subscribe Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Subscribe now
The Sony logo is displayed outside the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Picture: ISSEI KATO/REUTERS
The Sony logo is displayed outside the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Picture: ISSEI KATO/REUTERS

New York/Tokyo — Sony is in talks to acquire Kadokawa, the Japanese media powerhouse behind the Elden Ring game, sources say, as the technology giant seeks to add to its entertainment portfolio.

Talks between the two sides were continuing and, if successful, a deal could be signed in the coming weeks, the sources said.

Kadokawa’s shares closed up 23% at their daily limit. Its market capitalisation had been about $2.7bn. Sony’s shares closed up 0.6%.

Sony declined to comment. Kadokawa said it could not comment.

Sony already has a 2% stake in Kadokawa and a stake in Kadokawa controlled FromSoftware, the developer of the hit fantasy action role-playing game. The critically acclaimed title is a collaboration between veteran game director Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones author George RR Martin.

The game, which depicts an atmospheric world where players battle monsters and quest to repair the Elden Ring, has sold 25-million units and been widely praised.

The title is available on platforms including Sony’s PlayStation. An expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, sold 5-million units in the three days after its release in June.

Kadokawa began as a publisher in 1945, but has expanded into games, anime, events and figures with franchises such as Re:Zero, in which a teenage boy is summoned to a fantasy world.

Other franchises include Delicious in Dungeon, a manga series adapted into anime about adventurers exploring dungeons and eating monsters they encounter.

Known as the inventor of the Walkman, Sony has transformed from an electronics manufacturer into an entertainment and technology juggernaut spanning movies, music, games and chips.

“Lovable characters and intellectual property (IP) can live for 30, 50 or 100 years,” Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said last year. “That’s something we want to make investment in for sustainable growth,” he said.

Sony’s focus includes anime, whose growth worldwide has been fuelled by the spread of streaming services and greater familiarity with Japanese culture.

The group has also had success in extending the reach of its own franchises, with The Last of Us games series adapted into a popular HBO drama.

Sony, which has a market valuation of about $114bn, in January scrapped the $10bn merger of its Indian arm with Zee Entertainment Enterprises, saying some conditions were not met.

Kadokawa’s business has been buffeted in recent years. In June, it was hit by a cyberattack that resulted in a data leak and affected business activities. Two years ago, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, the son of the company’s founder, resigned as chairperson after he was indicted on bribery charges related to the Tokyo Olympics.

Reuters

subscribe Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Subscribe now

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.