Sony Is in Negotiations to Buy Owner of FromSoftware, Creators of Elden Ring, Dark Souls Series and Bloodborne
Sony is to hold talks to acquire Kadokawa Corporation. If a deal is reached, the PlayStation console manufacturer will become the owner of FromSoftware studios, among others.
According to recent reports from Reuters, Sony is considering buying one of the giants of the Japanese publishing and film industry. Citing two sources, it was reported that "negotiations are underway regarding the takeover of Kadokawa Corporation."
If they end successfully, the contract can be signed within the next few weeks. Sony's motivation was identified as a willingness to broaden its entertainment portfolio.
Kadokawa Corporation owns many subsidiaries, such as Acquire (Tenchu, Way of the Samurai, Akiba's Trip), Gotcha Gotcha Games (RPG Maker), and Spike Chunsoft (Rain Code, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, Danganronpa).
Above all, Kadokawa Corporation owns 69.66% of shares in FromSoftware, the studio responsible for, among others, Elden Ring, the Souls series, Bloodborne, and Sekiro. It's worth noting that Sony is already the third largest shareholder of this studio (14.09%). The second is Tencent (through a subsidiary it has 16.25% of shares). If the takeover actually happens, there is a chance that future FromSoftware titles will be released exclusively on PS5 and, most likely, on PC after some time.
We can already observe the effects of these reports on the Japanese stock exchange. Kadokawa shares rose by as much as 23% in one day (the increase could have been even greater if not for the daily limit), while Sony shares rose by only 0.63%.
At this moment, both sides have refused to comment.
