Sony acquires anime production company Egg Firm, expanding industry dominance

1 week ago 4

Published Feb 2, 2026, 11:30 AM EST

Sony owns A-1 Pictures, CloverWorks, and now Egg Firm

Sony’s foothold in anime deepens as animation production company Egg Firm announces that it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Aniplex, owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Egg Firm is known for its involvement in Kawahara Reki's projects, including the Sword Art Online and Accel World franchises, and for producing the anime Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.

Egg Firm joins anime studios A-1 Pictures (Solo Leveling) and CloverWorks (Fairy Tail) as subsidiaries of Aniplex. Sony also owns Crunchyroll, which distributes major releases from Aniplex of America, such as Chainsaw Man Movie – Reze Arc and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, besides being the major anime streaming platform in the West. Sony also holds a majority stake in Kadokawa, home to some of the medium’s most profitable IPs. As a result, Sony’s global dominance in anime is rivaled only by companies such as Netflix, which recently entered into a partnership with Mappa.

Egg Firm’s first project was The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., produced with J.C. Staff in 2016. Established in 2015 by former Genco producer Nobuhiro Osawa (Sword Art Online, Prison School), the studio later partnered with author Reki Kawahara, screenwriter Ichiro Okouchi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion), and director Akiyuki Shinbo (the Monogatari series). Egg Firm invested in the newly formed Studio Bind in 2019, thus collaborating on one of its most famous titles, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.

It seems that Sony has a well-defined plan to corner the profitable anime market. From controlling the main source of IPs to producing new anime (Aniplex and Crunchyroll established in March 2025 a new anime production company called HAYATE Inc.), to overseeing streaming and distribution in the West, it's not a surprise that some fans are worried about this growing monopoly. For now, it seems that Sony's biggest rival in this venture is Netflix, which is still many steps behind but is possibly starting to take measures, as the recent partnership with Mappa would suggest.

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