Sony
Sony becomes the majority owner of From Software, how will this affect games like Elden Ring?
Sony is investing 50 billion yen in Kadokawa to hold the largest percentage of shares in the company.
Sony is changing its tune in the face of rumors that placed it as the top favorite to take full control of Kakokawa, the parent company of successful studios such as From Software, which has just announced the new installment of Elden Ring. The Japanese have stopped the takeover attempt to invest 50 billion yen in shares, making it the majority shareholder of the conglomerate.
How will this move affect the people responsible for Elden Ring and Bloodborne?
Sony’s ownership of approximately 10% of Kadokawa’s total shares will allow it to have a dominant position over decisions made in the future. Both companies refer to this agreement as a “capital and business alliance” that will extend to all areas they touch. We are not just talking about video games: we are talking about books, anime, manga.... There is a universe of projects within Kadokawa that do not transcend the general public.
Hiroki Totoki, President of Sony, said: “By combining Kadokawa’s extensive IP and IP creation ecosystem with the strength of Sony, which has promoted the global expansion of a wide range of entertainment, including video games and anime, we plan to work closely to complete Kadokawa’s ‘Global Media Mix’ strategy, aimed at maximizing the value of its IP, and Sony’s long-term vision, ‘Creative Entertainment Vision’.”
Does this mean that From Software will only make exclusives for PlayStation? No. Kadokawa will maintain current collaborations such as Elden Ring with Bandai Namco. At this stage of the investment, it really doesn’t look like anything is going to change. In the future, however, there is a possibility that Sony will take control of the publishing rights of intellectual property in each medium, i.e., dictate where or how these works will be released. It is still too early to draw any conclusions; the legal language of the investment articles values this possibility. We will see how it is implemented.
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