Source: FromSoftware
Sony has confirmed rumours regarding their interest in acquiring Kadokawa, FromSoftware’s parent company.
Just this last November, rumours began to swirl around the internet regarding a potential buyout of Kadokawa Corporation by Sony.
Sony’s intent on buying out Kadokawa was first reported on by Reuters on the 19th of November. However, an official press release by Kadokawa Corporation put out the following day confirmed that the decision was yet to be made. "The Company has received an initial letter of intent to acquire the Company's shares, but no decision has been made at this time."
Now almost a month later, Sony has explicitly confirmed the rumours through a statement on the matter in a report from Yahoo! Japan. The report claimed to have received a statement from Sony on the prospect of acquiring Kadokawa. For this article, the statement has been machine-translated: “It is true that we have expressed our initial intentions. We would appreciate it if you would refrain from commenting further.”
It’s important to note that Sony already owns 2% of shares in Kadokawa, and has even invested in FromSoftware, Kadokawa’s gaming studio, as well. FromSoftware is known for developing the immensely popular soulslikes Elden Ring and Bloodborne, along with the actual Dark Souls franchise, and is now confirmed to be working on multiple projects. Elden Ring’s DLC expansion “Shadow of the Erdtree” is currently (controversially) nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024.
If the acquisition does pull through however, FromSoftware is just the cherry on top of the cake that is Kadokawa.
Kadokawa has a massive presence in TV, anime, and streaming among other media in Japan. Kadokawa has produced a ton of memorable anime series like Re:Zero, Oshi No Ko, and Sword Art Online to name a few. And with Sony already owning both Aniplex and Crunchyroll, it looks like the Anime industry might someday find itself under a Sony monopoly.
