Followingrumorsof Sony acquiring FromSoftware’s parent Kadokawa Corporation last month, which Kadokawa confirmed by revealing thatSony has sent a letter of intent, a deal has been made today. However, it’s not a complete acquisition as some might have expected.
Sony has issued a statement today that they are forming a “Strategic Capital and Business Alliance” with Kadokawa Corporation, which aims to “maximize both companies' IP value globally,”
Sony Now Becomes Largest Shareholder in Kadokawa Corporation
Thepress releasetoday mentions that Sony is acquiring 12,054,100 new Kadokawa shares for approximately 50 billion yen ($318,725,000); when you add that to Sony’s existing 2% stake in the company, this makes Sony the largest shareholder of Kadokawa, holding approximately 10% of its shares.
Before the agreement today, Chinese mega-corporation Tencent was the largest shareholder, owning 6% of Kadokawa
The agreement doesn’t mention anything about Kadokawa’s game releases being exclusive to PlayStation platforms, which I’m sure Xbox and Nintendo fans will be happy about. It does state that both parties are looking to “facilitate wider and deeper collaboration, such as potential joint investments in the content field, joint discovery of new creators, and joint promotion of further media mixes of both companies' IP.”
The agreement also mentions how the two companies plan to collaborate to adapt Kadokawa’s IP into live-action films and TV dramas globally, co-produce anime works, and expand Kadokawa’s anime products' global distribution through the Sony Group. For those not aware, Kadokawa has an extensive anime portfolio, which I assumed Sony would want if the acquisition pushed through to bolster its Crunchyroll streaming service.
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Sony And Kadokawa CEOs Share Statements On Recent Agreement
Of course, it wouldn’t be a complete press release without hearing from both companies' head bosses.
Takeshi Natsuno, Chief Executive Officer of Kadokawa states, “We are very pleased to conclude this capital and business alliance agreement with Sony. This alliance is expected to not only further strengthen our IP creation capabilities, but also increase our IP media mix options with Sony’s support for global expansion, allowing us to deliver our IP to more users around the world. We are confident that this will greatly contribute to maximizing the value of our IP and increasing our corporate value in the mid- to long-term. We intend to do our utmost to ensure that our collaborative efforts with Sony produce great results in the global market.”
Speaking on behalf of Sony is Hiroki Totoki, President, COO and CFO of Sony Group , who shares, “Through this capital and business alliance, we will become the largest shareholder of KADOKAWA, which consistently creates a wide variety of IP, including publications and books, such as light novels and comics, as well as games and anime. By combining KADOKAWA’s extensive IP and IP creation ecosystem with the strengths of Sony, which has promoted the global expansion of a wide range of entertainment, including anime and games, we plan to work closely together to realize KADOKAWA’s ‘Global Media Mix’ strategy, aimed at maximizing the value of its IP, and Sony’s long-term vision, ‘Creative Entertainment Vision.'”
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Aside from more collaborations between the two companies, it seems nothing changes much for us consumers. Xbox fans can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that future FromSoftware games won’t be exclusive to PlayStation platforms. Of course, there’s still that possibility of happening, but it should feel less threatening now than if Sony ultimately acquired Kadokawa.
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Elden Ring
WHERE TO PLAY
The 2022 action RPG by From Software joins the Souls-like subgenre by presenting one of the most punishing games in the field with grotesque, memorable bosses to keep you up at night. Inside a world built by Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin, Elden Ring’s gothic landscape, unforgiving combat, and top-tier exploration will keep you invested well into the year.
