FromSoftware's parent company, Kadokawa Corporation, wants to expand the reach of its publishing efforts. In his latest fiscal reportthe company said it is “developing a framework” to strengthen its console and PC publishing business.
The Japanese conglomerate also plans to double down on mobile projects. “For mobile games we are looking for new development studios to increase the number of titles and improve their quality,” he added.
It's unclear whether Kadokawa's mobile push will lead the company to pursue acquisitions or build its own in-house studios. Kadokawa said Elden Ring continues to promote “high growth” in the gaming industry.
The title has it has sold over 25 million copies launching in 2022. FromSoftware recently expanded the fantasy RPG with the acclaimed The shadow of the Erdtree DLC and Kadokawa believes in the long-term success of Elden Ring can provide a framework for future releases.
“Because of the sales of the DLC, the popularity of the original Elden Ring accelerated once again, helping to increase repeat sales,” the company said. “We will strive to maximize the lifetime value of the most popular game titles such as Elden Ring.”
Outlining its production pipeline, Kadokawa said it currently has 20 console titles in development along with six mobile projects.
Kadokawa will be able to implement its expansion plans with the support of Chinese conglomerate Tencent. THE League of Legends owner bought a 6.86% stake in Kadokawa in 2021with the deal presented as an “alliance between capital and business”. More recently, Kadokawa purchased Octopath traveler developer Acquire Corp. to create new game franchises.
“To strengthen our ability to create intellectual property in games as part of our games business strategy, we have transformed Acquire Corp. into a wholly owned subsidiary,” Kadokawa said in announcing the acquisition.
“With the acquisition of the company, which has produced hit titles from millions of sellers, we expect to generate synergies with our existing gaming-related subsidiaries, strengthen our group-wide planning and development capabilities and enhance our range of console games.”
