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[atyourservice]

I *really* don't want it to happen

Plausible pros:
1. Increased technical performance support for future FROM games

2. Increased (and consistent) funding for development, marketing, etc

3. Operational stability means any potential experimental games would more likely be approved

4. Creative interference+ (cinematic presentation support, accessibility/ui support, etc)

5. Spinoff media ventures (more adaptations (even though elden ring adaptations are already in talks), toys)

6. Job security (assuming no concord-level failures, most FROM developers would be more secure in their jobs)



Plausible cons:
1. Limited userbase/exclusivity (far fewer people in the games industry would get to play FROM software games just to push hardware sales for one section of the industry)

2. Job loss (Firing of FROM staff deemed superfluous during consolidation)

3. Simplification of graphical options and loss of choice in presentation preference

4. Creative interference-/Potential conflict of interest (narrative style adjustments, development workflow mandates, etc)

5. Studio direction ultimately becomes tied to console venture's success (i.e. a bad set of years for the console and FROM might be disbanded, broken apart, or forced to develop a more 'strategically relevant' game in a different genre, regardless of their own studio's success)

6. Loss of ip ownership (FROM could eventually have to give up the soulsborne games to be developed by a different studio if there are strong enough disagreements)

7. Worse experience for non-PS users (unnecessary PSN login, limiting sales regions, loss of PC/steam specific features like refunds and slightly better customer support)

What other pros or cons can you think of?

 

[GHG]

There are no cons. Only pros.

 

[bitbydeath]

I expect they’d still put them on PC 1-2 years after launch. Otherwise not much would change.

 

[Little Mac]

Soulslikes aren’t my thing but I can appreciate their appeal. Having said that I’d rather Sony invest in smaller indie or AA studios with smaller development cycles.

 

[nial]

The fuck? I'm just entering NeoGAF today and everyone is losing their minds?

 

[Wildebeest]

Obviously, it is a great idea because they can then modernise From Soft by getting Bungie to tell them how to make a live service hero shooter. Drag them out of the stone age.

 

[PeteBull]

I can think of at least two cons:

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Sony has done such a phenomenal job with Bungie and Firewalk this generation. I hope they buy every studio they can get their hands on.

 

[The Cockatrice]

There are no cons. Only pros.

 

[DenchDeckard]

There are no cons. Only pros.

Good sarcasm.

Sony, deffo showing they know how to manage studios this Gen so, yeah I'm all for it.

 

[GHG]

 

[Drell]

We're not talking only about FromSoft but Kadokawa as a whole. And I know it's not exactly the subject but Sony's American HQ will fuck up everything from games to manga, anime and light novels with censorship and forced diversity. So I'd rather want for it not to happen but I guess when it's announced it's already too late...

 

[Truth Be Told]

Pro : assist and guide From Software to treat their PS fans and customers like they should be treated : release performance patches, 40FPS unlocked mode, etc...

Elevate From's developers to the same level as Insomniac, Naughty Dogs, Bluepoint and Guerilla Games.

 

[PeteBull]

There are no cons. Only pros.

ps5pr0s at that

 

[Perrott]

FromSoftware's best game - Bloodborne - came out of a Sony collaboration and they have a close business relationship and history of first-party development going all the way back to the original Demon's Souls, 15 years ago. They were also one of the two Japanese studios that Hermen Hulst gave a tip of the hat back in 2021 when discussing Japanese partners and have since been speculated to be working on yet another game together. Sony has a lot to offer in the form of a support studios infrastructure and technical expertise, while FromSoftware have the prestige and leverage of a Naughty Dog to be able to focus on their craft with minimal external oversight.

This is the definition of organic growth - unlike the Bungie, Firewalk or Neon Koi fiascos - so it should bode great for the two parties.

 

[nial]

This is obviously not just about From Software as Kadokawa is primarily a powerhouse for anime and manga, but it would be the funniest thing if From gets moved to Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. anyway (which already owns 14% of the company).

 

[Sanepar]

Pros: better Sony than MS.

 

[Black_Stride]

Pro
Nixxes handling the PC port of the next Armored Core.

Not that Fires of the Rubicon was bad just think Nixxes could have pushed it even further on PC.

The engine has RT support, Nixxes could have probably made it available in gameplay.

