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After acquiring a 10% stake in FromSoftware parent company Kadokawa, Sony is now going after the developer’s primary publisher Bandai Namco. In a new business move, Sony has acquired a minor 2.5% stake in the historic Pac-Man company.
Sony acquires 2.5% stake in Bandai Namco
Bandai Namco, which publishes the majority of FromSoftware’s games such as Dark Souls and Elden Ring, is primarily known for its anime-themed titles such as Dragon Ball games, One Piece titles and others.
In a joint statement from the two companies, Sony and Bandai dubbed the business deal a “strategic partnership” with Sony now owning 16 million shares in the company. With Sony owning the largest anime distributors in the western market—Crunchyroll and Funimation—the statement revealed that this partnership will mostly focus on the growth of anime and manga-themed titles.
“Through this business alliance and Sony’s investment in Bandai Namco, as two of the leading Japanese entertainment companies, Bandai Namco and Sony will focus on expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world and strengthening engagement, particularly in the anime field where rapid market growth is anticipated, while merging their strengths to create new and emotionally moving experiences for fans, and as a result of these efforts maximize the value of IP,” reads the very wordy statement.
Alongside owning a majority stake in FromSoftware’s parent company Kadokawa Group, Sony also owns a 14.09% stake in FromSoftware itself. However, this slow move of acquiring pieces of the Dark Souls and Elden Ring developer isn’t stopping the team from working outside of Sony’s PlayStation.
Following the multi-platform release of Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware’s next title is the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive PvPvE game The Duskbloods. Afterwards, the studio plans to return to its usual single-player releases, although no such title has been confirmed.
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Elden Ring
- Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
- Genre(s): Action, RPG
