Sony Pictures TV Merges Funimation with Aniplex

Sony Pictures TV has merged all of it’s anime divisions, most recently Aniplex, into one under the Funimation banner. Under the new structure, Funimation will be made available in nearly 50 countries in a mess of different languages. The best part? English dubs that were previously from the Aniplex banner. Lately the service had been touting a slew of content coming back from the likes of Netflix and Crackle along with announces of their simuldub releases for the fall season that you can see here. According to Variety, Funimation has added another that you can read a synopsis for below:

“Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia” is based on one of the most popular chapters in Part 1 of the mobile game, transporting viewers back to the age of ancient Mesopotamia in 2655 B.C. and the city of Uruk, governed by the wise King Gilgamesh. The fortress city is under siege by deities and demonic beasts, and protagonist Ritsuka Fujimaru and his companion Mash Kyrielight must lead a last-ditch effort to prevent humanity’s extinction.

[h/t: Variety]

Our Take

The move makes a bunch of sense and it puts Funimation square in a competition with WarnerMedia’s Crunchyroll and even Netflix which is bolstering animation not just from Japan, but China, and other areas of Asia looking to potentially cash-in on what’s expected to be an estimated $4 billion industry by 2021.