New rumors suggest Sekiro and even Ghost of Tsushima could receive anime adaptations, and while nobody has stepped up to confirm that, Sony has now said it wants to do more anime in general.
Sony released a round-up of its latest corporate strategy meeting the same day these anime rumors truly began to swirl, and anime is a recurring topic. Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida reiterates the company's overarching goal to "fill the world with emotion (or Kando) through the power of creativity and technology," and this is important to remember because this amusingly literal "Kando" theory comes up repeatedly. For example, Sony says it's "investing in the ability to create Kando" by looking to "strengthen its creativity in areas such as music, pictures, games and anime."
"Under the long-term vision of expanding the number of people directly connected to the Sony Group to one billion people," the report continues, "Sony aims to continue delivering Kando in specific areas where communities are born, such as anime, games, and in India, learning from its users, and making use of them in its creations."
The report singles out anime streamer Crunchyroll, which Sony acquired from AT&T two years ago through its joint Funimation arm, as "a direct-to-consumer (DTC) service specializing in anime" that "feeds back user viewing data to creators."
Perhaps most importantly, anime is mentioned as a key point for "maximizing value by deepening the deployment of IP," which is squarely in the realm of multimedia adaptations. In particular, Sony mentions the "expansion of game IP" through known adaptations like The Last of Us season 2, the Gran Turismo movie, and the Twisted Metal TV show. It also commits to "accelerating the growth of anime," citing collaboration between Crunchyroll and Demon Slayer anime producer Aniplex.
Does any of this outright reveal a Sekiro or Ghost of Tsushima anime? No, but it does make those rumors a little more realistic. With an anime announcement allegedly coming soon, next week's big PlayStation Showcase is looking extra interesting.
While Sony doesn't control the IP like it does Ghost of Tsushima, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst has already said the company could potentially collaborate with Sekiro maker FromSoftware on TV or film opportunities after its investment in the studio.
