Sony has now become a majority shareholder of FromSoftware’s parent company, what does this mean for Bloodborne and other Souls games?
After weeks of speculation that Sony would be buying Kadokawa, this morning, it was confirmed that the merger is real. While Sony hasn’t bought the FromSoftware parent company outright, they’ve become the majority shareholder – and this changes everything.
Of course, the main motivation behind the deal is Sony wanting access to Kadokawa’s vast anime library, with the Japanese tech giant planning to build on these assets in the form of more TV and movies. However, Sony is also now able to dictate FromSoftware’s projects, something their gaming division will have a keen interest in doing.
Returning to the Hunt
Naturally, we’re talking about Bloodborne, the beloved Souls game that Sony commissioned FromSoftware to make in 2015. Bloodborne came out just as the Dark Souls series was becoming a big deal and Sony wanted an exclusive Souls game for their still relatively new PS4.
The rest is history and Bloodborne has become beloved over the years, with fans routinely begging FromSoft, Sony, and anyone else who’ll listen for a remaster, sequel, or something as modest as a PS5 patch.
The issue is, FromSoftware was busy developing Elden Ring, Sekiro, Armored Core 6, and various other games, so Bloodborne just wasn’t a priority. Sony commissioned Bluepoint Games to remake the also stellar Demon’s Souls, but the call of the hunt would continue to go unanswered. However, with the Kadokawa deal, all this could change.
You see, not only can Sony have much more influence on what FromSoftware works on, but the creative team at FromSoft was reportedly delighted at the prospect of Sony being their new corporate overlord. Why this is is unknown, but one theory is FromSoft and Sony like working together, and both teams love the idea of working on more Sony IPs – namely more Bloodborne games.
Of course, the above is speculation, but one thing’s for sure: Bloodborne 2 is now closer to reality than ever before. If you were Sony and had just purchased FromSoftware, putting their team to work on Bloodborne 2 is a no-brainer. The demand is certainly there, so now the ball is in Sony and FromSoftware’s court.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
The future of Elden Ring
And that’s not all. Sony could also commission FromSoftware to make a sequel to Demon’s Souls on PS5. While neither it nor its remake is as popular as Bloodborne, it’s still the progenitor of all Souls games. So, seeing a continuation of that universe could be an exciting thing to consider. As with a Bloodborne 2, it’s now entirely possible.
Let’s not forget that FromSoftware now fully owns the Elden Ring IP, which also means Sony effectively does too. The future of this franchise may have factored into their decision more than Bloodborne if we’re being honest. While it too is purely speculation at this stage, a PS5-exclusive Elden Ring isn’t completely outside the realms of possibility now that the merger is real.
However, after the announcement of Elden Ring Nightreign, the partnership between Bandai Namco and FromSoftware remains intact. The only question is, will this continue to be the case after Nightreign is released, or is this a last hurrah for the two companies working together? Especially when Bandai Namco has begun building a shared Souls universe. Though, Nightreign is likely intended as a stand-alone game.
It’s also plausible that Sony decides to keep out of that partnership, after all, their PlayStation brand benefits from the collaboration. Sony could even decide to allow FromSoftware to continue to work with multiple third-party publishers. For example, what if Activision comes knocking for Sekiro 2? And can we really imagine Armored Core games without FromSoftware leading the development?
While we’re almost certain that Sony has entered this arrangement with plans in mind for FromSoftware, and will want to prioritize games like Elden Ring 2 and Bloodborne, there is a wider picture to consider. After all, Microsoft, the owners of Xbox, also own Call of Duty‘s parent company, but we still get to play COD on PS5.
The point is, Sony’s ownership of FromSoft doesn’t have to mean everything – but be under no illusion, it absolutely will mean something for the future of Souls games. As the festive season gets going, Bloodborne fans should feel confident as they dare to dream again.
