Khizar Mundia 
Sony may be positioned to acquire Kadokawa Corporation, the media conglomerate that owns Elden Ring developer FromSoftware, Danganronpa creator Spike Chunsoft, and a long list of other properties.
Kadokawa’s operations are spread over multiple sectors, including but not limited to developing and publishing games. The Japanese media company’s most famous gaming entity might be FromSoftware, thanks to the 2022 Game of the Year winner Elden Ring, the Dark Souls series, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It also owns Spike Chunsoft and Mario & Luigi developer Acquire.
In addition, the company also publishes manga and its IPs include various popular titles such as Delicious in Dungeon and Oshi no Ko. It also owns the network of streamers and YouTubers GeeXPlus, which includes Connor “CDawgVA” Colquhoun and Emily “Emirichu” Sim. After the reports that Sony is looking to buy Kadokawa, many people fear the impact it will have on the gaming and anime industries.
Will Sony buy out Kadokawa Corporation?
Sony might come to terms with Kadokawa Corporation on an acquisition before the end of 2024, according to reports.
According to Reuters, both companies are in talks and might sign a deal “in the coming weeks.” Kadokawa told Reuters it can’t comment on the deal.
This follows statements from Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida in 2023 that the company is actively looking to acquire new IPs.
“Loveable characters and intellectual property (IP) can live for 30, 50 or 100 years…That’s something we want to make investment in for sustainable growth,” Yoshida said.
The acquisition follows a trend of acquisition-focused growth in video games and the entertainment industry as a whole. Microsoft in particular has become notorious for buying out developers and publishers to turn them into first-party studios. This could be much the same for Sony, but with benefits for its other operations in entertainment and media.
Fans worry about Sony gaining anime monopoly, Elden Ring going PS-exclusive
News of a Sony acquisition of Kadokawa corporation has led to questions about a Sony monopoly of the anime industry.
Sony already has a 1.93% stake in Kadokawa and a 14.09% stake in FromSoftware. However, absorbing the companies might be more beneficial for Sony compared to the minority stakes. FromSoftware has cross-media plans of its own, with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice reportedly getting an anime adaptation and Elden Ring becoming a TV show or movie.
Acquiring Kadokoawa would give Sony complete control over those efforts. It would also potentially allow Sony to make future FromSoftware games into PlayStation exclusives. Sony-owned studios don’t typically work on major multi-platform releases, something FromSoftware reportedly prioritizes.
However, others are looking at this deal as a way for Sony to become a monopoly in the anime sector.
Recently, Sony announced its plans to launch an anime academy to nurture creators in global markets. This came after industry analysts speculated in 2023 that Sony was on the path of becoming a monopoly in the anime sector.
Kadokawa is a key player in the anime and manga markets and also owns the anime studio Doga Kobo. Kadokawa also has an e-book platform BookWalker for the sale of manga, light novels, and magazines. The company also operates J-Novel Club which translates Japanese light novels and manga into English.
