With the backing of the Sony Group, Kadokawa has set an ambitious target of publishing 9000 original IP titles annually. Dive into their strategy and how they plan to achieve this impressive goal!
Kadokawa Aims High With 9000 IP Publications Annually
Sony Group Is Its Biggest Shareholder
Following a significant investment from Sony, which now holds a 10% stake, Kadokawa is setting its sights on producing 9000 original IP titles each year.
In an interview with the Japanese newspaper Nikkei (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun), Kadokawa President Takeshi Natsuno announced plans to ramp up their publishing output to 9,000 titles annually by the fiscal year 2027. This target represents a 1.5-fold 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 distribute its IPs worldwide. The company is confident in reaching this goal, as outlined in its medium-term management plan, aiming for 7,000 titles by fiscal year 2025.
To support this expansion, Kadokawa plans to increase its editorial staff to around 1,000, a 1.4 times increase, ensuring efficiency and sustainable growth without overburdening its workforce.
More Titles, More Adaptations, Natsuno Says
As part of these new initiatives, Kadokawa is set to enhance its offerings through a "media mix strategy," expanding its IPs into 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 partnership with Sony also benefits the latter, particularly through its ownership of the anime streaming platform Crunchyroll, which serves over 15 million paid subscribers. This collaboration will facilitate the addition of more Kadokawa-owned IPs to Crunchyroll's anime catalog.
Kadokawa's extensive IP library includes popular titles such as Bungo Stray Dogs, Oshi no Ko, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Delicious in Dungeon, and My Happy Marriage. The company also boasts notable video game IPs like Elden Ring, Dragon Quest (FromSoftware), the Danganronpa series (Spike Chunsoft), and Mario & Luigi Brotherhood (Acquire), developed by studios within the Kadokawa group.
Sony has expressed interest in expanding into the multimedia market, aiming to produce more live-action film and TV show adaptations, co-produce anime adaptations, and handle their overseas distribution.
