Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced the launch of a new division called Crunchyroll Storyworks, aimed at sourcing and developing projects — including anime originals and live-action adaptations — for potential greenlighting through HAYATE Inc., the newly established anime production joint venture between Aniplex and Crunchyroll.
About HAYATE Inc.
HAYATE Inc. was founded in March 2025 and is headquartered in Tokyo. Masanori Miyake of Aniplex serves as Chairman and CEO, while Leo Watanabe holds the role of President and COO. The company’s staff is drawn from both Aniplex and Crunchyroll, and its focus is squarely on planning, developing, and producing anime content for Crunchyroll’s global streaming platform.
In April, HAYATE expanded its footprint by acquiring all shares of anime studio Lay-duce, bringing it on as a wholly owned subsidiary.
Recent Crunchyroll Changes
Crunchyroll has made several notable changes to its service recently. The platform raised subscription prices across all tiers in the United States in February, and it discontinued its free ad-supported streaming tier last December.
Corporate Structure
Crunchyroll operates as an independently run joint venture between U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex. Both companies are ultimately subsidiaries of Tokyo-headquartered Sony Group, with Aniplex falling under Sony Music Entertainment Japan.
Sony’s Funimation Global Group completed its acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T on August 9, 2021, for US$1.175 billion in cash — a deal first announced in December 2020. Funimation’s home video catalog has since been consolidated under the Crunchyroll brand.
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