Image: Push Square
One of the truly strange things about Sony is sometimes it feels like its divisions aren’t aligned.
While the company has broadly gotten better at unifying its various units, you still get oddities, like Sony Music subsidiary Aniplex supporting Switch and not PlayStation.
And that inconsistency could continue with the record label’s decision to become a major shareholder in Japanese publisher GungHo Online Entertainment.
The deal – worth approximately ~$180 million – will see it explore new opportunities, like the development of smartphone and console games that leverage Sony Music’s intellectual property.
The crucial thing here is that the PlayStation division is not involved, even though GungHo Online Entertainment makes games, like Puzzle & Dragons.
It’s also published Let It Die on the PS4 and its successor Let It Die: Inferno on the PS5, as well as Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter in North America specifically.
This deal is subject to regulatory approval, although both parties expect it to close by 30th December, 2026.
Like I said previously, I find Sony Music Entertainment’s continued involvement in games a bit bizarre; I really don’t get why aspects of Aniplex aren’t brought under the PlayStation umbrella.
I do understand it’s organisationally complicated, and there’s a lot of synergy between all of the entertainment aspects of Sony’s business anyway.
But it does feel a bit unwieldy when you see titles like The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy earn rave reviews on the Switch, with no plans for a PS5 port – despite being published by a Sony subsidiary.
[source ssl4.eir-parts.net, via gematsu.com]
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As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.