After the various reports that emerged last winter, it is now official: Crunchyroll was officially bought by Sony. Funimation confirmed the acquisition of the popular anime streaming platform just this morning, when it was finalized the definitive agreement between the two companies for 1.175 billion dollars. This is a big milestone for Sony as Crunchyroll has around 120 million total users.
Sony acquires Crunchyroll: it’s official
Although the acquisition of the platform is now official, it is not yet clear what Sony’s plans are in this regard, which for now has remained vague with respect to the animated productions that we will see born from this purchase. According to what was declared by Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Japanese giant’s goal would be to create a 360-degree anime streaming platform.
“We have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before – said Vinciquerra – bringing the anime experience to whatever platform they choose, including cinema, events, home entertainment, games, streaming and pure and simple TV. “.
A rather generic statement, which leaves a lot of room for the imagination and does not reveal more than necessary. In this sense it is very likely that the Crunchyroll and Funimation catalogs are set to merge in the near future, although it is currently unclear to what extent.
“Anime is a medium in constant and rapid growth capable of arousing emotions in audiences around the globe,” he explained Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony – Having Crunchyroll and Funimation on our side will allow us to get even closer to creators and fans at the heart of the anime community. We look forward to bringing more exciting entertainment to the world. ”
Are there also some anime dedicated to Sony exclusive video games? We will find out very soon.