In Elden Ring, the biggest gaming hit from Japanese publisher and Sony Group acquisition target Kadokawa, players die over and over again — with the goal being to learn from past failures to overcome new obstacles. Sony must also do the same.
On Wednesday, Kadokawa confirmed reports of Sony’s interest. Outside Japan, the firm is best known as the majority owner of FromSoftware, the company that makes Elden Ring. Developed in a tie-up with "Game of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin, it swept the gaming industry’s equivalent of the Oscars after its 2022 release. Elden Ring has sold 25 million copies, making it one of the biggest-selling of all time. It’s so popular that a mere expansion has itself somewhat controversially made the shortlist for 2024’s game of the year.
Together with its spiritual predecessors, Elden Ring is a phenomenon that has become its own genre, known as Soulslikes. Punishingly difficult, the games force players to die repeatedly to study how to defeat their enemies, with their patience rewarded in turn.
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