Con
Any sort of creative directing.
Buy them fund them then leave them alone.
Though does From even need any money, Kadokawa is quite cash rich ain't it?


P.S Is Tencent gonna get rid of its stake?
Or are Sony planning on buying Kadokawa outright?

 

[Soodanim]

I don't want anyone to interfere with From. They clearly have a good thing going and don't need the help. If they want some technical help in areas where there is room for improvement it can be had without the trade off of whatever potential drawbacks a change in ownership brings.

As the old saying goes: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[RoboFu]

I don't care .. won't change much.
Sony needs to build its library if they want to compete as a service app in the future .. that's why they would want to do this.

 

[nial]

We're not talking only about FromSoft but Kadokawa as a whole. And I know it's not exactly the subject but Sony's American HQ will fuck up everything from games to manga, anime and light novels with censorship and forced diversity. So I'd rather want for it not to happen but I guess when it's announced it's already too late...

Heavy censorship on all the Anime/Manga properties Kadokawa holds.

You mean PlayStation? Why would they be involved in that? And games are a weird thing to worry about considering that we're talking of From here.

 

[FrankWza]

The fuck? I'm just entering NeoGAF today and everyone is losing their minds?

I woke up to it. US gaf is just starting to enter...

 

[Lorianus]

Heavy censorship on all the Anime/Manga properties Kadokawa holds.

 

[MagnesD3]

No only a fool would or someone that hates thier games and wants them to be dumbed down. Sony will ruin it by making it for "modern audiences", they will strip the soul from it and the release pipeline will come to a hault. We will go from a new from game abour every 1.5 years to about 5 years or more apart.

From software is one of the last good things in the industry, its looking more and more like the corpos are about to ruin something good yet again. There isnt much left to ruin anymore..

 

[GymWolf]

The only positive thing i can see from this is fromsoft games not sucking anymore in terms of graphic and performances and maybe having a story that i can follow instead of watching a recap from vaaty.

And maybe a bb sequel or remaster.

 

[kaizenkko]

"4. Creative interference-/Potential conflict of interest (narrative style adjustments, development workflow mandates, etc)"

I think Sony is one of the few publishers who give a lot of creative freedom for their studios.

 

[Wildebeest]

No only a fool would or someone that hates thier games and wants them to be dumbed down. Sony will ruin it by making it for "modern audiences", they will strip the soul from it and the release pipeline will come to a hault. We will go from a new from game abour every 1.5 years to about 5 years or more apart.

"Hey Chosen Undead, did you forget about your lovable and helpful companion little Timmy the yappy arsehole? You're going the wrong way, Chosen Undead, that path is too hard for you. Look over there, a hidden wall with cool items behind it!"

 

[GymWolf]

There are no cons. Only pros.

Not having the freedom to make what they want sound like a big con tbh.

You think sony is gonna be ok with niche projects like armoured core or maybe a sekiro sequel over an elden ring sequel\dark souls sequel that is gonna sell vastly more?!

 

[Nankatsu]

1. Souls games getting way too narrative driven.
2. Hulst.

Everything else is a plus.

 

[KàIRóS]

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Besides the obvious (the clowns at PS Management), I want From to remain creatively independent. Sony cannot improve them.

Sony can't even handle the IP Bloodborne, goddamit.

 

[Johnny Concrete]

You know what usually happens with a company that gets acquired ?
It falls apart rather sooner than later.

Miyazaki will leave after 1 year and starts a new company probably.

 

[SweetTooth]

Positives: Everything

Negatives: continuous flowing tears

So all positives in my end

 

[Calico345]

No.

PlayStation is my primary form of gaming.

I like FromSoftware's games.

No. I do not want one corpo to acquire another corpo, especially one that has been mostly good. We don't need Sony California's influences. We don't need Soulsborne GaaS with a comic book tie-in and an anime on Netflix. We don't need Dark Souls 4, Dark Souls 5, and Dark Souls 6, spread out over 15 years and with shitty anthology fodder in between. We don't need big corpo suits driven by investors to sanitize and mass assemble something else that still has some good life left in it when left to its own devices.

 

[Judge Magister]

Don't care as long as FromSoftware continues to do good games.

