Sony is, reportedly, looking into acquiring Kadokawa, a corporation with hands in multiple media branches—including the ownership of FromSoftware. However, the potential for Sony to own more of FromSoft’s catalog is only the tip of this deal’s iceberg.
Sony has been making some big merger moves as of recent, to varying levels of success. The publisher made headlines when it brought Bungie under its wing, and the purchase of Bluepoint Games has been especially fruitful in recent years with its 2020 Demon Souls remake. On the other hand, its acquisition of Firewalk Studios backfired, as Sony ended up closing the studio after the failure of Concord.
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If Sony Bought Kadokawa, It Would Have Ripples In The Industry Beyond FromSoftware
The news that Sony is in talks to buy Kadokawa, first reported on by Reuters and confirmed by Kadokawa itself, has mainly led to discussions about the future of FromSoftware. This is only natural, considering how great of an impact IPs like Dark Souls, Sekiro and Elden Ring have had on the industry. Moreover, many fans are afraid of not only further industry consolidation, but the way in which Sony will treat these franchises—especially considering how the publisher has more-or-less abandoned Bloodborne. Though all of this is incredibly important to discuss, this only scratches the surface of potential industry impacts regarding this merger.
Buying Kadokawa Would Affect Everything From Danganronpa To Octopath Traveler
The purchase of FromSoftware is an obvious consequence, but the acquisition would lead to Sony owning other games and studios. Kadokawa owns Spike Chunsoft and Acquire, the developers behind Danganronpa and Octopath Traveler respectively. These names are more than a little notable in the industry, and are beloved by fans around the globe. Even if Sony keeps the franchises above multi-platform for future releases, it’ll nonetheless have some powerhouse studios under its belt.
In addition, Sony’s purchase of Kadokawa would also net the company power over RPG Maker. RPG Maker has been a valuable tool for a number of influential games, such as the metafictional puzzle title OneShot and the subversive indie landmark Lisa: The Painful. Creating games with RPG Maker was also a formative experience for Toby Fox, the creator of Undertale. While RPG Maker isn’t a massively prolific engine, the most notable games made using it have gone on to shape the industry and the lives of players everywhere. It’s unlikely that Sony would ignore having a sway over this platform, and might even expand its capabilities.
Sony’s Budding Anime Strategy
A few years back, Sony bought the anime streaming service Crunchyroll—which has a vice-grip over anime distribution in the west. Sony also owns Anime News Network, a major source of anime’s western press. These are already powerful moves from Sony, but buying Kadokawa would give it even more control over the space. Kadokawa owns a number of players in the anime space, including Doga Kobo (the studio behind Oshi no Ko), as well as a heaving slice of the manga industry; not only does Kadokawa have the publishing rights to swathes of manga (from Delicious in Dungeon to Sword Art Online) as well as the BookWalker e-book platform.
If Sony decided to buy up Kadokawa, it could certainly give Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard a run for its money; while the purchase of FromSoftware would be big news, having such a big hand in the anime and manga markets would really give the company its own way to the top. Unfortunately for Sony, it’s unlikely to ever get a warm reception from fans regarding this decision. Many fans in gaming, anime, and manga circles alike are cynical towards this proposed acquisition, arguing that the consolidation of the industry is out-of-control.
Sony
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