Sony Acquires 2.5% Stake In Bandai Namco As Part Of New “Strategic Partnership”

In some more Sony news, the PlayStation maker has this week acquired a 2.5% stake in Bandai Namco.

It’s described as a “strategic business alliance agreement” with a focus on “expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world and strengthening engagement”. It reportedly sets Sony back “around $464 million” (via The Verge).

Here’s some additional PR:

“Bandai Namco and Sony have historically collaborated on various projects in the fields such as games, anime and music, and they plan to extend this collaboration to a broader range of areas. The two companies intend to implement initiatives including the expansion of works as well as products and services based on IP developed by Bandai Namco, leveraging Sony’s strengths in areas such as the production and distribution of anime and other video content, as well as merchandising. They also plan to engage in detailed discussions regarding the joint development and promotion of IP such as anime and manga, in addition to planning and technical collaboration on experiential entertainment. Furthermore, the two companies plan to explore opportunities to support creators by jointly developing and operating entertainment-related technologies and services, and to engage in joint investments and business alliances in fan engagement areas.”

Sony has previously invested in Kadakowa (the parent of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware) in a new “alliance” last year.

As our pals at Pure Xbox mention, this latest partnership makes “transmedia opportunities” tied to areas like anime and manga “the priority”. Sony also owns platforms like the anime streaming service Crunchyroll, which is available as an app on multiple platforms including Switch.