Sony Aims for 9000 Original IPs Annually with Kadokawa Investment

Discover how Kadokawa, now backed by the Sony Group, plans to achieve an ambitious target of 9000 original IP publications per year.

Kadokawa Aims High With 9000 IP Publications Annually

Sony Group Is Its Biggest Shareholder

With a significant investment from Sony, which now holds a 10% stake, Kadokawa has set a bold target to publish 9000 original IP titles annually. In an interview with the Japanese newspaper Nikkei (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun), Kadokawa's President, Takeshi Natsuno, outlined plans to ramp up their publishing output to 9,000 titles by the fiscal year 2027. This ambitious goal represents a 1.5 times increase over their output in fiscal year 2023.

Image From Kadokawa’s Official Website

Leveraging Sony's global distribution infrastructure, Kadokawa aims to expand its reach overseas. The company is confident in reaching this target, with its medium-term management plan projecting 7,000 titles by fiscal 2025. To support this expansion, Kadokawa plans to increase its editorial staff to around 1,000, a 1.4 times increase, to enhance efficiency and meet growth targets without overburdening existing staff.

More Titles, More Adaptations, Natsuno Says

Kadokawa is also set to enhance its offerings through a "media mix strategy," which includes bringing more of its IPs to life through anime and game adaptations. President Natsuno emphasized, "We want to create a system where pursuing variety and diversity in our works leads to major hits." This strategy not only benefits Kadokawa but also Sony, which owns Crunchyroll, an anime streaming service with over 15 million paid subscribers. The partnership will enable more Kadokawa-owned IPs to be featured on Crunchyroll.

Kadokawa's IP portfolio is diverse, including acclaimed titles like Bungo Stray Dogs, Oshi no Ko, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Delicious in Dungeon, and My Happy Marriage. Their video game IPs are equally impressive, featuring hits like Elden Ring, Dragon Quest (FromSoftware), the Danganronpa series (Spike Chunsoft), and Mario & Luigi Brotherhood (Acquire), all developed by companies within the Kadokawa group.

Sony's broader interest in the multimedia market includes producing live-action film and TV show adaptations, as well as co-producing and exporting anime adaptations, aligning perfectly with Kadokawa's expansion plans.