Sony Invests in Elden Ring Publisher Bandai Namco, Signs Strategic Partnership

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Today, Sony revealed that they will be investing approximately 68 billion yen, or around $464 million, in Bandai Namco, the company behind Elden Ring publication. This investment will grant Sony a 2.5% stake in Bandai Namco’s total business holdings.

Due to their investment, the two companies have established a strategic alliance, which involves them working together to grow the global audience for intellectual properties like anime and manga. They will also create innovative and emotionally impactful experiences for fans, aiming to increase the worth of these intellectual properties.

The press release continues:

Bandai Namco and Sony have a history of working together across multiple domains like video games, animation, and music. They aim to widen the scope of their partnership by involving more diverse areas in their collaborative projects.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’m thrilled about the upcoming collaboration between these two powerhouses. We’re talking about some serious game-changing moves! They aim to expand their horizons by growing both their content and services, using Bandai Namco’s innovative intellectual properties (IP). Sony brings its expertise in producing and distributing anime, other video content, and merchandising to the table.

But that’s not all! They’re also set to dive deep into discussions about jointly developing and promoting IPs like anime and manga. On top of that, they plan to collaborate on experiential entertainment, which could mean some mind-blowing gaming experiences! It’s a partnership designed to bring us, the gamers, an exciting future filled with top-notch content!

Over the last few years, Sony has made investments in Kadokawa, the company that oversees FromSoftware, creators of Dark Souls and Armored Core. This move led both entities to form a partnership with the aim of maximizing intellectual properties (IP). Although Bandai Namco doesn’t own FromSoftware, it has been responsible for publishing their games for many years now.

Lately, Sony has granted Bandai Namco permission to re-introduce popular PlayStation classics like Freedom Wars and Patapon onto platforms including PS5, PS4, and even Nintendo Switch. Additionally, Bandai Namco is currently developing Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots for both the PS5 and Switch.

According to Toshimoto Mitomo, the company’s chief strategy officer, the aim is to collaboratively produce a variety of content and experiences that surpass expectations and evoke strong emotions in even more fans. The Sony executive thinks that by joining forces, we can speed up our efforts to optimize intellectual property value and bring about Sony’s long-term vision, “Creative Entertainment Vision”.

As a fervent admirer speaking from my heart, I can hardly contain my enthusiasm! The prospect of leveraging Sony Group’s diverse strengths and cutting-edge technology in multiple entertainment sectors, in tandem with Bandai Namco’s strategic approach to intellectual properties, is absolutely exhilarating to me.

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2025-07-24 12:36