Studio One Base is KADOKAWA's new anime production hub and company, scheduled to open this autumn and to be established as a wholly owned subsidiary in November 2026. It gathers five group studios (ENGI, Studio KADAN, Chiptune, Bellnox Films, Raging Bull) under one roof in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
KADOKAWA's plan for Studio One Base took shape across three September announcements. On September 8, the company said it would consolidate five anime production subsidiaries (ENGI, Studio KADAN, Chiptune, Bellnox Films, and Raging Bull) into a new wholly owned company in November 2026. The hub itself was scheduled to open in September 2026 inside Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, and would carry the Studio One Base name. KADOKAWA cited industry-wide talent shortages and rising production costs, and said the move was the third phase of its initiative "Create the people who create. Create the place to create." Management and back-office functions would be centralized while each studio's name, branding, and production lines were maintained.
On September 12, KADOKAWA confirmed the corporate details. The new company, Studio One Base Co., Ltd., would be based in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, with Tsuyoshi Kikuchi as representative director and president. About 310 employees would move over, and KADOKAWA would hold 100% of the capital. The stories name the president as Takeshi Kikuchi in the September 8 report and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi in the September 12 report; the later report is the one that ties him to the representative director and president title.
On September 17, a media briefing showed the interior. The Main Studio building is split into three areas: Focus for individual immersion, Tuning for information sharing, and Resonance for meetings and screenings. A Creator Academy building sits inside Sunshine 60. Studio One Base Corporation president Tsuyoshi Kikuchi said creative production staff are not receiving sufficient benefits while the number of young people entering the industry falls, so the hub is built around working conditions and training space.
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Sep 17
KADOKAWA will open Studio One Base this autumn, a production hub that gathers five group studios: ENGI, Studio KADAN, Chiptune, Bellnox Films, and Raging Bull. A September 17 media briefing showed the interior, including creator desks. The Main Studio building is split into three areas: Focus for individual immersion, Tuning for information sharing, and Resonance for meetings and screenings. A Creator Academy building sits inside Sunshine 60.
Sep 12
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.
Sep 8
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.