Kadokawa Corporation has reported the launch of a brand new 3DCG animation and VFX production studio “Studio KADAN” on June 1, 2021.

Studio KADAN will be led by Hiroyuki Seshita, one of Japan’s leading 3DCG animation directors who worked on the TV anime “Knights of Sidonia” series and the animated movie “BLAME!”.

Seshita is also the vice president for the new studio, while Kadokawa producer Takeshi Kikuchi is the president and representative director. In addition, Kadokawa also mentioned in the announcement that the company maintains a 97.5% stake.

The studio will focus on both hand-drawn animations unique to Japan, and the “cel-look” CG animation development which has become the mainstream in the world. Studio Kadan will be fully equipped with the latest technology to create full 3DCG animation, extended reality (XR) 3D modeling, projection mapping, video game CG, and visual effects for live-action films. Their aim is to work on the production of large-scale “IP contents” for the global market.

Director Seshita, known for the latest knowledge and production process in the CG field has expressed his devotion to create an environment where various creators can easily participate.

KADOKAWA Group already owns two animation production companies: ENGI (Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!), A hybrid digital animation production studio combining digital drawing and 3DCG, and KINEMA CITRUS (Made in Abyss), a company that produces hand-drawn animation. With the addition of Studio KADAN, Kadokawa aims to bring more variety in the animation production environment.

Source: ANN, PR Times