#SUNRISE Inc. To Become BANDAI NAMCO Filmworks Inc. As Part of Reorganization

BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. is set to merge the “visual business operations” of SUNRISE Inc., BANDAI NAMCO Arts Inc., and BANDAI NAMCO Rights Marketing Inc. as part of its IP Production Unit reorganization plans. The reorganization will see SUNRISE as the surviving company and the combination branded as BANDAI NAMCO Filmworks Inc..

Makoto Asanuma, the director of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings as well as the President and CEO of SUNRISE, will be the President and Representative Director of BANDAI NAMCO Filmworks. BANDAI NAMCO Filmworks, which has “Planning, production, management and administration of IP, centered on visual contents” as its business description, will be located at Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. SUNRISE is currently located at Suginami-ku, Tokyo.

Aside from its IP Production Unit reorganization, BANDAI NAMCO will also merge the “the music and live event operations” of BANDAI NAMCO Arts Inc., BANDAI NAMCO Live Creative Inc., and SUNRISE Music INC. and rebrand them as Bandai Namco Music Live Inc., with BANDAI NAMCO Arts Inc. as the surviving company. BANDAI NAMCO Live Creative President Takaaki Suzuki will be the President and Representative Director.

Both companies will begin operating on April 1.

BANDAI NAMCO announced its reorganization plans back in October 2021. An English press release from that period said, “By combining the companies in the visual, music and live event businesses of the IP Production Unit, the companies will be able to share the different expertise, strengths, external partner networks, etc. of each company engaged in creating and developing IP, and effectively utilize the Company’s IP and music. In addition, through personnel exchanges, etc., the Company will strengthen the development of human resources involved in IP creation and production. With these initiatives, the Company aims to further strengthen the IP creation and production capabilities, which are at the core of the IP axis strategy.”

SUNRISE was founded in 1972 as Sunrise Studio Ltd. It was renamed to NIPPON SUNRISE Inc. in 1976 and became SUNRISE INC. in 1987. Over the years, it has been the animation production studio of titles like Code Geass, Inuyasha, Cowboy Bebop, and The Vision of Escaflowne, as well as the Mobile Suit Gundam and Love Live! franchises.

SUNRISE Music INC. was formed in 2002 with the initial name of SUNRISE MUSIC Publishing Co. Ltd. when SUNRISE split off its music publishing division. A subsidiary called SUNRISE BEYOND INC. was established in March 2019 and acquired anime studio XEBEC Inc.‘s video production division in April of the same year.

SUNRISE became a member of the Bandai Group in 1994. After the integration of BANDAI CO., LTD. and NAMCO LTD., the anime production studio became a member of the BANDAI NAMCO Group in 2005.

Sources: Press releases, ITmedia NEWS