Kadokawa Corporation announces that the company has successfully acquired ACQUIRE, the developers of Octopath Traveler, Akiba’s Trip, Tenchu, and many other games. The acquisition will strengthen Kadokawa’s games strategy and output, including collaborative efforts with FromSoftware and Spike Chunsoft.
ACQUIRE’s latest game is C.A.R.D.S RPG: The Misty Battlefield, a card-based roguelike strategy game coming to PC this May. The company was also looking to push its status as an independent publisher with various releases for PC and consoles. This initiative will likely continue in a similar fashion under the massive Kadokawa umbrella.
ACQUIRE is Acquired by Kadokawa Corporation
The acquisition of Acquire means its is now a sister company that will operate alongside FromSoftware and Spike Chunsoft. Kadokawa plans to strengthen its ability to create new IP in games and leverage collaborative efforts between the three studios. The company specifically cites the “redevelopment of past works” and creation of games using IPs from anime as well. By creating these new games, Kadokawa plans to grow its profitability over time.
“To strengthen the ability to create IP in games as part of our game business strategy, we have made ACQUIRE Corp. into a wholly owned subsidiary,” Kadokawa said in its earnings results for the quarter ending December 31, 2023. “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.”
ACQUIRE was founded in 1994, and the company develops and markets original game titles for home consoles. The studio also assists in contracted development of titles published by other developers and publishers. Its games are focused on the RPG and action genres, and has the planning and development capabilities to produce million-selling titles. These million-selling titles include Octopath Traveler and Tenchu.
