Bandai Namco and Sony Sign Strategic Partnership
Promoting collaboration aimed at strengthening engagement among anime and manga fans and creating new and emotionally moving experiencesBandai Namco Holdings Inc. ("Bandai Namco") and Sony Group Corporation ("Sony") today announced the signing of a strategic business alliance agreement. Sony also agreed with existing shareholders of Bandai Namco to acquire 16 million Bandai Namco shares held by those shareholders for approximately 68 billion yen. With the acquisition of these shares, Sony will become a shareholder holding approximately 2.5% of the total issued shares of Bandai Namco.
Through this business alliance and Sony's investment in Bandai Namco, as two of the leading Japanese entertainment companies, Bandai Namco and Sony will focus on expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world and strengthening engagement, particularly in the anime field where rapid market growth is anticipated, while merging their strengths to create new and emotionally moving experiences for fans, and as a result of these efforts maximize the value of IP.
Bandai Namco and Sony have historically collaborated on various projects in the fields such as games, anime and music, and they plan to extend this collaboration to a broader range of areas. The two companies intend to implement initiatives including the expansion of works as well as products and services based on IP developed by Bandai Namco, leveraging Sony's strengths in areas such as the production and distribution of anime and other video content, as well as merchandising. They also plan to engage in detailed discussions regarding the joint development and promotion of IP such as anime and manga, in addition to planning and technical collaboration on experiential entertainment. Furthermore, the two companies plan to explore opportunities to support creators by jointly developing and operating entertainment-related technologies and services, and to engage in joint investments and business alliances in fan engagement areas.