Elden Ring developer FromSoftware could be used to assist in the development of games based on manga and anime.
FromSoftware’s parent company is the Kadokawa Corporation, a huge Japanese firm with several entertainment brands under its umbrella, including magazines that publish Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and other manga.
Kadokawa’s latest financial earnings, as spotted by ResetEra user Nightengale, revealed the corporation is planning to adapt some of its manga and anime into video games, with FromSoftware listed as one of the “game adaptation resources” it may use, alongside Spike Chunsoft (Jump Force) and Gotcha Gotcha Games (RPG Maker).
It’s unlikely the developer would be given an adaptation as its main project, however, given the success of Elden Ring and its other original IPs including Dark Souls and Bloodborne.
It’s also unclear which manga or anime franchises the Kadokawa Corporation is considering, but it said it’s looking to “create the next big hit from original works that are suited to a video game adaptation”.
There are certainly plenty options to choose from as the Kadokawa Corporation is truly massive, with several layers and branches of other companies underneath it.
The Neon Genesis Evangelion manga series, for example, was part of the Monthly Shonen Ace magazine, owned by Kadokawa Shoten, which in turn is owned by Kadokawa Future Publishing, whose parent company is finally the Kadokawa Corporation.
Its anime divisions are just as far reaching, as Kadokawa has ties to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Sword Art Online, Angel Beats, and many more.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.