Sony Music Entertainment is set to become a major shareholder in Japanese publisher GungHo Online Entertainment through a deal worth approximately $180 million, with plans to explore new smartphone and console games that make use of Sony Music's intellectual property. Notably, Sony's PlayStation division is not part of this arrangement, highlighting the continued lack of coordination between different Sony business units, despite the company's broader efforts in recent years to align its various divisions more closely.

GungHo, best known for the mobile hit Puzzle & Dragons, has also published console titles such as Let It Die on PS4 and its sequel Let It Die: Inferno on PS5, as well as Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter in North America. The deal remains subject to regulatory approval, with both parties expecting it to close by 30th December 2026. The move echoes similar quirks within Sony's structure, such as Sony Music subsidiary Aniplex supporting Nintendo Switch releases while overlooking PlayStation.