Sony Kadokawa Acquisition Interest
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Overview
Sony Kadokawa Acquisition Interest refers to the Japanese corporation Sony expressing interest in the acquisition of the media conglomerate Kadokawa, an umbrella company for multiple Japanese publishing companies, anime studios and gaming studios, most notably Dark Souls and Elden Ring developer FromSoftware. The news, first reported in November 2024, sparked a viral debate on social media as users expressed concerns over the monopolization of the anime market in Japan and the future of FromSoftware and its games. In mid-December 2024, Sony then increased its stake in KADOKAWA to 10 percent, making it the company's largest shareholder.
Background
On November 19th, 2024, Reuters[1] reported that the Japanese corporation Sony was in talks of acquiring the media conglomerate Kadokawa, an umbrella corporation for multiple Japanese publishing companies and distribution networks, anime studios and gaming studios, including Dark Souls and Elden Ring developer and publisher FromSoftware. On that day, multiple news accounts on X reported the news, including posts by @gematsu,[2] @IGN[3] and @AniNewsAndFacts[4] (post by @IGN shown below).
The potential acquisition could effectively provide Sony, which already owns the Japanese entertainment company Aniplex and the anime streaming service Crunchyroll, with increased control over the production and distribution of light novels and anime globally.[5]
Developments
Press Release
On November 20th, 2024, Kadokawa Corporation issued a press release[6] in which it confirmed that Sony expressed intent to acquire the corporation, but that no decision was made at that time (shown below).
Sony Increases Kadokawa Share
On December 19th, 2024, Sony[9] announced that the company acquired 12 million shares of KADOKAWA worth approximately 50 billion yen, increasing its stake in the company to 10 percent. This made Sony the largest shareholder of KADOKAWA, above 8.87 percent owned by Kakao Investment and 6.86 percent owned by Chinese conglomerate Tencent.[10]
Online Reactions
The news became a subject of viral discussions on social media as users expressed concerns with the potential acquisition, citing possible monopolization of the anime industry and possible impact on FromSoftware and its games.
On November 19th, 2024, YouTuber ChibiReviews made a post on X[7] in which they listed their concerns with the potential acquisition, with their post (shown below) garnering over 2,000 reposts and 16,000 likes in one day.
The news also spawned various memes and reactions in which users expressed their desire for the potential deal to fall through. For example, on November 19th, X[8] user @skumnut posted a caption meme that received over 470 reposts and 6,400 likes in one day.
More memes about the potential acquisition were posted on X and Reddit, particularly in gaming and anime-related subreddits.
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] Reuters – Exclusive: Sony is in talks to buy media powerhouse behind 'Elden Ring'
[4] X – @AniNewsAndFacts
[5] Animecorner – Sony in Talks to Acquire Kadokawa, Reuters Reports
[6] Gematsu – Reuters: Sony Group Corporation in talks to acquire Kadokawa Corporation [Update 2]
[7] X – @ChibiReviews
[9] Sony – KADOKAWA and Sony Agree to Form Strategic Capital and Business Alliance
[10] Eurogamer – Sony is now FromSoftware owner Kadokawa's largest shareholder
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