The Kadokawa Situation is Crazy…

Articlt at a glance:

• Sony has submitted a letter of intent to acquire Kadokawa Corporation, but no deal has been finalized. The announcement caused Kadokawa’s shares to rise by 23%.
• Kadokawa’s acquisition would give Sony control over major anime and gaming assets, including FromSoftware and Spike Chunsoft, raising concerns about increased industry centralization​.
• While Sony has managed other anime properties like Crunchyroll and Aniplex well, skepticism remains about their handling of gaming assets, given issues like Bloodborne’s neglect​.​

It is no secret that Kadokawa is a massive name in the anime world. It is very common to see their logo in many animes. Even if the anime isn’t made by one of their studios, its source material was likely published in one of Kadokawa’s many magazines. And that is not all. They also are the parent company of two amazing game studios: From Software and Spike Chunsoft. Most people know From Software, makers of amazing games like Elden Ring and the Soulsborne series. Spike Chunsoft recently made a banger called Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero.

So yeah, that alone should be enough to tell you how much weight the Kadokawa name holds. Their getting acquired will massively change the landscape of anime and gaming. Well, let’s address everything we know about this situation, and let’s go over how this may affect us viewers/gamers in the future. Let’s get started,

What is the current situation?

Currently, nothing has been confirmed. Sony sent a letter of intent to Kadokawa, expressing their desire to acquire the company. Deals like this take a long time to go through so it is pretty likely that we will be in this stage for some time at least. Kadokawa’s shares have also surged by 23% by the way, after Sony sent their letter of intent. This is where we are right now.

There are also rumors that a South Korean company wanted to acquire Kadokawa first and that led some people in Kadokawa to contact Sony for “help” and stuff. However, I have not yet seen any evidence to substantiate those claims. And none of the company officials have commented on these claims either. So I wouldn’t take them as a fact.

How does this affect us?

Well, we can only be hopeful that Sony just lets Kadokawa be and do their thing. Sony does own Aniplex and Crunchyroll both of which are doing fine. Well, Crunchyroll did acquire Funimation and raise their subscription prices but Aniplex is mostly fine. So I think they will let the anime/manga/LN part of Kadokawa alone. So I don’t think we should be concerned for Doga Kobo or Kinema Citrus and stuff cause Sony already owns A1 Pictures and CloverWorks. And those two are decent studios.

On the gaming side though… now, this is where my real concerns stem from. Sony owns one of the FromSoft IPs, Bloodborne. And we already know what they are doing with it. Despite its massive popularity, the game hasn’t even gotten a proper PS5 patch let alone a PC port. So that already sets a negative precedent for Sony getting full control over FromSoft. More than that, I don’t like the centralization of power in the industry.

“If you don’t come under any of the big three companies, you don’t exist”. That’s bullshit in my opinion especially since all three of the big 3 companies have been such clowns recently. Sony with their unsuccessful live-service push, Xbox closing some of their best studios, and massive layoffs, and while Nintendo has been making good games, their lawsuits have only gotten crazier.

That is all for now

Ultimately, Sony acquiring Kadokawa is not good for the industry, I think. Hopefully, it won’t affect us consumers that much but well, only time with tell. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!