Sony is preparing a sensation: it wants to buy the owners of “Elden Ring” and “Dark Souls”

Sony could deliver the bomb by the end of 2024. According to available data Reutersthe company is progressing in acquisition negotiations Kadokawa CorporationJapanese media giant and parent company of several video game studios; among them, FromSoftwaredevelopers Elden Ring, Dark souls And Bloody.

Although the information in question is still unofficial, the aforementioned media outlets indicate that the agreement could be closed in the coming weeks. There is currently no mention of how much Sony will pay to acquire Kadokawa Corporation and its subsidiaries, although it is indicated that the firm’s market valuation is around $2.7 billion.

If the deal is completed, Sony will have its hands on some of the most coveted studios and IP in the industry. Although the purchase’s impact will not be limited to video games and the future of sagas such as Elden Ring or Dark souls. Kadokawa also has a large presence in world of manga and animetwo extremely valuable segments for content production and distribution both in Japan and the rest of the world.

Although the companies involved have not confirmed or denied the negotiations, There is already a relationship between them. Sony owns about 2% of Kadokawa Corporation as part of an alliance signed in early 2021. But the story doesn’t end there. In 2022, Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) acquired 14.09% of FromSoftware, the studio responsible for Elden Ring And Dark souls.

Will it be Elden Ring exclusively on PlayStation?

A report on Sony’s talks to acquire Kadokawa – and by extension FromSoftware – has begun to spark speculation about whether Elden Ring and other intellectual property of the company could become a PlayStation exclusive. To be honest, it is impossible to know today.

As a reminder, no matter what happens with a potential deal, studios have multi-year agreements with publishers and platforms. Just as it seemed crazy at the time that Microsoft would do Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox, once Activision Blizzard’s acquisition closes, the same can be said for Elden Ring, Dark souls or any other intellectual property that may be involved in the agreement. At least in the near future.

Looking into the future, it’s very difficult to guess what Sony’s plan might be if it completely absorbed these games and their creators. Throughout its history, FromSoftware has created exclusive games for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo, as well as multi-platform offerings. Let us keep in mind that the same as Bloody It was published by Sony for PS4. Elden Ring and trilogy Dark souls remained in the hands Bandai Namco.

Another important role to consider when making a purchase is the role of Tencent. The Chinese giant also has stakes in Kadokawa (6.86%) and FromSoftware (16.25%). So, if Sony continues with its plan, it will most likely have to negotiate with said corporation to determine what will happen to your piece of pie.