 

[Mayar]

What amuses me most about this whole story is how people on neogaf quickly focused on FromSoftware, and the fact that Kadokawa Corporation also owns Spike Chunsoft (Danganronpa, Zero, Master Detective Archives, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero) and Acquire (Octopath Traveler 1-2) is apparently not important at all. =)

But in any case, it is still very early for this discussion, since we do not even know whether it is true or not, there has been no confirmation from either side.

 

[Horseganador]

Of course, with this purchase gaming would win, wasn't it like that? xD.

 

[bitbydeath]

Sony can't even handle the IP Bloodborne, goddamit

They could if the acquisition goes through.

 

[Soodanim]

FromSoftware's best game - Bloodborne - came out of a Sony collaboration and they have a close business relationship and history of first-party development going all the way back to the original Demon's Souls, 15 years ago. They were also one of the two Japanese studios that Hermen Hulst gave a tip of the hat back in 2021 when discussing Japanese partners and have since been speculated to be working on yet another game together. Sony has a lot to offer in the form of a support studios infrastructure and technical expertise, while FromSoftware have the prestige and leverage of a Naughty Dog to be able to focus on their craft with minimal external oversight.

This is the definition of organic growth - unlike the Bungie, Firewalk or Neon Koi fiascos - so it should bode great for the two parties.

The other side of that is that Bloodborne has been left and ignored despite being the most wishlisted game to get technical improvements because of the 30fps cap and awful frame pacing. From have said it isn't them stopping it happening. Say what you want about DS1 Remaster, but at least From put out a 60fps version of a game that was previously lacking. I'm sure they would have put out a new version of BB with technical improvements if they had the chance.

Dark Souls was far more popular than Demon's (although the PS5 version was very popular), and there's no denying the success of Elden Ring. From are just fine on their own.

 

[CosmicComet]

I don't want Sony anywhere near From Soft's creative process. Certainly not current California Sony.

Elden Ring is greater by a wide margin than every single game Sony has ever made. Both in quality and sales.

To suddenly say that IP is now a Sony IP would be totally undeserved.

 

[nial]

Not having the freedom to make what they want sound like a big con tbh.

You think sony is gonna be ok with niche projects like armoured core or maybe a sekiro sequel over an elden ring sequel\dark souls sequel that is gonna sell vastly more?!

Sony was ok with 500K-seller Returnal and Armored Core is not as niche as it was in the past.

 

[Chuck Berry]

What’s up with these unnecessary long ass thread titles lately?

“Pros and cons of Sony owning FromSoft?”

Done

Dude felt the need to add parentheses and shit

 

[nial]

ALSO, the idea that Sony was never interested in a Bloodborne sequel rather than just From Software not wanting to make it is honestly, dumb, as they literally worked with them to make Déraciné afterwards. Fucking Déraciné (a masterpiece, btw) and not Bloodborne 2?

 

[Daneel Elijah]

You know what usually happens with a company that gets acquired ?
It falls apart rather sooner than later.

Miyazaki will leave after 1 year and starts a new company probably.

This. Biggest con I suppose. But the man is not all the company has to offer so maybe Sony will help the inevitable transition? But hopefully they will treat him like Kojima and give him freedom to give us a masterpiece.

 

[SplunkyMunkey]

This would be a great buy for sony and a complete counter of Microsoft purchase of Activision and Bethesda.

My reason is more fighting games which will be good for sonys Esports , alot more anime that Sony can possibly create which could be on all devices, alot more anime programs/films can reach onto many video streaming services as possible that can reach many devices as possible aka like xbox and many more possibilities.

 

[Desprado123]

Pros
Better graphics, better PC port quality and end of 60 fps lock.

Cons
PSN account, region lock and 1-2 year gap of PC launch.

 

[Zannegan]

Bloodborne II GaaS overseen by the same minds that greenlit Concord? Where do I sign?

Seriously though, sounds like a monkey's paw situation through and through.

 

[Fake]

Aloy in Elden Ring.

 

[Guardian Monkey]

If Sony pulls this off, this probably opens another round of acquisitions for MS....

 

[Alan Silvestro]

If it ever happened I don't think Sony would press for exclusivity on PS5 and PC. I would see it more as an MS/Activision style takeover, with titles too profitable to relegate to one platform. At most I'd see something related to Bloodborne as an exclusive, or some ‘cheaper’ title that could be digital-only.
The fear is that they'll start thinking about GAAS, MMORPGs and other crap, ruining the IPs. Either way, my guess is that the acquisition won't go through.