The yr of acquisitions and shareholding antics continues.
Just right this moment, Chinese developer-publisher NetEase introduced it was buying Detroit: Become Human dev Quantic Dream, and now, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Tencent have elevated their stakes in From Software, the prolific developer behind the Dark Souls sequence and this yr’s mega-hit, Elden Ring.
This information comes from Gematsu, which posted a press launch from Kadokawa Corporation, the guardian firm behind From Software. It says that via third-party allotment, Sixjoy Hong Kong, a Tencent Holdings subsidiary, has bought 16.25% of From Software’s shares, whereas SIE has acquired 14.09%. Despite this, Kadokawa Corporation continues to be the biggest shareholder of From Software, holding 69.66% of the shares.
“Through the implementation of the fund procurement, From Software will aim to proactively invest in development of more powerful game IP for itself to strengthen From Software’s development capabilities and will seek to establish a framework that allows the expansion of the scope of its own publishing in the significantly growing global market,” a press launch reads. “In addition to these purposes, for an increase of the number of users in the global market for game IP that From Software creates and develops, From Software decided to conduct the Third-Party Allotment to Sixjoy within the Tencent Group, which has strength in its capabilities to develop and deploy mobile games and other network technologies in the global market including China, and SIE within the Sony Group, which has strength in its capabilities to deploy IP in games, videos, and various other media in the global market, concurrently and separately.”
Sony has been busy this yr with acquisitions. It revealed it was shopping for Bungie, the developer behind the Destiny sequence, for $3.6 billion earlier this yr after which later introduced it was buying Jade Raymond’s new studio, Haven Studios. And simply this week, Sony acquired Savage Game Studios to bolster its PlayStation Studios Mobile Division. Elsewhere within the business, NetEase introduced it was buying Quantic Dream right this moment. Earlier this yr, Take-Two Interactive, the guardian firm behind the Grand Theft Auto sequence, introduced it was buying cell large Zynga for practically $13 billion. That was the biggest online game acquisition in historical past for roughly every week when Microsoft introduced it was buying Activision Blizzard for a colossal $68.7 billion.
[Source: Gematsu]
