Aniplex, Crunchyroll Establish Anime Production Joint Venture Hayate

Aniplex Inc and Crunchyroll are jointly investing in and establishing an anime production joint venture, Hayate, which will be involved in developing and producing anime content for Crunchyroll’s global streaming service. 

Crunchyroll and Aniplex are both companies under the Sony Group umbrella. Aniplex is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), while Crunchyroll is an independently operated joint venture between US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex.

The new joint venture, Hayate, will be headed by Chairman and CEO Masanori Miyake and President and COO Leo Watanabe, both from Aniplex, while the staff will comprise employees of both Aniplex and Crunchyroll. 

Anime’s popularity is increasing worldwide, bringing in an estimated $5.5BN in in 2023 for streaming services globally, according to Parrot Analytics. 

Hayate will produce premium content for anime fans worldwide using Aniplex’s production expertise, cultivated through its partnerships with a wide range of creators and studios, as well as Crunchyroll’s development, marketing and distribution capabilities.

Aniplex owns anime production companies A-1 Pictures Inc and CloverWorks Inc, as well as games production company Lasengle Inc, which produces game titles such as Fate/Grand Order. On the distribution front, US-based distributor Aniplex of America focuses on English-speaking regions, and North and South American markets, while Aniplex (Shanghai) focuses on licensing, product development and IP development for anime in China.