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Crunchyroll Will Limit Store Access to Paid Mega and Ultimate Subscribers

The company is shifting the shop to curated limited drops behind a membership paywall, a change that could reduce public access to physical anime releases.

Overview

  • Crunchyroll began a 50% Summer Sale on July 14 and confirmed the store will relaunch in August as a members-only shopping experience restricted to Mega ($13.99/month) and Ultimate ($17.99/month) subscribers.
  • The reworked storefront will focus on convention-style exclusives, curated drops, collectibles and limited-release products rather than maintaining the broad catalog of manga, Blu-rays and general stock.
  • Crunchyroll’s FAQ says select items were designated final sale beginning July 13 and that returns, exchanges, and refunds will not be permitted for those items except in cases of damage or defect.
  • Many fans and collectors have reacted with anger, reporting a thinner catalog and missing listings since Right Stuf’s 2023 absorption and warning that subscriber gating could make physical media harder to find.
  • Crunchyroll frames the move as a way to cut inventory risk and improve predictability through limited runs, but the change could push buyers to secondary markets and further concentrate anime retail inside Sony’s ecosystem.