Kadokawa's Bold Move: Acquiring Chiptune Animation Studio!
Discover the latest additions to our creative family, featuring industry leaders like Doga Kobo and Kinema Citrus, and what this means for our projects!
Kadokawa Expands Portfolio with Acquisition of Chiptune
Kadokawa has made headlines this week with the announcement of its acquisition of Chiptune, a studio renowned for its expertise in CG animation and compositing. This strategic move is part of Kadokawa's ongoing efforts to enhance its diverse portfolio of intellectual properties (IPs).
© Kadokawa
A Strategic Acquisition
On Monday, Kadokawa officially welcomed Chiptune as a subsidiary. This acquisition aligns with Kadokawa's three-year management plan aimed at boosting production capabilities across various media formats.
About Chiptune
Founded in August 2012 as 8-Bit Rocket, Chiptune specializes in:
- Background art
- Coloring
- Special effects
- Editing
- Compositing and CG
The studio is involved in approximately 10 productions each year, contributing to popular titles such as:
- BLUELOCK
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- Nina the Starry Bride
- Saga of Tanya the Evil
- Suzume
Recent Developments at Kadokawa
This acquisition follows Kadokawa's purchase of Dōga Kōbō in July, further expanding its anime studio roster, which now includes:
- Dōga Kōbō
- ENGI
- Studio KADAN
- Raging Bull
- Chiptune
- BELLNOX FILMS
Additionally, Kadokawa collaborates with affiliated companies like Kinema Citrus and Studio Chizu.
Partnership with Sony
In a significant development, Sony has become Kadokawa's largest shareholder, holding approximately 10% of its shares as of January 7. The two companies are set to explore collaborative initiatives, including:
- Adapting Kadokawa's IP into live-action films and TV dramas globally
- Co-producing anime works
- Expanding global distribution of Kadokawa's anime through the Sony Group
- Enhancing the publishing of Kadokawa's games
- Developing human resources for virtual production
Future Plans
Kadokawa has announced plans to allocate 20 billion yen from January 2025 to March 2030 for creating, developing, and acquiring new IPs. An additional 29.7 billion yen will be used for enhancing global IP distribution.
Source: Kadokawa Group
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Some companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.