Twin Engine and SBI Holdings Enter Capital and Business Partnership
The deal gives a mid-sized anime studio access to the financial and distribution infrastructure of a major holding company, a model that could become more common as studios seek scale without being acquired by larger entertainment conglomerates.
Reporting from 2 sources: KAI-YOU, PANORA.
Anime studio Twin Engine has entered a capital and business partnership with SBI Holdings, the companies announced on May 19. The deal aims to promote the creation of new intellectual property and expand overseas distribution of Twin Engine's existing and future works. Twin Engine is known for producing series such as "Super Kaguya Hime!" and other titles. SBI Holdings, through its subsidiary SBI Neo Media Holdings, has been building a neo-media ecosystem that includes talent agencies, music events, publishing, and e-sports. The partnership is expected to combine Twin Engine's production capabilities with SBI's global network and financial resources. Specific terms of the capital arrangement were not disclosed. The announcement follows a trend of Japanese animation studios seeking outside investment to fund growth and international reach. Twin Engine has previously collaborated with streaming platforms like Netflix for distribution.
Twin Engine operates as a holding company for multiple animation studios, including Geno Studio, Studio Kafka, and EOTA. The company was founded in 2014 by producer Koji Yamamoto, who previously worked at Manglobe. SBI Holdings is a financial services conglomerate that has been expanding into media and entertainment through its subsidiary SBI Neo Media Holdings, which oversees talent agencies, music events, publishing, and e-sports operations.
The partnership is structured to combine Twin Engine's production capabilities with SBI's global network and financial resources. Twin Engine has previously collaborated with streaming platforms like Netflix for distribution of titles including "Super Kaguya Hime!" and "Kokkoku." The company also produces original anime projects and works with international partners on co-productions.
Specific terms of the capital arrangement were not disclosed. The announcement follows a pattern of Japanese animation studios seeking outside investment to fund growth and international reach, with similar deals seen at studios like MAPPA and Science SARU in recent years.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.