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Kadokawa Corporation — the majority owner of FromSoftware, the developer of games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls — says it has received a letter of interest from Sony, confirming the PlayStation maker’s intent to buy out its shares.
No decision on selling the shares has been made, the letter indicates. Kadokawa adds that it plans to announce any new details “in a timely and appropriate manner.”
News emerged on November 19th that Sony was already in talks about acquiring Kadokawa. That would be an expansion of its current ownership, which includes a 2% stake in Kadokawa proper, and a 14% investment in From. Beyond its video games, Kadokawa is involved in movies, TV shows, and manga.
A Kadokawa takeover would give Sony control over several other game studios, such as Octopath Traveler developer Acquire as well as Spike Chunsoft, best known for Danganronpa. From is the obvious target however, since it has produced a long line of PlayStation hits that include Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Armored Core VI.
Sony may want to ensure a steady stream of From titles to bolster its release schedule. The PlayStation 5 has seen relatively few triple-A games launch in 2024, mostly because of the combination of pandemic delays and the ballooning work (and budgets) required to deliver triple-A production values. Sony’s flagship Naughty Dog studio has yet to release any native PS5 titles apart from an Uncharted collection and remasters of The Last of Us titles.
Another takeover incentive is Sony’s chief rival in gaming, Microsoft. In recent years the Xbox and Windows maker has picked up both Activision-Blizzard and Bethesda, giving it control of properties like Call of Duty, Diablo, Fallout, and Warcraft. Without a similar game catalog, Sony could lose its current edge, although it’s becoming more comfortable with bringing games to Windows PCs, such as Spider-Man 2 and God of War: Ragnarok.
