Overview
- Sony Pictures Entertainment unveiled Crunchyroll Storyworks on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum in New York to expand its production capabilities.
- Tohru Iokibe, a 25-year Sony veteran, was named head of Storyworks and will report to Crunchyroll chief content officer Asa Suehira.
- Storyworks is tasked with adapting global stories into anime and converting Japanese anime into live-action while explicitly committing to preserve creators’ original visions.
- The division will sit inside Crunchyroll’s content group and aim to deliver finished, greenlight-ready projects to HAYATE, the Crunchyroll–Aniplex joint venture that moves projects into production.
- The move builds on Sony’s 2021 acquisition of Crunchyroll and the service’s growth to more than 21 million subscribers this year, signaling a push to scale anime production, global reach, and commercial opportunities while stressing cultural stewardship for Japanese creators.