Sony has whipped out its wallet and snapped up precisely 2.5 percent of publisher Bandai Namco as part of a “strategic partnership” that primarily appears to be focused on expanding audiences within the realm of anime and manga.
The news, of course, follows Sony’s move to become FromSoftware owner Kadokawa’s largest shareholder last year. And while it might be tempting to conclude this new Bandai Namco is part of a nefarious scheme to lock FromSoftware in a PlayStation-shaped bunker, the reality probably isn’t quite so Machiavellian.
Sony’s decision to increase its shares in Kadokawa last December was – as with today’s Bandai Namco deal – primarily about the anime market. In Kadokawa’s case, it was said the increased partnership would allow Sony to adapt the company’s IP (Kadokawa is a major name in anime publishing) into live-action film and TV dramas globally, as well as co-produce anime works, expand global distribution of Kadokawa’s anime works, and more.
And it’s a similar story with Bandai Namco. In a joint statement announcing Sony’s acquisition of 16m shares in the company as part of a new “strategic partnership”, the pair wrote, “Through this business alliance and Sony’s investment in Bandai Namco… [we] will focus on expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world and strengthening engagement, particularly in the anime field where rapid market growth is anticipated.”
This will involve implementing initiatives to expand the “works as well as products and services based on IP developed by Bandai Namco, leveraging Sony’s strengths in areas such as the production and distribution of anime and other video content, as well as merchandising.”
There was also talk of the companies “merging their strengths to create new and emotionally moving experiences for fans” in order to “maximise the value of IP” as part of the 68bn yen/$464m deal. There was not, however, any mention of a PlayStation-exclusive Elden Ring 2.
Sony’s recent anime-focused activity follows its $1bn purchase of streaming service Crunchyroll in 2020. That deal, it said at the time, would create an “unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV.”