Sony links anime studios, Crunchyroll, and PlayStation to grow anime

In short: Sony is building a connected anime business that ties together making shows, streaming them on Crunchyroll, and reaching fans through PlayStation.

What's going on

Sony is trying to treat anime less like a single product and more like a full chain, from creating a story to distributing it worldwide, and then keeping fans engaged through communities and games. Think of it like building a “connected route” where the same show can lead you to a movie, a game, and a streaming subscription.

This strategy relies on two main Sony businesses. Aniplex helps develop and produce anime titles. Crunchyroll distributes anime globally, and it reported more than 21 million paid subscribers at the end of March 2026.

Sony has pointed to the international success of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, produced by Aniplex and partners, as proof that anime can travel well outside Japan. It is also expanding what it develops. In October 2026, Sony announced Crunchyroll Storyworks, a unit meant to develop anime from stories around the world and explore live-action versions of Japanese anime with Japanese creators.

Sony is also planning a dedicated anime space on PlayStation 5. It would bring anime viewing, anime-inspired games, and Crunchyroll access into one place, and it is scheduled to launch in spring 2027.

What to watch

Growth brings problems. The anime industry needs more production capacity, stronger protection for creators’ intellectual property (who owns the characters and stories), and ways to compete as more international companies enter the market.

AI adds another pressure point. Sony says it wants AI to support, not replace, artists, and it has tested generative AI (tools that can create images or video from prompts) to speed up video work. The big question is whether anime can scale up while creators keep real control and fair value.

Source: NYTimes