Kadokawa ownership shakeup
Oasis Management has overtaken Sony as Kadokawa’s largest shareholder with an 11.85% stake, nudging Sony down to roughly 10% — a shift that could reshape FromSoftware’s corporate backdrop ( ). Industry watchers say shareholder changes like this can influence future project financing and partnerships for studios behind Elder Scrolls-sized hits (tech4gamers.com).
Regulatory filings show a stepped entry by Oasis in mid‑March: a large‑shareholding report filed Mar. 19 recorded 8.86%, an amended report filed Mar. 24 recorded 10.03% (as of Mar. 16), and a change report received Mar. 26 recorded an 11.85% holding with a reporting obligation date of Mar. 18. (KADOKAWA TDnet notice; Kabutan/Matsui). Oasis’s disclosed share counts rose alongside those filings — 13,197,300 shares (8.89%) reported as of Mar. 12, 14,893,100 shares (10.03%) reported as of Mar. 16, and later filings put its holding at about 17,655,800 shares (≈11.89%). (KADOKAWA TDnet; FilingReader/JapanIR). The company listed in the filings is Oasis Management Company Ltd., registered at Ugland House, Grand Cayman, with Phillip Meyer named as representative and “asset management for clients or funds” given as its main business. (KADOKAWA TDnet). Oasis’s filings explicitly described the purpose of its purchases as “portfolio investment” and “important proposal activities,” language commonly used by activist investors and noted in coverage of the stake increase. (Automaton; AInvest). One financial summary published alongside coverage put the total funds used by Oasis for the Kadokawa purchases at roughly ¥53.6 billion (about $336 million). (BigGo Finance). By comparison, Sony’s strategic capital alliance with Kadokawa in January 2025 involved a third‑party allotment of 12,054,110 new shares for approximately ¥50 billion. (Sony press release). KADOKAWA’s disclosure notes its total number of voting rights used in the percentage calculations is 1,484,474 (derived from 148,990,296 issued shares as of Sept. 30, 2025), a basis cited in the company’s Mar. 25 notice on the change in major shareholders. (KADOKAWA TDnet).
