After rumors of Sony reportedly being in talks to buy the parent company of critically acclaimed video game developer, FromSoftware, a new buyout offer has been confirmed by the parent company's CEO.
Reuters reported a few days ago that Sony was in talks to buy Kadokawa Corporation, the parent company of FromSoftware, the developers behind beloved and critically acclaimed releases such as Elden Ring and the Dark Souls franchise. At the moment Kadokawa owns approximately 70% of FromSoftware, with Sony owning just under 15% of the developer. If Sony acquired Kadokawa, it would become the majority shareholder and, therefore, be able to control the studio.
In a recent statement Kadokawa confirmed it was in talks with Sony about a possible merger, and that a letter of intent has been acquired. However, no final decision has been made "at this time." Essentially where we are at is Sony has put its cards on the table and offered to buy Kadokawa, in legal writing. Kadokawa's board now needs to review the offer and respond.
If Sony is able to acquire FromSoftware, it would add another incredible developer to its library of video game offerings and would be somewhat of a response to the sweeping purchasing done by Microsoft with Redmond's recent acquisition of Activision-Blizzard and all of the developers/publishers that fall under that umbrella. It's possible that Sony is looking to secure FromSoftware as a developer under its PlayStation banner, making all of the titles exclusive to current and future generations of Sony consoles.
"There are some articles on the acquisition of KADOKAWA Corporation (hereinafter "the Company") by Sony Group Inc. However, this information is not announced by the Company. The Company has received an initial letter of intent to acquire the Company's shares, but no decision has been made at this time," wrote Kadokawa in a statement