(UPDATE)
Kadokawa,
the
owners
of
FromSoftware,
has
confirmed
that
it
“has
received
an
initial
letter
of
intent”
from
Sony,
expressing
a
desire
to
purchase
the
company’s
shares.
The
statement
also
says
that
Kadokawa
has
made
no
decision
regarding
the
offer.
(ORIGINAL
STORY)
Sony
may
be
in
talks
to
buy
FromSoftware,
the
makers
of
numerous
games
such
as
Dark
Souls,
Bloodborne
and
Elden
Ring.
More
specifically,
a
new
report
from
Reuters
says
that
Sony
is
potentially
weeks
away
from
signing
a
deal
to
acquire
Japanese
anime/manage
publishing
giant
Kadokawa,
which
owns
FromSoftware.
Sony
currently
owns
a
2%
stake
in
Kadokawa
and
a
14%
stake
in
FromSoftware.
By
purchasing
Kadokawa,
Sony
would
net
another
69.6%
of
FromSoftware,
bringing
it
up
to
a
roughly
84%
stake.
The
last
16%
belongs
to
Tencent.
Advertisements
Currently,
Kadokawa
has
a
market
value
of
around
$2.7
billion.
As
a
writer
on
a
gaming
site
I
naturally
want
to
focus
more
on
FromSoftware
and
what
this
could
mean
in
the
future.
After
all,
PlayStation
acquiring
FromSoftware
actually
makes
a
lot
of
sense
given
their
long-running
partnership
over
the
years.
The
deal
would
also
result
in
Sony
scooping
up
several
other
gaming
studios
too,
including
Acquire,
the
company
behind
Octopath
Traveller
and
the
recent
Mario
&
Luigi:
Brothership.
But
while
it’s
fun
to
focus
on
FromSoftware,
we
can’t
ignore
the
reality
that
it’s
probably
the
icing
on
the
cake.
Where
Kadokawa’s
real
value
lies
is
within
its
anime
and
mange
output
which
makes
over
double
what
its
gaming
division
does.
It’s
one
of,
if
not
the,
largest
publishers
in
the
anime
and
manage
space.
Sony
already
owns
anime
distribution
platforms
Crunchyroll
and
Funimation,
so
with
Kadokawa
under
its
umbrella
it
could
have
a
stranglehold
over
the
anime
and
manage
industries.
However,
as
always
this
must
be
taken
with
a
pinch
of
salt.
Even
if
Sony
and
Kadokawa
are
in
talks,
it
doesn’t
mean
a
deal
will
ever
be
signed,
and
companies
entertain
buyout
talks
all
the
time
on
the
basis
that
it
does
not
harm
to
at
least
hear
the
proposals
out.
