Sony Purchases 2.5% Stake In Bandai Namco Through $463 Million Deal

The press release reads, “Through this business alliance and Sony’s investment in Bandai Namco, as two of the leading Japanese entertainment companies, Bandai Namco and Sony will focus on expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world and strengthening engagement, particularly in the anime field where rapid market growth is anticipated, while merging their strengths to create new and emotionally moving experiences for fans, and as a result of these efforts maximize the value of IP.

The statement further points out the long-running collaboration between the companies in games, anime, and music, and indicates that Bandai Namco intends on “leveraging Sony’s strengths in areas such as the production and distribution of anime and other video content, as well as merchandising.” Sony acquired the anime streaming service Crunchyroll in 2021 and has been producing anime under Aniplex for almost 30 years. Last year, Sony also became the largest shareholder in Kadokawa Corporation, a Japanese conglomerate involved in publishing manga, anime, games, and more. It should also be noted that Kadokawa owns FromSoftware, the studio behind the Bandai Namco-published games Elden Ring and Dark Souls.

Bandai Namco saw a massive 995.1% profit increase in 2024 with over $3 billion in sales, in large part due to the release of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, alongside other titles like Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, which sold over 5 million units. While they expect a profit decrease in 2025, they’ve already put out Elden Ring Nightreign alongside others like Tales of Graces f Remastered with Little Nightmares III and more on the way.

Between last year’s Kadokawa stock purchase and this year’s Bandai Namco deal, it seems fair to assume that Sony is interested in the future of Elden Ring and FromSoftware’s other works (except for Bloodborne, apparently, which continues to languish without a remaster).