Sony in Talks to Buy ‘Elden Ring’ Publisher Kadokawa, Say Reports

As a film enthusiast with a penchant for Japanese animation and a keen eye for industry trends, I find myself captivated by the potential merger between Sony Group Corporation and Kadokawa. With over seven decades of shared history in entertainment, this proposed union seems like a match made in anime heaven.

Reports indicate that Sony Corporation is considering purchasing another major Japanese business group, Kadokawa, as per recent news. If the deal goes through, it might be driven by Sony’s interest in Kadokawa’s animation and gaming assets.

Kadokawa Corporation, founded over seven decades ago, encompasses various sectors including film, video games, publishing, and animation. On Tuesday, its stocks saw a notable increase of approximately 23% following a report published by Reuters about potential negotiations. The report relied on information from two unnamed sources.

Contacted by EbMaster, Sony declined to comment. Kadokawa has not so far responded.

In Japan, hostile takeovers are infrequent occurrences. If negotiations are underway, they may lead either to a mutually agreed deal or an abandonment of talks. Japanese analysts have begun speculating whether Sony might aim to acquire the entire Kadokawa group, or focus on its animation and gaming divisions instead.

Sony’s top executives have made it clear they aim to grow by buying companies in their gaming, film, and music divisions. Their mid-term strategy also includes increasing ownership of intellectual property and boosting their presence in the anime industry. Currently, Sony holds a 2% share in Kadokawa, a company that reportedly manages rights to over 130,000 books and 2,000 videos in its latest comprehensive report.

Following its acquisition and integration of Crunchyroll in 2021 with Funimation, Sony now dominates the Japanese animation industry. Through its subsidiary Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Sony controls Aniplex, a significant producer behind the blockbuster “Demon Slayer” film and TV series franchise. Moreover, Aniplex owns animation studios A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks.

Kadokawa Corporation holds approximately 70% of the shares in FromSoftware, the developer behind popular action role-playing games such as “Elden Ring,” “Dark Souls,” and the “Armored Core” series. Additionally, they own the exclusive rights to “Bloodborne,” a game title only available on PlayStation. The remaining shares are owned by Sony (16%) and Tencent (14%), the latter being a Chinese multinational investment conglomerate.

In the realm of publishing, Kadokawa oversees several imprints including ASCII Media Works, Enterbrain, Fujimi Shobo, Media Factory, KADOKAWA Game Linkage (responsible for B’s-LOG, Comptiq, Dengeki Nintendo and Weekly Famitsu), J-Novel Club, Yen Press. Additionally, it owns the Walker paper and web publishing business as well as Anime News Network.

I’ve lately joined forces with studios like Doga Kobo, Studio Kadan, Raging Bull, and Bellnox Films, all under the umbrella of Kadokawa. Additionally, I have strong connections with Kinema Citrus and Studio Chizu as well.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that the company I admire is actively nurturing around ten to fifteen fascinating film projects this year. One of the highlights from this year’s cinematic lineup is our collaboration with Japan in the Franco-Japanese co-production “Serpent’s Path.” This captivating work sees the renowned Kurosawa Kiyoshi revisiting his own 1998 revenge thriller. Last year, we were privileged to be part of Kitano Takeshi’s Cannes competition title, “Kubi.

2024-11-19 14:46

Sony in Talks to Buy ‘Elden Ring’ Publisher Kadokawa, Say Reports

Read More

Minority Mindset