Kadokawa Merges with Acquire
During its earnings presentation, Kadokawa Corporation announced that it acquired Acquire, the studio that developed Octopath Traveler, Akiba, Tenchu, and Way of the Samurai.
In the presentation, Kadokawa called the move a step “[t]o strengthen the ability to create IP in games as part of our game business strategy,” as well as for “promoting the expansion of IP in games.”
“By acquiring the company, which has produced million-seller hit titles, we expect to generate synergies with our existing game related subsidiaries, strengthen our planning and development capabilities Groupwide, and enhance our lineup of console games,” it explained, plus that the deal also sets up potential collaborations across its companies and titles.
Founded in 1995, Acquire has developed a variety of original intellectual properties, including Octopath Traveler, published by Square Enix, Badman, Akiba, and Way of the Samurai.
Kadokawa itself is actually one of the world’s largest media companies, and it acquired FromSoftware from Transcomos in 2014 for a truly impressive list of IPs including Elden Ring and Armored Core.
Dwango was responsible for Doom, Warcraft 2, and Quake’s online services before merging; in Japan, NicoNicoDouga (which scrolls text across the screen) was responsible for video streaming.
Among the major Japanese media hits of Kadokawa Shoten are Neon Genesis Evangelion manga, Sgt. Frog manga, Cowboy Bebop manga, Code Geass manga, Haruhi Suzumiya light novels and manga, and Lollipop Chainsaw manga.