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[Fess]

Everyone can calm down now.

Kadokawa are protected this way and nothing changes.

Yeah I guess it’s a defensive business move to not let China in and it’s good since platform warriors get no fuel on their stupid fires and us PC gamers don’t have to potentially deal with delayed ports. Everybody wins, kinda.

 

[Bert Big Balls]

The (at the moment) bit is strange

It anticipates further investment?

Is this thing just getting slow dripped for some reason?

Does their 10% stake prioritize higher ownership of certain divisions like FromSoft?

I added the at the moment part, sorry if that caused some confusion. I just mean this could potentially change in the future. The way I see it, they don't have anywhere near enough voting power at the moment to actually do anything. The voting shares of ALL shareholders is only around 10%.

It's like how Zuckerberg only has a minority shareholding in Meta now, but he then has 57% or something of the voting shares so he can still make big decisions.

I can't imagine Sony are going to be coming in and swinging their dicks around as from what I've seen they don't have the power to do so. Again, things can always change as shares change.

 

[Punished Miku]

Rumor is that FromSoft employees are 10% thrilled about the news.

 

[Z O N E]

Yeah I guess it’s a defensive business move to not let China in and it’s good since platform warriors get no fuel on their stupid fires and us PC gamers don’t have to potentially deal with delayed ports. Everybody wins, kinda.

The deal is pretty much this, just a defensive move, but you can also add Kakao (Korea) next to China in that sentence too. Lol

 

[BennyBlanco]

I’m so sorry for your loss SweetTooth

 

[bitbydeath]

They are NOT the main shareholder. They are #3 in the list of 11 of major shareholders. They were #10 before this alliance.

Korea is still #1 on the major shareholders list and The Master Trust Bank of Japan is #2.

https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9468/ir_material7/242676/00.pdf

Something not adding up here as Sony said the below:

Through this capital and business alliance, we will become the largest shareholder of KADOKAWA

 

[Sanepar]

What a stupid move from Sony. So now Tencent can own the rest.

 

[Gojiira]

What a stupid move from Sony. So now Tencent can own the rest.

Not possible. Japanese law prevents foreign investors from outright owning Japanese businesses.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Here's some interesting bits found in the IR material they've also published today - https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9468/ir_material7/242676/00.pdf

In addition to this, the Company will work to build a foundation to expand the scope of video game publishing. At any rate, the Company may pursue multiple deals at the same time, allocating capital of anywhere from under 100 million yen to over 5 billion yen to each transaction, while also anticipating the possibility of using platforms owned by Sony Group.

 

[Sebastian1295]

Here's some interesting bits found in the IR material they've also published today - https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9468/ir_material7/242676/00.pdf

That sounds like sony will be publishing games under the kadokawa umbrella such as games made by fromsoftware, and spike chunsoft. I wonder if a condition of sony buying more shares was that they're going to publish kadokawa owned games for the ps5 and beyond.

 

[GHG]

Here's some interesting bits found in the IR material they've also published today - https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9468/ir_material7/242676/00.pdf

All I ask is that somebody there takes the Made in Abyss IP and instructs From Software to make a game using the material.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

This is great. A collab that makes sense given their history unlike Microsoft spending like a spoiled child.

That being said, I'm not a fan of the souls series. Respect but not for me.

 

[POKEYCLYDE]

All I ask is that somebody there takes the Made in Abyss IP and instructs From Software to make a game using the material.

I would love a true Made in Abyss game.

 

[firegamer273]

FINALLY GOOD NEWS !!!!! .FUCK CONSOLIDATION

 

[Scrawnton]

Sony saw the reaction from the new huge Naughty Dog reveal and thought "I am never going to financially recover from this" so a full acquisition with its price tag was off the table.

 

[TheGodfather07]

What difference does owning from make when sony already get all their games and even some exclusives aswell? Makes zero difference. Not to mention the fact that competition with xbox is over. From games will be console exclusive by default when xbox is gone.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

 

[envyzeal]

They are NOT the main shareholder. They are #3 in the list of 11 of major shareholders. They were #10 before this alliance.

Korea is still #1 on the major shareholders list and The Master Trust Bank of Japan is #2.

https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9468/ir_material7/242676/00.pdf

Did you read it?

 

[nial]

Didn’t Sony already own a portion of Kadowaka? Or was it From Soft?

Sony Group Corporation used to own 1.93% of Kadokawa Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. still owns 14.09% of From Software Inc.

 

[Sebastian1295]

They are NOT the main shareholder. They are #3 in the list of 11 of major shareholders. They were #10 before this alliance.

Korea is still #1 on the major shareholders list and The Master Trust Bank of Japan is #2.

https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9468/ir_material7/242676/00.pdf

I guess you didn't read the statement then haha. Pure misinformation comment.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Meh... Fromsoftware to release their next ten games on an ancient engine, god fucking damn it.

 

[Sebastian1295]

Meh... Fromsoftware to release their next ten games on an ancient engine, god fucking damn it.

I wish they'd move over to the bluepoint engine. Froms engine looks and runs like it's from the ps3 era.

 

[omegasc]

Meh... Fromsoftware to release their next ten games on an ancient engine, god fucking damn it.

Maybe they can switch to Decima, it's already on PC and Xbox...

