respect in the interactive gaming universe. As we focus more and more on SOE becoming a pure gaming company, we're pleased to bring aboard both a high-profile industry leader like Kelly and to acquire an innovative gaming leader in Verant to oversee both our 'casual' gaming, led by such tent-pole properties as Wheel of Fortune and JEOPARDY!, and our pay programming led by the hot-selling EverQuest." Kelly Flock (wie onder andere Everquest heeft ontwikkeld) zal het nieuwe bedrijf leiden.