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The anime fan community is already in awe of the surprising developments on the business side of things. Sony, which already owns Crunchyroll and Aniplex and a large portion of the Western anime press (including Anime News Network), is reportedly considering expanding its anime and gaming pool by acquiring Japan media powerhouse Kodakawa Corporation .
According to Reuters, Tokyo-listed Sony is considering a possible offer to buy the Japanese publisher, which in turn is home to FromSoftware Inc. (since 2014), maker of hit PlayStation games like Elden Ring and Bloodborne. Although a Kadokawa spokesperson said nothing has been officially decided, it appears that Sony is going after the gaming giant through Kadokawa Corp. Additionally, the Japanese big player also has a large amount of IPs in anime and manga titles, which will undoubtedly expand their existing library through Crunchyroll and Aniplex.
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“Kadokawa has a lot of powerful content focused on anime,” Tomoaki Kawasaki, a senior analyst at IwaiCosmo Securities, said, according to Bloomberg. Kadokawa’s range of content, he said, would eventually make Sony “a formidable global competitor in anime”.
Kodakawa’s hold on the anime industry
Reuters reported earlier today that, according to sources, “negotiations between the two sides are ongoing and, if successful, an agreement could be signed in the coming weeks. “Sony already owned a 2% stake in Kadokawa and its controlled unit FromSoftware. Originally emerging as a publisher in 1945, Kadokawa eventually expanded its hold on the anime industry, including Re:Zero and Delicious. Including these dungeons fantasy franchises.
Earlier this year, Kadokawa acquired anime studio Doga Kobo, which is responsible for anime such as Oishi no Ko Season 2, Chiikawa and Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian. The group was already a major owner of anime studios ENGI (Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, Kantai Collection, Anonymous Memory, upcoming Medalist) and Kinema Citrus (My Happy Marriage, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Made in Abyss . Black Bullet and Barakamon).
According to GameBiz and CBR, Kodakawa’s top 10 best-selling anime and manga IPs for this year are: Delicious in the Dungeon, Konsosuba, Oishi no Ko, Anonymous Memory, God’s Games We Play, The Eminence in Shadow, Kubi, Bungou Stray Dogs, Grandpa and Grandma become young again and belong to the elite class.
Fans aren’t particularly excited about the Sony-Kodakawa deal
With a potential Sony-Kodakawa deal in the works in the background, fans fear that it will inevitably lead to the former industry giant’s monopoly on anime spin-offs. Many otakus immediately took to their social media to talk openly about the future creation. “Kadokawa please do your part and reject this offer!! Please! I don’t want Sony to have control over the intellectual property (IP) like Re:Zero, Steins;Gate, Sword Art Online, etc.,” wrote one concerned user on X, which was formerly Twitter.
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Another commented, “What we need is great, Sony’s monopoly on the anime industry. Reject it.”
“Sony already has a monopoly on many things,” lamented a third. Please no. But unfortunately, it is a Japanese company, so…”
Yet another wrote, “RIP Overlord RIP Shield Hero RIP Konosuba RIP SAO RIP Steins;Gate (at least in the west) and many more popular shows made by Kadokawa but at least Sony has increased the size of their monopoly.” Another member of the fan community explained, “Not long ago, Kadokawa acquired the oldest studio, Doga Kobo
Sony had previously acquired Crunchyroll, but the initial deal fell through, leading to its eventual purchase, resulting in Funimation being merged into Crunchyroll.
If that happens, Sony will own Kadokawa outright.” A different user said, I’m a little worried about Re:Zero.
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