Sony in talks to buy manga and game publisher Kadokawa

Sony is reportedly in discussions to acquire Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa, potentially bringing various services, game studios, and publishers under its ownership.

Kadokawa, known as one of Japan’s largest media conglomerates, holds stakes in publishers such as Book Walker and ASCII Media Works, as well as game studios like Spike Chunsoft. Notably, the company has a significant ownership interest in Elden Ring developer FromSoftware.

If the deal goes through, all of these entities would fall under Sony’s control.

According to Reuters, negotiations are ongoing, and a deal could be reached in the coming weeks pending successful talks by Sony. Currently, Sony already owns a 2% stake in Kadokawa.

Sony’s potential acquisition of Kadokawa raises concerns among fans of Japanese games due to Sony’s strict censorship and content guidelines. This could potentially shift the landscape in favor of the Nintendo Switch as the platform of choice for anime games.

In addition, Sony would also gain ownership of anime studios within Kadokawa, such as Doga Kobo, which may be subject to Sony’s “global standards.”

While Sony claims to “love Japanese games,” recent actions have left fans skeptical about the company’s commitment to delivering uncensored products. Historically, games on PlayStation platforms have faced censorship exclusively, and sometimes games are altered during development in anticipation of a PlayStation release.