Sony Aims for 9000 Original IPs Annually with Kadokawa Investment

Backed by the Sony Group, Kadokawa has set an ambitious goal of achieving 9000 original IP publications annually. Discover how they plan to reach this target!

Kadokawa Aims High With 9000 IP Publications Annually

Sony Group Is Its Biggest Shareholder

With a significant investment from Sony and a 10% stake in the company, Kadokawa is now targeting an impressive 9000 original IP titles per year.

In an interview with the Japanese newspaper Nikkei (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun), Kadokawa President Takeshi Natsuno announced plans to boost their publishing output to 9,000 titles annually by fiscal year 2027. This goal represents a 1.5 times increase over their fiscal year 2023 output.

Image From Kadokawa’s Official Website

With Sony Group as its largest shareholder, Kadokawa is poised to expand internationally, leveraging Sony’s "global distribution infrastructure" to disseminate its IPs worldwide. Kadokawa is confident in achieving this target, with their medium-term management plan setting a milestone of 7,000 titles by fiscal year 2025.

Moreover, the Japanese multimedia conglomerate plans to expand its editorial team to around 1,000 members, a 1.4 times increase, to enhance efficiency and meet growth targets without overburdening staff.

More Titles, More Adaptations, Natsuno Says

As part of these changes, Kadokawa aims to enhance its offerings through a "media mix strategy" that will transform other IPs into anime and game adaptations. President Natsuno emphasized the importance of this approach, stating, "We want to create a system where pursuing variety and diversity in our works leads to major hits."

Sony, which owns the anime streaming platform Crunchyroll with over 15 million paid subscribers, stands to gain significantly from Kadokawa's market expansion. This partnership will facilitate the inclusion of more Kadokawa-owned IPs in Crunchyroll's anime lineup.

Kadokawa's IP library is rich and diverse, featuring titles like Bungo Stray Dogs, Oshi no Ko, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Delicious in Dungeon, and My Happy Marriage, among others. Their portfolio also includes renowned video game IPs such as Elden Ring, Dragon Quest (FromSoftware), the Danganronpa series (Spike Chunsoft), and Mario & Luigi Brotherhood (Acquire), developed by companies within the Kadokawa group.

Sony has previously expressed interest in the multimedia market, aiming to produce more live-action film and TV show adaptations, as well as co-producing and exporting anime adaptations overseas.