It has been reported that Japanese publishers Kadokawa have acquired From Software, the developers of the popular Dark Souls and Armored Core series. Gamebiz shares more on the acquisition.
According to the report, Kadokawa’s purchase of From Software will be finalized on May 21, 2014. Kadokawa will acquire 80% of the stock in the company. From Software are planned to be a part of the Kadokawa group, alongside Kadokawa Games, to work on the company’s core games.
Previously, From Software were an independent developer, and had most of their games, such as Dark Souls II, published by Bandai Namco, and others by Sega. [Note: Dark Souls was self-published in Japan.]
With From Software being a part of the Kadokawa group, they expect it to be a mutually beneficial arrangement for both sides with the synergy effect that will provide them with ability to further enhance game development with their respective knowhow and resources.
From Software CEO Naotoshi Zin also shared a few words on the benefits and reasons behind the acquisition, starting with the three key points.
- To further expand platforms. Everything from simple hardware to cloud network.
- The requirement to better correspond to regions (more global, more local).
- The coalescence between content.
“With a new system, from this point on, I believe we’ll be able to make newer and more in depth games.”
