Now backed by the Sony Group, Kadokawa is setting ambitious goals to achieve 9000 original IP publications per year. Discover how they plan to reach these heights!

Kadokawa Aims High With 9000 IP Publications Annually

Sony Group Is Its Biggest Shareholder

With Sony's significant investment and acquisition of a 10% stake, Kadokawa is setting its sights on publishing 9000 original IP titles annually.

In a recent 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 by the fiscal year 2027. This ambitious target represents a 1.5-fold increase from their output in the fiscal year 2023.

Image From Kadokawa’s Official Website

With Sony Group now its largest shareholder, Kadokawa is poised to expand its reach internationally, leveraging Sony's "global distribution infrastructure" to distribute its IPs worldwide. Kadokawa is confident in reaching this target, outlining in its medium-term management plan that it aims to achieve 7,000 titles by the fiscal year 2025.

Moreover, the Japanese multimedia conglomerate plans to bolster its workforce by recruiting more editorial staff, aiming to increase this to around 1,000 employees—a 1.4 times increase. This move is designed to enhance efficiency and support growth without overburdening the current team.

More Titles, More Adaptations, Natsuno Says

As part of these expansive changes, Kadokawa is set to enhance its offerings through a "media mix strategy," aiming to transform its other 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."

Sony stands to gain significantly from Kadokawa’s market expansion, given its ownership of the anime streaming platform Crunchyroll, which serves over 15 million paid subscribers. This partnership will enable more Kadokawa-owned IPs to be featured on Crunchyroll's extensive anime catalog.

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

Sony has also expressed interest in expanding into the multimedia market, aiming to produce more live-action film and TV show adaptations, co-produce anime, and handle overseas distribution.