Sony’s potential purchase of Dark Souls developer may change the Japanese tabletop industry

Sony is looking to purchase Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa, according to two anonymous sources who spoke with Reuters. This acquisition could have major implications across industries, as Kadokawa owns publishers in print media, anime, and gaming. It may create stronger international opportunities for tabletop designers impacted by potential U.S. tariffs and the EU’s soon-to-be-implemented general product safety regulations. However, with a few years of big name acquisitions and mergers that have led to unprecedented layoffs across the gaming sector, and Kadokawa’s recent history of scandals of its own, it’s unclear what impact the potential purchase may have on the up-and-coming Japanese tabletop industry. 

The acquisition comes after the increasing popularity of analog gaming of all kinds in Japan. While tabletop might be only a fraction of what Kadokawa has to offer, according to a report by the Tokyo-based Yano Research institute, the Japanese domestic market for tabletop games and card games doubled from 54 billion yen (approximately $382 million) in 2018 to 115 billion yen ($814 million) in 2022, with that number only projected to increase in the years since. Tabletop games of Kadokawa’s intellectual properties like Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne each crowdfunded at least $3 million. These campaigns, run by Steamforged Games and CMON respectively, highlight the buying power of the international tabletop ecosystem — especially when paired with popular IPs. This rapid growth also inspired Kadokawa’s recent acquisition of Arclight, one of the biggest players in Japan’s tabletop industry. 

Arclight, which launched in 1998, was initially created to organize the Japan Game Convention and has been publishing tabletop games since 1999. After opening its first retail store in 2003, it began importing international games and localizing them for a Japanese market. In 2010, Arclight took over management of the triannual Game Market, another large analog gaming convention, which had previously been operated by an all-volunteer team. 

In April 2024, Arclight announced it had been acquired by Kadokawa — a company which, two years prior, saw its founder’s son step down as chairman after a bribery indictment connected to the Tokyo Olympics. In Kadokawa’s announcement, Arclight president and CEO Kosuke Fukumoto said for the analog games industry to continue its trajectory of growth, “it is necessary to expand overseas and link with IP,” and that Kadokawa had the capabilities to enable that growth. In the same announcement, Kadokawa chief publishing officer cited Kadokawa’s long history of publishing analog games, invoking their release of Sword World in 1989 and the Japanese tradition of light novels, which stem from early RPG replays. Kadokawa believed that the acquisition would have a minor impact on Arclight, and that its “business operations will remain unchanged even after this share transfer.”

Two months later, Kadokawa was hit by a ransomware cyberattack that leaked a quarter of a million people’s data. The Russian-linked hacker collective BlackSuit claimed responsibility for the attack. With only seven months between the initial purchase and potential sale, mired down by the attack, it’s unclear how consistent those business operations can stay if Sony does follow through with this acquisition. From one perspective, the influx of capital and resources could be a boon to the nascent industry as it develops ties outside of the U.S.-dominated tabletop industry by focusing on developing popular IPs. From another, more cautious one, the secondary acquisition of Arclight by a major media conglomerate could conflict with the company’s stated objectives. “Rather than simply pursuing product sales and profits,” a translated version of Arclight’s website says, “we aim to expand our business performance by ‘expanding human communication,’ and thereby contribute to the profits of not only our company but also society.” 

source https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/481764/sony-acquisition-kadokawa-japanese-tabletop-industry-ttrpg