Sony Strikes ‘Strategic Partnership’ With Elden Ring Publisher Bandai Namco, Acquires 2.5% Stake

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Sony has acquired a 2.5% stake in Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco.

Sony announced that the acquisition of 16 million shares is a step towards a more comprehensive collaboration, or strategic partnership, with Bandai Namco. This move aims to grow the global fanbase for intellectual properties like anime and manga and enhance user interaction.

Sony has worked together with Bandai Namco on numerous ventures spanning video games, anime, and music in the past. They aim to broaden their partnership into new domains as well.

Although not specifically mentioned in the announcement, it’s reasonable to assume that gaming will continue to play a significant role for both companies given their current involvement. It’s challenging to envision a scenario where FromSoftware’s highly anticipated game, Elden Ring (published by Namco Bandai), doesn’t see further development. This assumption is bolstered by Sony being the primary shareholder in Kadokawa, FromSoft’s parent company, and an Elden Ring movie already under production.

In a recent statement, Sony announced plans to collaborate with another company, aiming to grow not only their projects but also their offerings in terms of products, services, and content. This growth will be fueled by intellectual property (IP) created by Bandai Namco. Sony aims to use its expertise in producing and distributing anime, other video content, merchandising, and more, to maximize the potential of this partnership.

According to Sony’s Chief Strategy Officer, Toshimoto Mitomo, this collaboration is intended to jointly produce content and interactions that surpass what fans anticipate, providing a rich emotional experience (Kando) with Bandai Namco Group. The latter, with its remarkable ability to expand various intellectual properties in multiple directions and strong connections with fans at both local and global touchpoints, will be instrumental in this endeavor.

Speaking of Elden Ring, it’s important to note that filmmaker Alex Garland is deeply invested in the game, just like many of us. He’s now on his seventh playthrough of this grand fantasy role-playing adventure, and he’s openly shared about the particularly challenging boss he encountered during his journey.

“It’s Malenia who’s the tough one”, Garland told iggn.ru last month. “I’m now on my seventh playthrough of that game. I’ve leveled up, I’ve got lots of juice, and a cool sword, and stuff like that, and I just throw myself at them again, and again, and again, and again.”

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2025-07-24 14:57