Sony owning FromSoftware could have massive implications for the Souls series. Here’s everything it could potentially lead to.
Sony is reportedly in discussions to purchase Kadokawa, who is the parent company of FromSoftware, the developers of Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and more.
If they are successful, then this would potentially make all future games developed by FromSoftware PS5 exclusives, but more importantly, it would allow Sony to dictate FromSoft’s projects.
While the term Soulslikes is now thrown around quite loosely, it mostly refers to titles that play like Dark Souls and Elden Ring but are not made by FromSoftware.
However, Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls 1-3, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring (and some would argue, Sekiro) are collectively considered “the Souls series.” Even though each of these is an independent franchise in its own right.
Fractured Souls
What sets them apart is that while they were all developed by FromSoft, most were published by different companies. The Dark Souls series and Elden Ring were published by Bandai Namco, Sekiro by Activision, while Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls were Sony IPs.
Sony buying FromSoftware means they could set the developers to work on a potential Bloodborne 2. Or they could capitalize on the success of the 2019 Demon’s Souls remake on PS5 and develop a sequel to it.
The Dark Souls series was a spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls (2009), but as that franchise is owned by Bandai Namco, Sony could decide to continue the Demon’s Souls games to keep their original series going. This is something FromSoftware has likely not had the time and inclination to do due to bigger projects.
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Speaking of bigger projects, there’s probably nothing bigger than a potential Elden Ring sequel. The success of it, not to mention the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC being up for Game of the Year 2024, almost certainly guarantees that an Elden Ring 2 will be considered.
As FromSoftware now fully owns the rights to Elden Ring rather than sharing them with Bandai Namco, this would mean that if Sony acquires FromSoft, they also acquire Elden Ring. Therefore, Elden Ring 2 could become a PS5 exclusive. The same could also be said of Sekiro.
Shared Sony Souls universe
The Souls games are all set in a different universe from each other, mostly because of the different publishers. However, they have always had tenuous connections to each other, such as the character Patches, among other things. This has sparked some debate among fans about how FromSoft views these connections internally.
A Sony buyout could give FromSoftware the freedom to build a shared Souls universe if they wished, particularly between Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. As Dark Souls is still very much a Bandai Namco property, that series would likely remain out in the cold.
Of course, all of the above is hypothetical at this stage, but if Sony does indeed ink a deal to acquire FromSoftware, then ideas like an exclusive Elden Ring 2 and Bloodborne 2 take one step closer to becoming reality.
It would also prevent FromSoft from being hired by any other third-party publishers, effectively killing the possibility of a Dark Souls 4. However, that franchise ended rather conclusively with the final Dark Souls 3 DLC.
FromSoftware are also the masters of reinvention, often preferring to make a new game rather than churn out sequels. So, will be interesting to see if this remains the case, should a Sony buyout take place.
