Kadokawa Corporation has finished an acquisition deal with Octopath Traveler studio ACQUIRE in a somewhat ironic twist regarding naming conventions.

The acquisition is stated to allow Kadokawa to create new IPs and enhance its current lineup of games. The move will also make ACQUIRE a subsidiary of Kadokawa.

The ACQUIRE acquisition deal was detailed in Kadokawa Corporation’s earnings results, ending on December 31, 2023. According to the report, the acquisition aims “to strengthen the ability to create IP in games as part of our game business strategy.”

With this, ACQUIRE has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa. “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,” the report further reads.

As stated before, ACQUIRE is the studio responsible for the Octopath Traveler series. Founded in 1994, the company has become renowned for multiple titles that have become cult hits on the home console market.

Its most known series are the Octopath Traveler and the longstanding Tenchu series, which has followed the company’s growth since 1998. Another of ACQUIRE’s well-known series is Way of the Samurai, a series about Samurai combat with a branching storyline and multiple weapons.

Now, ACQUIRE is set to join the likes of FromSoftware and Spike Chunsoft as one of Kadokawa Corporation’s subsidiaries.

The brand merger will also promote further collaborations between FromSoft and Spike Chunsoft, with whom ACQUIRE had a cooperative relationship—as such, expecting more game titles made as a group collaboration might be worthwhile.

Perhaps this could mean a significant step into the future for the Octopath Traveler series or further strengthen the development of other titles from other publishers. Regardless of the outcome, you can expect us to report on the results of this brand merger as the story develops.