Sony has hit back in the console war against Microsoft after entering talks to acquire Kadokawa, the parent company of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree developer FromSoftware.
Microsoft took a huge swing at Sony earlier this year after finally completing the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which led to Black Ops 6 releasing day one on Game Pass. But Sony looks set to make a huge move of its own.
According to Reuters on Nov. 19, Sony is in talks to acquire Kadokawa, and a deal could be signed off “in the coming weeks,” which would give PlayStation a huge boost to end a year that has been turbulent behind the scenes amid the battles with Microsoft.
FromSoftware is undoubtedly the biggest feather in Kadokawa’s cap, with Shadow of the Erdtree making so much of an impression that the DLC is one of the leading contenders to be crowned the Game of the Year—but they’re not the only asset up for grabs.
Spike Chunsoft, makers of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, and a team who recently worked on Dragon Ball: Sparkling Zero are also under the Kadokawa umbrella, along with Gotcha Gotcha Games, the team behind RPG Maker on Steam—which is due to release on PlayStation 4 and 5 next year.
Securing Kadokawa would be a huge win for PlayStation, but questions would be raised about Sony’s approach and whether new releases from the studios included in the acquisition would be exclusive to PlayStation.
Microsoft has made some big moves this year to open the doors to PlayStation players. Black Ops 6 is still releasing as planned on rival consoles, while games like Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush also left Microsoft exclusivity.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the next big release on the Microsoft calendar next month, another day one Game Pass launch, but the title will be coming to PlayStation next year. This is a significant shift from Starfield, which remains Microsoft-exclusive.
Despite the blows that Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard takeover dealt to Sony, it has been another successful year for PlayStation. All six Game of the Year nominees are available on the platform, including Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Balatro, titles that are not yet or won’t ever be available on Microsoft platforms.
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