Twin Engine & Bandai Pour ¥4B Into From-Scratch Manga-to-Merch IP

Anime powerhouse Twin Engine and merchandising giant Bandai Co., Ltd. have sealed a strategic partnership aimed at building brand-new intellectual property from the ground up—manga first, then animation, then shelves full of toys and goods. The companies will put as much as ¥4 billion (about US$25 million) behind original story development and anime production, with at least one joint project already on the roadmap.

Rather than stitching a hit together after the fact, both sides plan to collaborate from the earliest planning stage. Twin Engine—the group behind titles such as Vinland Saga, Witch Hat Atelier, and Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku—will steer planning, production, promotion, and distribution for the anime side, drawing on a network of 18 studios and creative units. Bandai brings decades of character-IP know-how across toys, capsule gacha, cards, food, apparel, and everyday goods.

The move answers a growing industry headache: manga, animation, and merch often live in separate silos, making it hard to nurture a franchise for the long haul. By treating the pipeline as one continuous business, Twin Engine and Bandai hope to mint IPs that travel well beyond Japan. Concrete titles and launch windows are still under wraps, with further announcements promised soon.

Official: Official site