Sony, the parent company of PlayStation, is rumored to be in negotiations to acquire Kadokawa Corporation, the parent company of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware. According to reports, the discussions could lead to an acquisition announcement in the coming weeks.
If the deal goes through, Sony would gain rights to FromSoftware’s critically acclaimed titles like Elden Ring and potential future games. Notably, Sony already owns a 2% stake in Kadokawa. Other subsidiaries under Kadokawa, such as ACQUIRE (Tenchu) and Spike Chunsoft (Danganronpa), would also be part of the deal.
Kadokawa’s influence extends beyond gaming, with a portfolio including popular anime and manga series like Re and Delicious in Dungeon. This complements Sony’s previous $1 billion acquisition of anime streaming service Crunchyroll in 2021
Elden Ring has solidified its place as one of the biggest video game successes, with over 25 million copies sold prior to the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. The action RPG was GameSpot's Game of the Year for 2022, and its expansion, released in June 2024, has received critical acclaim and multiple nominations at The Game Awards 2024, including Game of the Year.
However, Sony's recent actions in the gaming industry have been mixed. Last month, the company shut down Firewalk Studios following the unsuccessful launch of its shooter Concord. Earlier this year, Sony laid off approximately 900 employees in its gaming division and canceled several PlayStation projects, reflecting a challenging period for some of its operations