Sony Online Entertainment

Who wants a bombshell to shake them out of their Monday slumber? Sony Online Entertainment, the company behind EverQuest, has announced that it has been acquired by a New York-based investment company named Columbus Nova, meaning that the internally founded outfit will be going multiplatform in the future.

Just us?

The specifics of the acquisition are shrouded in secrecy right now, but the firm has been rebranded Daybreak Game Company as a result of the split. It recently released a beta for PlanetSide 2 on the PlayStation 4, which won't be affected. The firm is also planning console versions of survival game H1Z1 and the forthcoming EverQuest Next.

"Sony Online Entertainment, newly rebranded as Daybreak, is a great addition to our existing portfolio of technology, media, and entertainment focused companies," said a chuffed Columbus Nova partner, Jason Epstein. "We see tremendous opportunities for growth with the expansion of the company's game portfolio through multiplatform offerings."

In a statement, the studio said that it will be business as usual for all of its existing projects. "All SOE games will continue on their current path of development and operation," a spokesperson said. "In fact, we expect to have even more resources available to us as a result of this acquisition. It also means new exciting developments for our existing IP and games."

It's an unexpected announcement, but it perhaps makes sense for both parties. SOE has always seemed like an outsider when it comes to PlayStation's internal teams, and we're not sure that the platform holder was gaining an enormous amount by flaunting the likes of DC Universe Online as console exclusives – especially when most of them launched first on the PC.

Still, wrap your head around that one. A legitimate shock on an otherwise quiet Monday – who would have thought it?

[source forums.station.sony.com, via neogaf.com]