KADOKAWA To Fold Five Anime Studios Into Studio One Base In November 2026
KADOKAWA is consolidating the back office of five studios while keeping their trade names and production lines, a structure meant to address talent shortages and rising production costs without folding the studios into one brand.
Reporting from 1 source: GameBusiness.jp.
KADOKAWA will integrate five anime production studios, ENGI, Studio KADAN, Chiptune, Bellnox Films, and Raging Bull, into a new company called Studio One Base Co., Ltd. in November 2026. The new company will be based in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, with Tsuyoshi Kikuchi as representative director and president. About 310 employees will move over, and KADOKAWA will hold 100% of the capital.
The five studios keep their trade names and production lines. What changes is the back office: administrative departments come under one company, and KADOKAWA says creator compensation and working environments will be addressed at that level. Staff are due to gather at the Ikebukuro Sunshine City base in September 2026, with cross-studio personnel exchange and shared technology planned. KADOKAWA will supply all the capital. The company expects the effect on consolidated financial results to be minor.
- ENGI
- Studio KADAN
- Chiptune
- Bellnox Films
- Raging Bull
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- GameBusiness.jp KADOKAWA、アニメ制作スタジオ5社を統合―新会社「Studio One Base」を2026年11月設立