Category: Industry Insights

To address fierce global competition from Chinese and Korean cultural industries, reverse digital trade deficits and eliminate inefficiencies caused by fragmented cross-ministerial support, the Japanese government has rolled out a medium-to-long term strategic roadmap. Drawing on the proven model of South Korea’s KOCCA, Japan plans to establish a unified national central coordinating agency for creative[…..] […]

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The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), led by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), officially announced the arrest of seven core operators behind HiAnime, once the world’s largest unauthorized free anime streaming website, by Vietnamese public security authorities. The platform has been permanently shut down, and this cross-border crackdown sets a landmark precedent for coordinated[…..] […]

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Google Play has rolled out its most disruptive business model change since the store’s inception. From today, developers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area will see Google’s traditional 30% commission split into two separate components: a service fee and a billing fee — while third-party payment options become available for the first time[…..] […]

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As Chinese animation globalization accelerates, with the global animation streaming market projected to exceed $37.7 billion by 2025, the industry is transitioning from a cultural deficit to an ambitious global IP expansion. Bilibili and Tencent Video, as two core engines driving Chinese animation overseas, have forged distinctly different paths despite collectively covering over 190 countries[…..] […]

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In an exclusive interview with Collider in June 2026, Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination, unveiled the studio’s multi-year lineup of animated feature films. Riding the unprecedented USD 1.36 billion global box office success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination is ramping up production on a wide range of projects including an all-new theatrical animated[…..] […]

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In June 2026, multiple industry sources confirmed that Nagoshi Studios, founded by Toshihiro Nagoshi—the creator of the iconic Yakuza series—has suffered a mass exodus of key developers. Combined with NetEase’s termination of financial support, the studio’s operations have ground to a halt, casting a dark cloud over Gang of Dragon, its flagship AAA action title.[…..] […]

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In June 2026, the European Commission issued an official response to the European Citizens’ Initiative titled Stop Destroying Videogames, explicitly ruling out binding legislation that would oblige game publishers to permanently maintain servers for commercially discontinued online games. The player advocacy campaign, which collected more than 1.3 million verified signatures, hit major legal roadblocks. Instead[…..] […]

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