Sony is reportedly in the process of buying Japanese media company Kadokawa, the owner of FromSoftware. The news comes from Reuters who are reporting that talks between the PlayStation parent company and Kadokawa are currently ongoing as Sony pushes to further expand its portfolio with Kadokawa’s massive slate of properties and subsidiaries.
Sony currently holds a 2% stake in Kadokawa, the company’s publishing history in both video games and anime a match with Sony’s own push into both markets. According to the report, two insiders familiar with the company have confirmed that the deal could be signed within weeks, marking a massive shift in the gaming market space and tallying on yet another huge acquisition for the industry.
Given the astronomical success of FromSoftware’s 2022 hit Elden Ring, and Sony’s history of working closesly with the Demon’s Souls developer, alongside Microsoft’s aggressive acqusition stratgery with Western developers and publishers, a move like this is perhaps somewhat inevitable, though no less concerning.
Sony’s development and management models have faced intense scrutiny as the video game industry’s post-pandemic bubble slowly but surely burts. In August of 2024, Bungie (acquired by Sony in 2022 to the tune of $3.7 billion) laid off 220 workers company wide, a massive blow to the Destiny 2 developer and a damning indictment on the promised care Sony stated it would have for the company after the acquistion. Elsewhere, Sony’s long-developed multiplayer shooter Concord closed servers just two weeks after launch, with its developer Firewalk Studios shut down entirely soon after.
Beyond the scope of gaming, Sony’s move to acquire Kadokawa also signals the company’s tightening grasp on the anime broadcast and manga publication industries. Sony already presides over anime streaming services Crunchyroll and Aniplex, which combined with Kadokawa’s extensive publishing efforts, would give Sony a monoply in the space.
At the time of reporting neither company has issued a comment on the supposed forthcoming acquisition.
What do you think about Sony’s efforts to acquire Kadokawa? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and on social media.
One part pretentious academic and one part goofy dickhead, James is often found defending strange games and frowning at the popular ones, but he's happy to play just about everything in between. An unbridled love for FromSoftware's pantheon, a keen eye for vibes first experiences, and an insistence on the Oxford comma have marked his time in the industry.
