Is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Now Owned by Xbox?

Is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice now a property that is owned by Xbox? This is a common question that a number of fans have been asking today in light of Microsoft purchasing Activision Blizzard. For those that potentially forgot, Activision was actually the publisher of Sekiro when FromSoftware released the title back in 2019. And while more often than not, the publisher of a given title is the one that also owns said property, that doesn't ring true here with Sekiro. 

When looking at the trademark listing for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the game's license holder is actually that of FromSoftware rather than Activision. This is a rare instance in which Activision merely published Sekiro, but in doing so, it didn't pick up the rights to the property. The reason for this isn't really known, but there's a good chance that this caveat was one that FromSoftware specifically made when looking for a publishing partner for the title. 

What's unique about this situation with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is that the same thing doesn't ring true when looking at FromSoftware's other releases over the past decade. Demon's Souls and Bloodborne, for instance, are both owned by PlayStation. The Dark Souls trilogy and next month's release of Elden Ring are also owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment, which is the publishing entity behind these titles. Essentially, Sekiro is a one-off instance where FromSoftware retained the rights to its own creation. So to answer the question stated at the top, no, Xbox didn't end up becoming the new property holder of Sekiro by proxy of today's new deal. Instead, the future of the property remains entirely in the hands of FromSoftware, which is probably a good thing overall. 

Are you glad to see that Sekiro is still an IP that is owned by FromSoftware, or do you wish that it would have been snatched by Xbox in this Activision acquisition? Let me know your own thoughts either down in the comments or hit me up on Twitter at @MooreMan12. 

[H/T GameSpot]