Following the rumors, PlayStation officially announces its intention to acquire the Elden Ring studio and more. This acquisition is actually much more important to Sony than we think.
Following Xbox's acquisition of Activision and Bethesda, will we see a major acquisition in the industry? Over the last few weeks, a rumor has sent the internet into a frenzy. According to information from Reuters, PlayStation intends to acquire FromSoftware. The Japanese studio behind small, not very popular games like Bloodborne, Elden Ring or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. But to get access to this studio, Sony has to pay for the parent company From Software, which also includes other studios and other important arguments.
FromSoftware, Spike Chunsoft and all Kadokawa on the PlayStation?
PlayStation wants to buy FromSoftware? Shortly after the Reuters article, Kadokawa Corporation, the parent company of the Elden Ring studio, had already responded to this rumor. “The company has received an initial letter of intent to acquire the company’s shares, but no decision has been made yet.”. Then it was Bloomberg who weighed in, pointing out that there had been discussions about a takeover for some time.
Sony had previously remained silent, but that has just changed. Through the press, PlayStation has confirmed its intention to buy two major studios, including FromSoftware. “It is true that we have made an initial proposal [pour le rachat de Kadokawa Corporation]. We would like to refrain from further comment.”. Will the two companies find a compromise? It's very likely. However, Kadokawa Corporation reportedly privately expressed a desire to be acquired by a domestic company, and Sony was clearly one of the preferred options.
If the acquisition is confirmed, PlayStation will own FromSoftware, but not only that. In fact, Kadokawa Corporation is a gigantic conglomerate that has other subsidiaries such as Spike Chunsoft, developers of the recent Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, or Acquire (Tenchu). That's it for the video game part, but Kadokawa is an entertainment giant that puts pressure on other areas such as cinema, but especially animation and manga. And we know that Sony has been very aggressive in Japanese animation by expanding its acquisitions. In 2020, the Japanese company notably managed to get its hands on Crunchyroll, one of the largest streaming platforms for animated productions.
Source: Yahoo News.
