KADOKAWA to Merge Five Anime Studios into New Studio One Base
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.