But the motivation is probably mostly anime and manga.
While Microsoft has been acquiring big companies like Activision Blizzard and Bethesda in recent years, Sony has largely focused on individual game studios, but that could soon change.
Reuters, citing two sources, reported that Sony is in talks to acquire the Kadokawa conglomerate. It is reported that the deal could be completed within a few weeks if negotiations go well. Neither Sony nor Kadokawa wanted to comment on the report.
As a gamer, you probably most associate Kadokawa with FromSoftware, the creators of the Elden Ring, Bloodborne and Dark Souls or Armored Core series. Kadokawa owns almost 70% of the studio’s shares, Sony already owns 14%, and the rest is owned by Tencent.
In addition to FromSoftware, other gaming companies fall under Kadokawa’s umbrella. This is, for example, Spike Chunsoft, whose credits include the Danganronpa and Zero Escape series. Another Kadokawa studio is Acquire, which created, for example, both parts of Octopath Traveler, and recently a new game in the Mario & Luigi series.
However, gaming companies may not be Sony’s primary motivation for wanting to buy Kadokawa. The conglomerate owns a number of companies involved in the creation or distribution of manga and anime.
Especially in the anime space, Sony already has a very strong position, as it owns the streaming service Crunchyroll, which later included the Funimation catalog that Sony shut down a few months ago.
Meanwhile, investors also reacted to the news. Kadokawa shares rose 23%
Source : Zing
