Sony has today announced it’s investing 68 billion yen (~$464 million) into Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco, which will see it acquire 2.5% of the overall business.
As a result of the investment, the two companies have signed a “strategic partnership” that will see them collaborate on “expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world”, and work on “new and emotionally moving experiences for fans, and as a result of these efforts maximize the value of IP”.
The press release continues:
“Bandai Namco and Sony have historically collaborated on various projects in the fields such as games, anime and music, and they plan to extend this collaboration to a broader range of areas.”
“The two companies intend to implement initiatives including the expansion of 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. They also plan to engage in detailed discussions regarding the joint development and promotion of IP such as anime and manga, in addition to planning and technical collaboration on experiential entertainment.”
In the past couple of years, Sony has also invested in the company that owns Dark Souls and Armored Core developer FromSoftware, known as Kadokawa. This saw the two firms also sign an alliance to again “maximise IP”. While Bandai Namco doesn’t own FromSoftware, the company has published its games for generations now.
More recently, Sony has allowed Bandai Namco to re-release classic PlayStation titles like Freedom Wars and Patapon onto PS5, PS4, and other consoles such as Nintendo Switch. Bandai Namco is also working on Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots for PS5 and Switch 1.
On the deal, chief strategy officer Toshimoto Mitomo said the goal is to “co-create an array of content and experiences that exceed expectations and deliver Kando (emotion) to even more fans”. The Sony executive believes combining the two firms’ efforts will “further accelerate our efforts to maximize IP value and realize Sony’s long-term vision, ‘Creative Entertainment Vision'”.
On the Bandai Namco end, executive vice president Nobuhiko Momoi is “filled with excitement about the potential to create new entertainment by combining Sony Group’s strengths and technological capabilities across various entertainment fields with Bandai Namco’s IP axis strategy”.
You can read more in the press release. What are your thoughts on Sony’s investment in Bandai Namco? Put all of your thoughts in the comments below.
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[source sony.com]
Liam grew up with a PlayStation controller in his hands and a love for Metal Gear Solid. Nowadays, he’s found playing the latest and greatest PS5 games as well as supporting Derby County. That last detail is his downfall.