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Sony takes up 1.9% stake of FROMSOFT parent company (will facilitate new IP and maximize value of old)

RoboFu

One of the green rats
On one hand I want them to announce BB2 already!.... on the other if they announce it a year or 2 out I will be sad :(.
 

hroerekr

Member
Abysmal? What are the numbers?
It's a Sony IP, FromSoftware has nothing to do with the remake.

You can extrapolate from NPD and Europe rankings and compare it to previous entries. In Japan you have the numbers and It felt form a cliff compared to Dark Souls 3.
It shows how limiting the IP to a single user base is not good.
PC sales are strong with the series. If the goal is to expand (like the article states), multi-platform is the only way.
 

sublimit

Banned
Based on Demon's Souls' remake abismal sales, I don't think going full exclusive with the IP is a good idea.

You can extrapolate from NPD and Europe rankings and compare it to previous entries. In Japan you have the numbers and It felt form a cliff compared to Dark Souls 3.
It shows how limiting the IP to a single user base is not good.
PC sales are strong with the series. If the goal is to expand (like the article states), multi-platform is the only way.
You sir took the definition of "spinning to make assumptions out of my ass" at a whole other level. Congrats.
 

Ar¢tos

Member
You can extrapolate from NPD and Europe rankings and compare it to previous entries. In Japan you have the numbers and It felt form a cliff compared to Dark Souls 3.
It shows how limiting the IP to a single user base is not good.
PC sales are strong with the series. If the goal is to expand (like the article states), multi-platform is the only way.
???
Are you comparing the sales of a game exclusive to a supply constrained platform with a maximum audience of 4m with the sales of a multiplatform game that shipped to a potential audience of 200m+?
How fucking dumb is that?!?
If the IP belongs to Sony, FromSoftware was only hired workforce, then you are complaining that Sony is releasing their games only to their platforms??
 

yurinka

Member
Based on Demon's Souls' remake abismal sales, I don't think going full exclusive with the IP is a good idea.
Bullshit. You have no idea of the Demon's Souls sales and you have no idea if they reached their launch sales target or not.

From Software, Kadokawa Games and CyberAgent/Cygames have a history of making a ton of PlayStation exclusive games. They will continue doing them now, specially now that Kadokawa gave 2% of their shares to Sony and wants Sony to help them to expand Kadowaka games (which includes From) globally.

If Sony signed this deal is because they are happy with Kadokawa Games/From Software and want to continue working with them.
 
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hroerekr

Member
???
Are you comparing the sales of a game exclusive to a supply constrained platform with a maximum audience of 4m with the sales of a multiplatform game that shipped to a potential audience of 200m+?
How fucking dumb is that?!?
If the IP belongs to Sony, FromSoftware was only hired workforce, then you are complaining that Sony is releasing their games only to their platforms??

Console tribalism is strong in this forum. People cannot enjoy something while wanting other people to also have access to it.
 

sublimit

Banned
???
Are you comparing the sales of a game exclusive to a supply constrained platform with a maximum audience of 4m with the sales of a multiplatform game that shipped to a potential audience of 200m+?
How fucking dumb is that?!?
If the IP belongs to Sony, FromSoftware was only hired workforce, then you are complaining that Sony is releasing their games only to their platforms??
Not even that. He's spinning the sales of a game not even made by FromSoft in a period that there are no PS5's anywhere to be found in order to make an assumption of FromSoft's future exclusive titles...this is next level spinning man...like holy crap!
 
You can get that much power from a 2% stake? There's some favors being traded behind the scenes . 2% ownership doesn't equate to the scope of this statement.

Is a 3% stake strong enough to get the Bloodborne patch?
 

Reallink

Member
What kind of pull does 1.9% even get you?
About as much as that Gamestop share you bought last week. 1.9% is meaningless, this is some kind of weird Japanese businessman tradition that's purely customary or symbolic, a show of good faith for their cross media business ventures deal.
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
no prob. So you see what we're talking about earlier, acquiring a $2.2B company for Sony, a $140B company, whose PlayStation division just made $3.3B profits this year is no big issue. And this acquisition won't just give them a talented PS studio, but will also help them with anime and other stuff.

