FromSoftware parent company Kadokawa announces acquisition of Octopath Traveler co-developer Acquire
Japanese game developer and publisher Acquire, which is arguably best known for co-developing Square Enix’s 2D-HD role-playing games Octopath Traveler and its sequel, Octopath Traveler 2, has been acquired as a “wholly owned subsidiary” by Kadokawa Corporation.
Kadokawa is an enormous Japanese media conglomerate that owns numerous subsidiaries, including media and telecommunications company Dwango (which in itself owns Spike Chunsoft), and Dark Souls developer FromSoftware. The conglomerate announced its acquisition of Acquire in its latest earnings results, which were published today (February 8).
“We have multiple game titles in the development pipeline, both for consoles and mobile platforms,” Kadokawa wrote in the ‘future outlook’ section of its gaming segment. “To further strengthen the ability to create IP in games, we have made Acquire Corp. into a wholly owned subsidiary.”
It continued: “By acquiring the company, which has produced million-seller hit titles, we expect to generate synergies with our existing game related subsidiaries, strengthen our planning and development capabilities Groupwide, and enhance our lineup of console games.”
Furthermore, in a diagram showing Acquire lined up alongside Kadokawa, FromSoftware, and Spike Chunsoft, the earnings report added that the acquisition will “promote collaboration with FromSoftware and Spike Chunsoft, with whom Acquire had a cooperative relationship,” and ultimately “seek lineup expansion, including [the] redevelopment of past works.”
Octopath Traveler 2 released last year on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and was certainly one of the best RPGs of the year. Here at TechRadar Gaming, Cat Bussell gave the game three and a half stars out of five, and praised its gorgeous visuals, soundtrack, and memorable characters. However, she criticized the story, which she said felt “disjointed and jarring.”
Looking for more excellent games to play? Look no further than our lists of the best PC games, best PS5 games, and best Xbox Series X games for some top recommendations.