 

[DrFigs]

bitch made sony lol

 

[DinoD]

So. Close to stable 60 FPS but quite there yet?

 

[SweetTooth]

I’m so sorry for your loss SweetTooth

Well ...

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Crisis averted. From is safe from becoming a lesbian girlboss factory... for now.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Crisis averted. From is safe from becoming a lesbian girlboss factory... for now.

As long as the western side of Sony doesn't have any say on what Fromsoft does, then everything's fine. This is probably the best outcome.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Did you read it?

Beat me to it.

In current configuration Sony is basically controlling Kadokawa through a soft Keiretsu scheme, not unusual for Japan. Sony gets IP and games, Kadokawa gets money and protection from takeovers. And it's way more healthy than MS/ATVI bype of deal, albeit it's still a consolidation-heavy partnership. Especially for internationel distribution anime.

 

[Metnut]

Generally, a 20% shareholder is often seen to have effective control of a corporation. This depends on the specific makeup of shareholders, but often most of the shareholders of a company are passive pension funds and investment vehicles who just vote via proxy to rubber stamp the BOD.

I worked in the inner circle for a US Fortune 500 company and our largest shareholder had around 8% and was an activist type. Everyone was terrified of this guy (the CEO of the hedge fund who owned the shares) and while he didn’t have full “control” he had a direct line to the board and no major decisions were made without his approval.

Point im trying to make is that Sony’s 10% might not give them an official veto over things, but nothing is happening without their input.

 

[Three]

Them remaining independent is good for everyone.

Sweettooth is likely to have the final laugh though as there will be port begging on a future Fromsoftware title (before acquisition talk even began).

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

10% closer to that Bloodborne remake . . .

Spoiler

 

[Euler007]

The (at the moment) bit is strange

It anticipates further investment?

Becoming a big shareholder and getting on the board is often the first step. That's how Elon started with Twitter (missing the reporting requirements to the SEC but laws don't apply to him apparently). Sony probably has a right of first refusal on any other shareholders selling to a third party for starters.

 

[CosmicComet]

I can live with this.

The thought of Dark Souls and Elden Ring suddenly becoming Sony IPs made me sick.

 

[AJUMP23]

Seems like a decent outcome.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

this is what they should've done with Bungie

 

[adamsapple]

 

[PatientGamer]

This reminds me of how the KSE group acquired Arsenal F.C. Wasn't a hostile takeover, started by buying up shares, then buying other large shareholders out before making a full takeover over a 10+year period.

They'll eventually become a 100% Sony-owned entity.

 

[Banjo64]

This reminds me of how the KSE group acquired Arsenal F.C. Wasn't a hostile takeover, started by buying up shares, then buying other large shareholders out before making a full takeover over a 10+year period.

They'll eventually become a 100% Sony-owned entity.

And then never winning anything meaningful ever again.

Sounds about right for video game acquisitions too.

 

[hemo memo]

Horrible news

For Sony, yes.

 

[near]

For Sony, yes.

This is a win for Sony and gamers who oppose Sony’s complete ownership of From Software. Sony gains access to IPs for adaptation into television shows, films, and anime, while also expanding Kadokawa’s global distribution. They acquire IPs without acquiring the entire company, and Sony retains the option to do so in the future. This is pretty much all they wanted from the start.

 

[BennyBlanco]

this is what they should've done with Bungie

Bungie wasn’t a public company. What they should’ve done with Bungie is point and laugh at them.

 

[kevboard]

for now...

 

[Dirk Benedict]

10% closer to that Bloodborne remake . . .

Spoiler

Don't do this to yourself.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Becoming a big shareholder and getting on the board is often the first step. That's how Elon started with Twitter (missing the reporting requirements to the SEC but laws don't apply to him apparently). Sony probably has a right of first refusal on any other shareholders selling to a third party for starters.

Yeah, a lot of strange hopium here, but usually in the East takovers are slow and take years. Sony is gonna swallow Kadokawa, just slowly and in more or less precise manner.

 

[Orbital2060]

The wording of the agreement («strategic alliance») sounds a lot like the one between Microsoft and Sega

SEGA Corporation

News information regarding the SEGA Corporation can be found here.

www.sega.co.jp

SEGA Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "SEGA") and Microsoft Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "Microsoft") have agreed in principal, a strategic alliance that explores ways for SEGA to produce large-scale, global games in a next-generation development environment built on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. The alliance would form a key part of SEGA’s mid to long-term strategy, allowing the business to move forward with “Super Game”, a new initiative for developing new and innovative titles where the key focuses are “Global”, “Online”, “Community” and “IP utilization”.

 

[mckmas8808]

Here's some interesting bits found in the IR material they've also published today - https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/9468/ir_material7/242676/00.pdf

Hmmm....what does this mean in English?

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Bungie wasn’t a public company. What they should’ve done with Bungie is point and laugh at them.

Im talking about a more cautionary and measured approach, like signing a publishing deal or investing in the company, as Netease did, for example.

 

[iamvin22]

Didn't Kadokawa approach Sony?

Yup. They wanted a full buy out. Sony didn't want a full buy out.

 

[ANIMAL1975]

They already stealth registered the rights for the name Kadowokawa overnight

Spoiler: Link