Nothing can stop Sony! After its takeover of Bungie last January, and its investment of 1 billion dollars in Epic Games recently, it could be that the Japanese company has other projects of this type. This time again, the takeover rumors target a legendary company in the video game industry.
FromSoftware soon at Sony?
This is the rumor that was launched on April 18 by a tweet from Serkan Toto, an economist and analyst specializing in the Japanese video game industry. Thanks to his well-filled contact book and his precise analyses, he has, in the past, predicted many major events. He therefore publishes this: "One of my favorite studios, FromSoftware, based in Tokyo, is currently the subject of rumors that it is a candidate for a merger or acquisition (M&A) by Sony" .
The expert then tells a brief history of FromSoftware, at the origin of Elden Ring, Dark Souls, or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. We learn in particular that the studio was created in 1986, and at that time concentrated its activity in the development of software in B2B (business to business). The brand's first game saw the light of day 8 years later, in 1994 on PlayStation, under the name King's Field .
The machine was launched and during the years that followed, the company developed many other games for Nintendo, Sega and other flagship consoles of the time. FromSoftware has had great success on Nintendo DS thanks to its Hello Kitty games. We're still a long way from Elden Ring.
Subsequently, FromSoftware wandered from project to project, only to be acquired 80% (and then entirely) by Kadokawa for the modest sum of $22.5 million in 2014 . A very low figure compared to those that large companies today are used to investing. All of this, then, tells us that the studio has suffered (and is still suffering) from a low estimate of its price and from continuous takeovers up to that by Japanese media giant, Kadokawa .
What is Sony doing in all of this?
This is the question that remains. Serkan Toto made it clear that the rumor did not come from him directly, but had been relayed. In question, the explicit desire of Sony to continue its madness of redemptions, plus the cultural proximity of the two Japanese companies. In addition, Kadokawa, a company specializing in Japanese audiovisual, seems to be moving away from the video game industry in recent years.
It is important to note that these are only assumptions, certainly supported by an expert in the Japanese video game field, but nothing has yet been confirmed by Sony or FromSoftware. Recently, rumors had circulated about an upcoming acquisition of Kojima Studios by Sony, which were quickly denied by Hideo Kojima himself. In any case, as Sony had said, we suspect that the takeovers will continue on the side of the parent company of PlayStation, and we can't wait to see which studios will be concerned!
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