KADOKAWA to Merge Five Anime Studios into New Studio One Base
The consolidation puts five studios under one company and one roof in Ikebukuro, a structure KADOKAWA says addresses the industry's talent shortage and rising costs while preserving each studio's brand and creative identity.
Key Facts
- KADOKAWA announced on September 8, 2026 that it will merge five anime production studios, ENGI, Studio KADAN, Chiptune, Bellnox Films, and Raging Bull, into a new company called Studio One Base.
- Studio One Base will be established in November 2026 as a wholly owned subsidiary of KADOKAWA, with approximately 310 employees.
- Takeshi Kikuchi will serve as president and representative director of Studio One Base.
- KADOKAWA's group anime studios have produced a combined 48 works and 486 episodes since 2018.
- The Studio One Base facility inside Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo is scheduled to open in September 2026.
Reporting from 3 sources: KAI-YOU, Denfaminicogamer, Anime Corner.
KADOKAWA announced on September 8 that it will consolidate five of its anime production subsidiaries into a new company, Studio One Base, scheduled to be established in November 2026. The five studios are ENGI, Studio KADAN, Chiptune, Bellnox Films, and Raging Bull. The new company will be a wholly owned subsidiary of KADOKAWA, headquartered at the new anime production hub inside Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, which also carries the Studio One Base name and is scheduled to open in September 2026. The consolidation is the third phase of KADOKAWA's initiative "Create the people who create. Create the place to create." The company cites industry-wide challenges including talent shortages and rising production costs as the background for the move. Management and back-office functions will be centralized, while each studio's name, branding, and production lines will be maintained. KADOKAWA says its group anime studios have produced a combined 48 works and 486 episodes since 2018. Takeshi Kikuchi will serve as president of the new company, which is expected to have approximately 310 employees.
Studio One Base is both the new company name and the name of the production facility inside Sunshine City, which KADOKAWA first announced in March 2026. The five studios were already slated to move into that facility. The merger is the third phase of KADOKAWA's production reform initiative, following the facility announcement and the establishment of KADOKAWA Creators, a training-focused studio that hires young staff as employees.
KADOKAWA CEO Takeshi Natsuno said earlier this year that there were too many anime and publishing companies, and that unifying back offices would let creators focus on their work. The group also owns Doga Kobo, the studio behind Oshi no Ko, and holds a 31.8 percent stake in Kinema Citrus. Chief Anime Officer Sho Tanaka said the company aims to build a sustainable production foundation as global demand for anime grows, while preserving each studio's identity. The new structure is meant to combine the five studios' capabilities across animation, 3DCG, photography, and art production, with teams working from a single site to encourage knowledge sharing and training for younger creators.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.