Sony Group Company has inked a strategic enterprise alliance with anime and gaming powerhouse Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., with the electronics and leisure conglomerate additionally buying a 2.5% stake within the firm for about JPY68 billion ($464 million).

The deal sees Sony buying 16 million Bandai Namco shares from current shareholders, positioning the partnership to capitalize on the booming international urge for food for Japanese mental property, significantly within the quickly increasing anime sector.

The 2 Japanese leisure titans plan to leverage their mixed strengths to broaden fan communities worldwide and create what they’re calling “new and emotionally shifting experiences” for audiences. The collaboration builds on the businesses’ current partnerships throughout video games, anime and music, however considerably broadens the scope of their joint efforts.

Underneath the alliance, Bandai Namco will faucet into Sony’s manufacturing and distribution muscle in anime and video content material, in addition to merchandising capabilities, to broaden works and providers based mostly on its IP portfolio. The businesses additionally plan joint improvement and promotion of anime and manga properties, together with technical collaboration on experiential leisure.

The partnership extends to creator assist initiatives, with plans for collectively developed leisure applied sciences and providers, plus potential co-investments and enterprise alliances targeted on fan engagement.

“The Bandai Namco Group promotes an IP axis technique that goals to maximise IP worth by leveraging the attraction and worldview of IP, offering the optimum services and products on the optimum timing within the optimum areas,” stated Momoi Nobuhiko, government vp of Bandai Namco Holdings. “We’re stuffed with pleasure concerning the potential to create new leisure by combining Sony Group’s strengths and technological capabilities throughout varied leisure fields with Bandai Namco’s IP axis technique.”

For Sony, the deal aligns with its broader Inventive Leisure Imaginative and prescient technique targeted on maximizing IP worth throughout its leisure ecosystem. The corporate sees Bandai Namco’s “excellent capability for multidirectional growth of various IP and deep connections with followers at actual touchpoints” as key to increasing its international attain, in line with Mitomo Toshimoto, Sony’s chief technique officer and consultant company government officer.

“By means of this partnership, we goal to co-create an array of content material and experiences that exceed expectations and ship Kando (emotion) to much more followers,” stated Mitomo.