FromSoftware had long been seen as an attractive lead for Sony, which is making targeted acquisitions of video game studios and publishers around the world. (Photo: 123RF)
Tokyo — The Japanese video game studio FromSoftware, which notably designed the famous “Dark Souls” series and more recently the acclaimed game “Elden Ring”, announced on Wednesday a 30% stake in its capital by the giants Sony and Tencent.
A Hong Kong subsidiary of Chinese Tencent will take a 16.25% stake in the studio and Sony, 14.09%, for a total investment of 36.4 billion yen (regarding 262.5 million US dollars at current prices), according to a statement from Kadokawa Corporation, the parent company of FromSoftware.
This financial contribution will give more resources to the studio to develop its games, without changing anything in its “philosophy” and its “independence” in terms of communication with its community of players and its choice of platforms, assured FromSoftware.
Cooperation with its new minority shareholders should also provide it with technical assistance and allow it greater commercial expansion globally, according to the studio.
FromSoftware had long been seen as an attractive lead for Sony, which is making targeted acquisitions of video game studios and publishers around the world.
The maker of the PlayStation 5 notably acquired the American developer and publisher Bungie at the start of the year for 3.6 billion US dollars, then increased its stake in Epic Games, the publisher of the famous shooter and survival game Fortnite. .
Tencent also owns shares in Epic Games as well as in French Ubisoft, in which it might soon increase its stake, according to press reports in early August.
FromSoftware notably released “Elden Ring” at the end of February, an action-RPG game (half role-playing game, half action game) in a dark fantasy universe, the result of a collaboration between game creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and George RR Martin, the author of the literary saga behind the television series “Game of Thrones”.
‘Elden Ring’ has been successful with already over 16 million units sold to date.