But I don't think they will do it right away because they did this partnership first for a reason. But I firmly believe the acquisition will happen sooner or later if this partnership doesn't bring the results Sony is expecting it will. This also seems like a first step into making sure FS and Kadokawa don't go away to another company.
$2.2 billion is nothing for MIcrosoft. Watch them swoop in and pick up From.
 

yazenov

Member
Based on Demon's Souls' remake abismal sales, I don't think going full exclusive with the IP is a good idea.
Tales from the ass. Show us the receipt.

Its a remake of an old game, so development cost in no where near a new game from scratch. Also, its a 1st part game. So Sony takes the majority of the 70$ pure profit. Its also exclusive to a new console that sold around 4.5 million units since launch and is currently nowhere to be found due to high demand.
 
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yurinka

Member
You can get that much power from a 2% stake? There's some favors being traded behind the scenes . 2% ownership doesn't equate to the scope of this statement.

Is a 3% stake strong enough to get the Bloodborne patch?
Kadokawa gave 2% of their company because they want Sony to help Kadokawa to boost their global console gaming and anime audience because they traditionally are too focused on Japan.

If Sony now basically handles Kadokawa console games and anime outside Japan, they better keep Sony happy because Japanese anime and console markets are shrinking and shrinking while these worldwide markets outside Japan is growing.

Kadokawa's balls are in Sony's hands, it isn't just the 2%. We have to question, why Sony is interested in the gaming side of this deal?

Kadokawa, From or Cygames already made many Japanese focused console exclusives, so the interest of Sony in the gaming side of this deal can be seen as a way to secure they continue providing exclusive Japanese market focused games.

But Sony moved their focus out of Japan beause the Japanese home console market keeps shrinking to the point of being almost not important in the global context while home console market keeps growing elsewhere, and seems Kadokawa wants to do the same, to focus their products on a more global market.

So to secure Japanese exclusives that already were coming can be a part of Sony's interest, but very likely minor part if it's the case. In a global scale, Sony doesn't give a fuck about Kadokawa games and Spike Chunsoft games because they are very small. I think the main interest of Sony in this gaming deal is to have From Software making Bloodborne 2, Demon's Souls 2 or (even if owned or co-owned by Kadokawa) more PlayStation exclusive new IPs.
 
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Literally two different posts above mine talking about 7 billion. Can you read?

Nah, saw yours and it literally came off as you just whining about some people liking this news. again go over in the next thread about this, and nobody literally isn't even comparing it to the bethesda acquisition. revaluate what you're even saying because it's laughable lol. Also if it took two posts to trigger you about 7. 5 billion then my god thats sad XD.
 
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I wonder if they'll go the Sony exclusive route again. Dark Souls sold like hot cakes on PC, the genre fits the platform really well.
I hope they don't take the Souls series away from those who helped blow it up!

I think there is a good chance that Demon's Souls could come to PC in the future, how far into the future... who knows. I think parts of the PS walled garden is coming down a little.
 

ethomaz

Banned
What kind of pull does 1.9% even get you?
It is around $40 millions in shares.

About as much as that Gamestop share you bought last week. 1.9% is meaningless, this is some kind of weird Japanese businessman tradition that's purely customary or symbolic, a show of good faith for their cross media business ventures deal.
He brought $40 million in Gamestop shares last week? :messenger_hushed:
 
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ethomaz

Banned
Not even that. He's spinning the sales of a game not even made by FromSoft in a period that there are no PS5's anywhere to be found in order to make an assumption of FromSoft's future exclusive titles...this is next level spinning man...like holy crap!
Imagine wanting that a game sells more than Dark Souls 3 in Japan where PS5 sold 150k units at launch.
That is how his spinning goes off.
 
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yurinka

Member
Lmao Sony buys 1.9% 0f something and you xbots are losing your minds.

Exclusives from FROM guaranteed.
How much money would this be for? Did Sony give them more than $50 million?
As far as we know, Sony didn't pay them/bought anything. Kadokawa gave both Cygames parent company and Sony 1.93% of the Kadowaka shares (~$40M) because Kadokawa wants these companies to help Kadokawa's games and anime to reach global audience (Kadokawa, like Cyber Agent, mostly focused on the Japanese market until now).

