Sony has completed its acquisition of Crunchyroll for the eye-watering amount of $1.175 billion. It was first reported last year that the company intended to buy the popular anime streaming service with a bid of $957 million. But what's a couple hundred thousand dollars between friends?
Now, it has been officially announced via press release that Crunchyroll, along with its 5 million subscribers and 120 million-plus registered users, belong to Sony.
"We are very excited to welcome Crunchyroll to the Sony Group," said Kenichiro Yoshida, president and CEO of Sony Group Corporation explains in the press release. "Anime is a rapidly growing medium that enthralls and inspires emotion among audiences around the globe. The alignment of Crunchyroll and Funimation will enable us to get even closer to the creators and fans who are the heart of the anime community. We look forward to delivering even more outstanding entertainment that fills the world with emotion through anime."
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The press release also mentions a "unified" subscription for Funimation and Cruncyroll, which would certainly imply that there'll be the option to pay for both as part of one package somewhere along the line. Eurogamer also reports that Sony is weighing up plans to include the service as part of an enhanced PlayStation Plus subscription.
"With Crunchyroll and Funimation, we are committed to creating the ultimate anime experience for fans and presenting a unique opportunity for our key partners, publishers, and the immensely talented creators to continue to deliver their masterful content to audiences around the world," Sony executive Tony Vinciquerra added.
"With the addition of Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV - everywhere and every way fans want to experience their anime. Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible."
Topics: GAMING, News, PlayStation