Skip to main content

Sony says collaboration with FromSoftware could go beyond games

Sony commented on its recent purchase of a minority stake in FromSoftware, the developer behind Elden Ring, saying that PlayStation could go beyond game development with the studio.

Earlier this year, Sony bought a 14.09% stake in FromSoftware, allowing the current owner, Kadokawa Corporation, to further leverage FromSoftware to publish its own games around the world, rather than only self-publishing in Japan, and then having to rely on other partners like Bandai Namco in other regions.

Recommended Videos

“You should think of collaborations on the game development side first and foremost, but it’s also not unthinkable with our PlayStation Productions efforts that we explore opportunities,” PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst tells Reuters.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

PlayStation has been expanding more into TV and movies, such as the Uncharted theatrical release and the upcoming The Last of Us show on HBO. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a similar situation could happen with one of FromSoftware’s properties. Sony has worked with the studio for 2014’s Bloodborne and 2020’s Demons Souls remake.

Hurst also noted in the Reuters interview that PlayStation is continuing to push into the PC and mobile market. While he didn’t provide Reuters with any additional details, Hurst tells Axios that as game development costs have risen, the extra revenue from PC releases has allowed Sony to invest in more projects.

PlayStation is known for its massive single-player narrative-driven games, but it is also looking to push more into live services. PlayStation has multiple live-service games in production right now, including one from Haven.

George Yang
George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…
Elden Ring developer’s next game is Armored Core VI
A mech carrying things overlooks a destroyed world in Armored Core 6's reveal trailer.

Armored Core is back. FromSoftware, the developer of Elden Ring, is working on Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. The upcoming sequel was announced Thursday night during The Game Awards 2022 via a short cinematic trailer. It's gearing up to launch sometime in 2023.

ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON – Reveal Trailer

Read more
Staff picks: Why Elden Ring is our 2022 game of the year
An Elden Ring character stands on a cliff in front of text that says Game of the Year 2022.

I tried to fight it the entire year.

When I played Elden Ring in February, I immediately knew it was going to be treated as a foregone conclusion when game of the year season rolled around. While I loved FromSoftware’s open-world fantasy epic, I had plenty of gripes with it that I felt were getting overlooked in its immediate hype cycle. I urged the Digital Trends team to keep an open mind through 2022 rather than assuming it had to be No. 1 on our list come December. Such an attitude would do a disservice to the wealth of excellent games that would surprise us after its launch, from Neon White to Vampire Survivors. As the year hit its last quarter, the staff even began to rally behind Immortality, which was one spot away from the throne.

Read more
Sony and Tencent now own 30% of FromSoftware through stock purchase
General Radahn stands against a red background in Elden Ring.

Sony and Tencent have purchased a combined 30.34% of FromSoftware shares, with Sony now holding a 14.09% stake in the studio.

While not an outright acquisition, FromSoftware has been a studio many speculated would be ripe for acquisition by a major company. The studio has been on the rise in popularity thanks to its Souls series, with each game performing better than the last commercially. Its latest game, Elden Ring, is the top-selling game of 2022 so far and one of the top 10 bestselling premium games of all time in the U.S.

Read more