Sony Music Entertainment is becoming a major shareholder in Japanese publisher GungHo Online Entertainment through a deal worth approximately $180 million, with the two companies planning to explore smartphone and console games built around Sony Music’s intellectual property, according to Push Square. Notably, the PlayStation division has no part in the arrangement. The transaction still needs regulatory sign-off, with both companies targeting a close by 30th December, 2026.
Here’s the context: Sony Music subsidiary Aniplex has supported Switch rather than PlayStation, while GungHo has a PlayStation history of its own. The publisher released Let It Die on PS4, its successor Let It Die: Inferno on PS5, and Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter in North America. GungHo also makes games including Puzzle & Dragons. That history does not change the stated position that PlayStation is not involved in the new Sony Music arrangement.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is another example of the separation between Sony subsidiaries and PlayStation. The tactics RPG earned rave reviews on Switch and has no plans for a PS5 port, despite being published by a Sony subsidiary. The GungHo deal similarly places Sony’s music business, rather than its PlayStation division, at the centre of the arrangement.
The interesting part of this deal is not only the dollar figure, but the Sony division making the investment. Sony Music is taking a major stake in GungHo to explore smartphone and console projects using its intellectual property, while PlayStation is explicitly outside the arrangement. It is a reminder that Sony Group’s entertainment businesses can pursue game-related initiatives separately from the console division.
The relevant numbers, so far as the deal is confirmed:
- Investment size – approximately $180 million
- Project formats under exploration – smartphone and console games
- Sony division involved – Sony Music Entertainment; PlayStation is not involved
- Relevant GungHo titles – Puzzle & Dragons, Let It Die, Let It Die: Inferno, and Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter in North America
- Expected close – by 30th December, 2026, pending regulatory approval
The announcement describes the partnership in broad terms: Sony Music and GungHo will explore opportunities involving smartphone and console games that leverage Sony Music intellectual property. The companies expect the transaction to close by 30th December, 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
What to watch: regulatory approval and the expected 30th December, 2026 closing date are the next stated milestones for the transaction. The deal puts Sony Music, rather than PlayStation, behind a significant new investment in GungHo.
