is a Japanese

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

production

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

established in March 2025 by

Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...

, and

Crunchyroll, LLC Crunchyroll, LLC is an American Entertainment#Industry, entertainment company based in Coppell, Texas. It currently operates the anime-focused Crunchyroll, eponymous over-the-top media service, over-the-top video on demand#Subscription models, ...

, both

subsidiaries A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidiary company. Unl ...

Sony Group Corporation is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (imaging and sensing), S ...

. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company focuses on the planning, development, and production of anime content specifically for global distribution via

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...

's streaming service.

History

On March 17, 2025,

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

's Aniplex Inc. and

announced the formation of Hayate Inc. Hayate Inc. was formed as a joint venture between the Sony companies

and

Crunchyroll LLC Crunchyroll, LLC is an American entertainment company based in Coppell, Texas. It currently operates the anime-focused eponymous over-the-top subscription video on-demand streaming service. The company was founded as Funimation in May 1994 ...

, to produce "premium content for anime fans worldwide," indicating a focus on high-quality productions with broad appeal. The leadership of Hayate Inc. comprises key figures Masanori Miyake as the Chairman and CEO, Leo Watanabe as President and COO, who are both from Aniplex. The company's staff includes employees from both Crunchyroll and Aniplex, fostering a collaborative environment that integrates the distinct expertise of each organization. The primary objective of Hayate Inc. is to produce original anime exclusively for the

streaming service Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

. This initiative signifies a deeper investment by both Aniplex and Crunchyroll in creating new anime for the global market and potentially expanding the variety and exclusivity of content offered on the platform.

References

External links

Hayate official website
and {{Authority control Anime companies Chiyoda, Tokyo Entertainment companies established in 2025 Entertainment companies of Japan Film distributors of Japan Japanese animation studios Japanese companies established in 2025 Mass media companies established in 2025 Mass media companies based in Tokyo Sony Music Entertainment Japan Sony subsidiaries