LogIn“The only thing bigger would be buying Valve or Nintendo.”
FromSoftware
Recently, Sony has been sticking around headlines even more frequently, starting from the stories surrounding Concord to its recent intention to acquire Kadokawa, a Japanese powerhouse that owns the Elden Ring and Dark Souls creator FromSoftware, as well as a wide range of other entertainment businesses. Despite the fact that no decision has been made yet, the discussions within the industry are impossible to ignore.
Mike Ybarra, the former president of Blizzard who left his position in January following the layoff of 1,900 workers at Activision and Xbox, believes the purchase, if it comes true, would be “probably a top 2 acquisition in video gaming in the last 15+ years if not ever.” The other one would be Microsoft’s purchase of Minecraft for “only” $2.5 billion.
In Ybarra’s eyes, and many of us probably will not argue, FromSoftware is an “incredible” developer, “releasing games at an accelerated pace that are AAA and epic. The track record is fantastic.”
Mike Ybarra
He further specifies the top acquisition in his opinion, saying, “The only thing bigger would be buying Valve or Nintendo. And I don't see either of those happening in any scenario.”
I have limited knowledge of stocks, but I was told that share price can indicate market confidence. So, the market seems to be optimistic about the deal, as proven by the comparatively high share price of Kadokawa since the news came out.
On the players’ side, there are various concerns. One concern is the potential for layoffs, as has happened with previous Sony acquisitions. Also, there is a worry that titles from FromSoftware may become exclusive to PlayStation, and that would be a disaster for PC players.
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