A-1 Pictures Unit Spun Off as CloverWorks, Becomes Aniplex Subsidiary

CloverWorks, the anime studio based in the Koenji neighborhood of Tokyo that was established under the umbrella of anime studio A-1 Pictures, has been spun off as a new company effective October 1, 2018.

In a press release, Sony Music Entertainment said its anime production and distribution subsidiary Aniplex will control 100 percent of the shares of CloverWorks. The reorganization means that the A-1 Pictures studio in Asagaya and the CloverWorks studio in Koenji are now sister companies under Aniplex. "Each studio will continue to contribute to the expanding animation market with its own production system and characteristics," the press release said.

A-1 Pictures President Hiroyuki Shimizu (Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. chief producer) has been promoted to the position of Chairman for both anime studios. He is replaced by Shinichirou Kashiwada (Sword Art Online: Alicization chief producer) as President at A-1 Pictures. Additionally, animation producer Akira Shimizu (The iDOLM@STER and Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata) has been appointed President at CloverWorks.

A-1 Pictures opened its main studio in Asagaya in October 2006 and expanded into Koenji in 2012. The company was recently voted the best anime production studio in the 2018 Newtype Anime Awards by readers of the magazine. This past April, it announced the rebranding of the Koenji studio under the new CloverWorks identity in response to trends toward diversification in the animation business.

The Koenji studio was A-1 Pictures' main production site for the action science fiction series Darling in the FranXX. As a result of the rebranding, production credits for A-1 Pictures were transferred to CloverWorks beginning in the second cours. CloverWorks has since produced Persona 5 the Animation and is leading production on three television anime titles in the Fall 2018 season. It will also produce the Yakusoku no Neverland and Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia television anime in 2019.

Official site: http://www.cloverworks.co.jp/
Official English site: http://en.cloverworks.co.jp/

Source: Sony Music Entertainment Press Release 1, Sony Music Entertainment Press Release 2