H1Z1 developer Sony Online Entertainment has been acquired by Columbus Nova and will now create multi-platform games under the name Daybreak Game Company.

Columbus Nova is a New York investment firm that oversees about US$15 billion in assets.

“This means that effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company,” said SOE in a statement.

“Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more.”

The financial details of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

"We are excited to join Columbus Nova's impressive roster of companies. They have a proven track record in similar and related industries and we are eager to move forward to see how we can push the boundaries of online gaming," said SOE president John Smedley.

"We will continue to focus on delivering exceptional games to players around the world, as well as bringing our portfolio to new platforms, fully embracing the multi-platform world in which we all live."

Columbus Nova senior partner Jason Epstein called SOE a great addition to his company’s existing portfolio of technology, media, and entertainment-focussed companies.

“We see tremendous opportunities for growth with the expansion of the company's game portfolio through multi-platform offerings as well as an exciting portfolio of new quality games coming up, including the recently launched H1Z1 and the highly anticipated EverQuest Next to be released in the near future,” he said.

"The recent Early Access launch success of H1Z1 is just one testament to the talent and dedication of the studio's developers to create great online gaming experiences."

The consensus from industry analysts is that the move makes sense for Sony.

"While the PlayStation 4 has sold well Sony has really been cutting back on investment in game development,” DFC Intelligence's David Cole told GamesIndustry.biz.

“SOE worked on massive projects that really were not a good fit for the target PlayStation audience. So it is not a huge surprise. It just wasn't fitting into Sony's current strategy.”