Sony and Bandai Namco have announced a lucrative strategic partnership today that makes the console maker a 2.5% shareholder in FromSoftware’s publisher.
Sony has struck yet another deal to acquire a percentage in a large publishing company in a strategic partnership, and this time it’s Elden Ring‘s publisher, Bandai Namco. Late in 2024, Sony announced a different ‘strategic alliance’ with Kadokawa, which allowed the console maker to acquire nearly 10% of the FromSoftware parent company, which finalized on January 7. This makes Sony’s current holdings of Kadokawa at 12%, FromSoftware at 16% and now Bandai Namco at 2.5%.
The official partnership announcement (just like the Kadokawa purchase in December 2024) paints the picture that both companies will focus on expanding the fan community for intellectual property, such as anime and manga, but on a global scale. The new “strategic partnership” also wants to strengthen engagement in the anime field, where market growth is anticipated by both companies, and the partnership seeks to combine the power of Bandai Namco and Sony to create new and emotionally moving experiences for fans.
Bandai Namco and Sony are no strangers to an alliance, as both companies have previously worked together to bring fans the PlayStation 4 exclusive title, Bloodborne, developed by FromSoftware. To this day, Sony owns the IP rights to Bloodborne, and there have not been any developments made with it since the original 2015 release.
Executive Vice President of Bandai Namco Holdings, Nobuhiko Momoi said, “We are filled with excitement about the potential to create new entertainment by combining Sony Group’s strengths and technological capabilities across various entertainment fields with Bandai Namco’s IP axis strategy,” touting that both companies have similar visions for the future when it comes to delivering “fun for all” and crafting a new future in gaming.
While nothing has been confirmed out of the new strategic partnership yet (except that Sony is now a 2.5% shareholder in Bandai), more announcements will undoubtedly come out from either company regarding a new development in the future. Fans can read the official Sony statement here.