Sounds like Kadokawa wants to give their anime to western audience via Sony's Crunchyroll (and maybe Funimation), to get development help from Cygames (who make mobile games + Granblue Fantasy Versus, Granblue Fantasy Relink or Project Awakening) and Sony to help them to expand their console gaming focus from Japan to a global audience I assume that via marketing, distribution and who knows if even publishing.

And then to reinvest that extra money generated into expanding their IPs or creating new ones (remember, Kadokawa makes manga, books, magazines, real action films, anime or games).

Who knows, maybe they also want to use IPs from Sony and Cygames to create new manga and anime that may be appealing to that global market. It would be great to get manga and anime of Bloodborne, Gravity Rush, God of War, The Last of Us or Uncharted. Or even Gran Turismo or Wipeout.
 
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Bo_Hazem

Banned
Sony owns both Demon's Souls and Bloodborne IP's. If anything it'll be another IP's to get some exclusivities.
 

PSlayer

Member
Sony's biggest mistake back at the 7th gen,besides the CELL fiasco of course, was not buying FROM when it was basically their second party studio.
 

Dabaus

Banned
Huge Assumption on my part: From soft will be wrapping up 2 new IP and probably want to return to something more familiar that will have a certain guarantee of success. We assume elden ring will be good because of who is making it but the radio silence and no gameplay for almost 2 years now tells me its probably been a difficult project. A sequel to an established franchise might be alot less stressful.
 
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Nah, saw yours and it literally came off as you just whining about some people liking this news. again go over in the next thread about this, and nobody literally isn't even comparing it to the bethesda acquisition. revaluate what you're even saying because it's laughable lol. Also if it took two posts to trigger you about 7. 5 billion then my god thats sad XD.

English clearly isn't your first language if you can't understand I was calling out people who seemed to think this was some kind of equivalent piece of business for a lot less of the price. Silly silly boy.
 
English clearly isn't your first language if you can't understand I was calling out people who seemed to think this was some kind of equivalent piece of business for a lot less of the price. Silly silly boy.
No, you basically called them fanboys. Which you have no proof of and basically assumed they said or thought it was in the same league as that. I mean you took so much time to make a post about it is quite telling buddy. but go on and keep making it hilariously obvious you got a bit triggered lol.
 
What kind of pull does 1.9% even get you?
Who knows how it works with corporations in Japan, but I was very surprised to find out what percentage of outstanding stock activist shareholders need to be able to influence a US corporation's board. We're talking like low single digits here.
 

x@3f*oo_e!

Member
Who knows how it works with corporations in Japan, but I was very surprised to find out what percentage of outstanding stock activist shareholders need to be able to influence a US corporation's board. We're talking like low single digits here.
Not the same thing. Activist investors are vocal about their ideas and attempt to influence or win over other larger shareholders - this isn't what is happening here.

The small shareholding is a bit like a formal handshake - it also formalises that company A has an interest in the fortunes of company B - essentially it's a gesture of good faith (1.9% is ~$54million according to my sums at current exchange rates btw)
 

The Alien

Banned
C'mon with all these comments.

Does a 1.9% stake....1.9%...really buy that much influence...of anything? Exactly.
 
Not the same thing. Activist investors are vocal about their ideas and attempt to influence or win over other larger shareholders - this isn't what is happening here.

The small shareholding is a bit like a formal handshake - it also formalises that company A has an interest in the fortunes of company B - essentially it's a gesture of good faith (1.9% is ~$54million according to my sums at current exchange rates btw)

Never said it was the same thing. I was just pointing out that 1.9% equity is enough to have some influence.
 

yurinka

Member
C'mon with all these comments.

Does a 1.9% stake....1.9%...really buy that much influence...of anything? Exactly.
Sony didn't buy anything. Kadokawa gave them that 1.9% (as they did giving another 1.9% to Cygames' parent company) because they want Sony to help them to expand Kadokawa home console games and anime worldwide.

And well, I don't see Sony marketing and publishing Kadokawa games for Xbox and Switch. And From Software, Cygames and Kadowaka have a long tradition of PlayStation exclusive games.
 
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Shubh_C63

Member
There is no way BB2 isn't happening.
5 years ? 10 Years? 15...that depends.

What have been other examples of highly successful exclusive games by third party that never got a sequel.
 
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