Reuters: Sony Is in Talks to Obtain Kadokawa

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Sony is in talks to operate Kadokawa. According to Reuters’ two sources “familiar with the matter,” the talks are ongoing, and a deal may presumably also very neatly be signed in the coming weeks. Sony declined to comment to Reuters on the acquisition talks, and Kadokawa said it may maybe in all probability’t give any comments.

Sony already has a 2% stake in Kadokawa and a stake in its subsidiary FromSoftware (Elden Ring RPG developer).

Aniplex is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan (SMEJ). Animation studios A-1 Photos and CloverWorks are subsidiaries of Aniplex.

Sony‘s Funimation Global Community executed its acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T on August 9, 2021, after the firm first introduced the acquisition in December 2020. The possess sign changed into as soon as US$1.175 billion, and the proceeds had been paid in cash at closing. Funimation‘s dwelling video releases are now listed below Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll reached over 15 million paid subscribers to the anime streaming provider as of this year.

Sony introduced in Would possibly maybe honest that this can initiate an academy to obtain skill to obtain anime. The academy will impartial to “[nurture] anime creators in global markets, mainly by Aniplex and Crunchyroll with collaboration from across the industry.”

Kadokawa obtained anime studio Doga Kobo in July. Kadokawa‘s anime studios now include Doga Kobo ENGI, Studio KADAN, Raging Bull, and the newly formed Bellnox Motion photos, as neatly because the affiliated companies Kinema Citrus and Studio Chizu.

Kadokawa changed into as soon as hit by a cyber assault that included ransomware on June 8. Its Dwango subsidiary’s Niconico video resumed some of its providers and products on August 5, after the cyber assault.

Update: Kadokawa‘s publishing companies include Kadokawa Key-Job (which handles the imprints ASCII Media Works, Enterbrain, Fujimi Shobo, and Media Factory), KADOKAWA Sport Linkage (which publishes B’s-LOG, Comptiq, Dengeki Nintendo, and Weekly Famitsu), J-Unusual Membership, and Yen Press. Its sport subsidiaries include Obtain, FromSoftware, Gotcha Gotcha Video games, and Spike Chunsoft.

Source: Reuters (Anirban Sen and Sam Nussey) thru Gematsu

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a unconditionally owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is virtually all proprietor of Anime Information Network, LLC. Plenty of of the companies mentioned in this text are fraction of the Kadokawa Community of Corporations.