As a new report that Sony may buy FromSoftware's parent company, Kadokawa Corporation, circulates, former Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra says "it's probably a top 2 acquisition in video gaming in the last 15+ years if not ever". The only other deal as good he can think of is Microsoft buying Minecraft for "only" $2.5 billion.
Sony has sent a letter of intent to Kadokawa Corporation, which owns Dark Souls and Elden Ring developer FromSoftware as well as other entertainment properties such as the Delicious in Dungeon anime. The move would certainly make sense for Sony, which is already in the broader entertainment market, not just video games specifically.
Ybarra speaks highly of FromSoftware: "FromSoftware is incredible - releasing games on an accelerated pace that are AAA and epic. The track record is fantastic." FromSoftware has become my favorite developer in recent years for this exact reason. There's no studio that consistently puts out artistic, game-of-the-year-worthy hits.
If Sony does purchase FromSoftware, it's probably a top 2 acquisition in video gaming in the last 15+ years if not ever (the other being Minecraft to Microsoft for only $2.5B). FromSoftware is incredible - releasing games on an accelerated pace that are AAA and epic. The track…November 19, 2024
Ybarra continues, "The only thing bigger would be [Sony] buying Valve or Nintendo. And I don't see either of those happening in any scenario." That seems a touch hyperbolic, as there are many juggernauts at the moment that would likely rival FromSoftware in terms of sheer output, such as EA or Ubisoft.
Ybarra says these are "Exciting times", but I'm not a fan of mergers and acquisitions myself, as they seem to always lead to layoffs. Following Microsoft's buyout of Activision Blizzard, 2,500 people were let go from Microsoft Gaming this year alone.
The only positive I could see coming from this is a Bloodborne remake, as Sony actually owns the rights to the gothic action RPG, not FromSoftware. The poor game, one of my all-time favorites, has been stuck on the PS4 at a measly 30 frames per second, since 2015, and it's high time we at least got a PS5 60fps patch.
If you want to take a look at why Sony buying this company would be a big deal, check out our list of the best FromSoftware games.
The original Kingdom Hearts was initially "more hardcore" until Square Enix toned it down: "We had some puzzles in there that would make you go, 'what is this, Takeshi's Challenge?'"
"We would look at all the American RPGs and the JRPGs at the time and just go, 'Right, if they're doing it, we're not": Peter Molyneux and John McCormack talk the development of Fable 20 years on
