Sony has acquired extra shares in FromSoftware’s mum or dad firm Kadokawa, which is able to make the Japanese gaming big Kadokawa’s largest single shareholder (though it nonetheless would not have a majority stake).
In response to a GamesIndustry.biz report, Sony has agreed to accumulate over 12 million Kadokawa shares in January to the tune of about $318 million. This can give Sony a stake of round 10% in Kadokawa, making it the one largest shareholder within the firm.
It is price noting that as GI.biz factors out, Sony already has a 14% stake in Kadokawa subsidiary FromSoftware, having bought shares within the studio again in August 2022 alongside Chinese language gaming monolith Tencent (which has a 16% stake in FromSoftware, however no stake in Kadokawa).
In response to the GI.biz report, the acquisition deal “goes past the sale of shares” and in addition contains plans for Sony to adapt Kadokawa IP into “live-action movies and TV dramas”, in addition to an growth of publishing and distribution for Kadokawa’s video games and anime.
This information comes only a few weeks after Kadokawa confirmed that it was in talks for Sony to accumulate it outright, however that no resolution had been made as but. This deal might see Sony shifting one step nearer in direction of that acquisition.
Whereas Kadokawa is probably finest often known as the mum or dad firm of Darkish Souls and Elden Ring developer FromSoftware, it is also the proprietor of corporations like Zero Escape studio Spike Chunsoft and Octopath Traveler developer Purchase.
Nonetheless, FromSoftware arguably stays Kadokawa’s most well-known and profitable subsidiary, particularly if the gross sales of open-world motion RPG Elden Ring are something to go by.
Different latest profitable Kadokawa releases embody Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, one other sport revealed by Bandai Namco, which topped three million gross sales in a single day and which additionally not too long ago acquired an replace bringing split-screen multiplayer to all of its levels.
Sparking! Zero is not the one Spike Chunsoft launch to land in the previous couple of weeks, both. Roguelike RPG Shiren the Wanderer: The Thriller Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island additionally netted itself a PC launch not too long ago, having netted itself 200,000 gross sales on Swap in Japan “shortly” after launch.
It stays to be seen whether or not Sony’s acquisition of extra shares in Kadokawa will ultimately result in an outright buy. Keep tuned for extra on this.