Sony Music to Become GungHo's Largest Shareholder
The alliance places Sony Music as GungHo's largest shareholder and pairs Puzzle & Dragons with Sony Music Group's broader entertainment IP for joint game development.
Reporting from 1 source: Denfaminicogamer.
Sony Music Entertainment and GungHo Online Entertainment announced a capital and business alliance on August 28. SME will acquire all 12,006,500 common shares held by SON Financial LLC, GungHo's current largest shareholder, at 2,385 yen per share for about 28.6 billion yen. The transfer, scheduled for December 30, 2026, gives SME a 23.29% voting rights stake, making it GungHo's largest shareholder. The companies plan to combine GungHo's game development with Sony Music Group's entertainment expertise.
Sony Music Entertainment will buy all 12,006,500 GungHo shares held by SON Financial LLC, the current largest shareholder, through off-market transactions at 2,385 yen per share. The deal totals 28,635,502,500 yen and covers 22.93% of GungHo's issued shares. Completion is set for December 30, 2026, pending Fair Trade Commission notification. SME's voting rights will reach 23.29%, making it GungHo's largest shareholder, and Sony Group will become an other related company. The two companies intend to develop smartphone, console, and PC games combining GungHo's IP, including Puzzle & Dragons, with Sony Music Group's entertainment knowledge. SME said it will respect GungHo's management independence while it remains listed.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.