In making this investment, the Japanese firm wishes to enter into a closer collaboration with Epic, without however modifying the DNA of the American publisher.
The firm unveiled the Unreal Engine 5 graphics engine in May, with a technical demo running on Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 console.
Despite the large monetary value of the investment, Sony has acquired just 1.4% of the shares the company founded by Tim Sweeney.
"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," says Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO of Sony Corporation.
"Together we strive to build an even more open and accessible digital ecosystem for all consumers and content creators alike,” added Sweeney.
Buoyed by the success of Fortnite — which raked in $400 million in sales just for the month of April — Epic is eyeing many giants in the video game and digital sectors.
According to VentureBeat, this injection of funds pushes the total value of Epic Games to more than $17.8 billion.
However, as journalist Rod "Slasher" Breslau points out, this Sony investment will not affect Epic publishing on different platforms.
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