Crunchyroll Launches New Division To Turn Global Stories Into Anime & Develop Live-Action Adaptations

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and Crunchyroll announced the formation of Crunchyroll Storyworks, a division within the streaming company tasked with adapting international stories into anime, along with developing anime intellectual properties into live-action adaptations.

SPE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ravi Ahuja made the announcement on Oct. 7, 2026, during the inaugural Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.

According to Ahuja, the division has been designed to expand the international reach of anime while honoring its Japanese roots and keeping original creators’ visions at the center.

Crunchyroll Storyworks will be led by Tohru Iokibe, a 25-year Sony veteran who previously managed cross-media intellectual property initiatives between Sony Pictures Entertainment and PlayStation Productions.

Iokibe will report to Crunchyroll Chief Content Officer Asa Suehira.

Crunchyroll Storyworks basically will have two goals.

The first is to identify intellectual properties, folklore, and stories originating outside Japan which can be adapted into anime productions in collaboration with Japanese creators.

Meanwhile, the second is to translate existing Japanese anime properties into live-action feature films and television series.

As of the announcement, the company has not unveiled specific titles or creative attachments greenlit under the new division.

Crunchyroll Storyworks Is Not An Anime Studio:

The first thing to clarify here is that, Crunchyroll Storyworks is not an anime studio. It will instead operate as an entity that will handle the early developemt work, including scouting stories and packaging them as a project before transferring it to Hayate Inc.

Hayate will then co-ordinate actual animation production with Japanese studios to create the final anime version for Crunchyroll’s streaming platform.

In short, the division will operate directly within Crunchyroll’s content group as a developmental unit connecting storytellers from around the world with anime talent based in Japan.

Hayate is an anime studio formed by Crunchyroll and Aniplex, led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masanori Miyake and President and Chief Operating Officer Leo Watanabe.

On April 3, 2026, Hayate acquired 100% of the shares of Tokyo-based animation studio Lay-duce, the studio behind O Maidens in Your Savage Season, Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, and Clevatess.

This means the studio has the production capacity to support its animation pipeline.

The establishment of Crunchyroll Storyworks follows statements previously made by Crunchyroll President and Chief Executive Officer Rahul Purini regarding global story sourcing and live-action expansion.

In interviews with Nikkei and other publications, Purini had conceded that anime source material could originate from anywhere in the world. However, he added that to maintain the medium’s authenticity, productions must remain connected to Japanese creators and studios.

Purini pointed to South Korean web novel and comic adaptations such as Solo Leveling, which Crunchyroll brought to Aniplex and co-produced with Japanese animation studio A-1 Pictures, as an operational framework for adapting non-Japanese stories.

This is exactly what Crunchyroll Storyworks will do going ahead, with the scope increasing beyond Korean webtoons to stories originating in other parts of the world too.

With Solo Leveling becoming a massive hit (the highest rated anime on their platform) it has given a blueprint for Crunchyroll Storyworks to proceed with other works.

Purini also stated in previous interviews that Crunchyroll and Sony were evaluating live-action anime adaptations to serve as entry channels for broader audiences, citing the viewership increase experienced by the animated version of One Piece following the release of its live-action television adaptation.

Crunchyroll Has Already Been Involved In Global Anime Works:

Crunchyroll previously engaged with non-Japanese source material through its involvement in the Indian-Japanese anime co-production Karna the Guardian.

Originally announced in 2023 by Sony Pictures Networks India and Sony YAY! Animation, the 12-episode sci-fi action series reimagines the mythological warrior from the Indian epic Mahabharata.

The animation production was handled by Japanese animation studio Ascension alongside Zomia and Sony YAY! Animation, with Japanese industry directors Mitsuru Hongo of World Trigger serving as chief director and Kunihiro Mori of Cowboy Bebop serving as director.

Crunchyroll served as the worldwide streaming platform and co-production partner, launching the series internationally on May 7, 2026, with localized voice dubs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and English, along with subtitles in 15 languages.

In addition to expanding Storyworks, Crunchyroll also expanded its digital reading platform, Crunchyroll Manga, into international markets including India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Source: Variety