Anime game rights guide: how video game adaptations and cross-media deals work
Game rights are rarely the largest line item in an anime deal, but they can determine whether a franchise expands or stalls.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Anime game rights are licensed separately from anime streaming or merchandise rights, even when the same corporate group owns both. Bandai Namco Entertainment offers game licenses for franchises such as PAC-MAN, SOULCALIBUR, TEKKEN, and DARK SOULS through its licensing center. Crunchyroll Games has published mobile titles including Princess Connect! Re:Dive in partnership with Cygames. Game-to-anime adaptations, such as the Ghost of Tsushima series planned for Crunchyroll in 2027, route music and adaptation rights through multiple Sony entities including Aniplex, Sony Music, and PlayStation Productions.
What anime game rights include
Anime game rights cover the right to make, publish, or distribute a video game based on an anime property, and the mirror image: the right to make an anime based on a video game. The two directions are structurally different. An anime-to-game deal starts with the anime production committee or manga publisher, while a game-to-anime deal starts with the game publisher and platform holder.
The rights bundle can include character likenesses, music, voice recordings, storylines, and trademark use. A streaming platform that licenses an anime does not automatically receive game rights, and a game publisher does not automatically receive anime rights. Each must be negotiated separately.
Who holds the major anime game rights
Bandai Namco Entertainment is one of the most active holders of anime-related game rights. Its licensing center offers game licenses for iconic franchises and also produces games internally. The company owns or controls major properties including PAC-MAN, SOULCALIBUR, TEKKEN, and DARK SOULS, and it is deeply tied to Gundam through Bandai Namco Filmworks and Bandai Namco Pictures.
On the adaptation side, Aniplex acts as both anime producer and game publisher. Its corporate description includes planning and production of anime video and music content, distribution of physical and digital products, and development of related game apps and merchandise. That lets it move game-to-anime projects through a single corporate family.
How anime game rights flow depending on which medium came first.| Direction | Typical rights holder | Example |
|---|
| Anime to game | Production committee or IP owner | Bandai Namco anime-based games |
| Game to anime | Game publisher + platform holder | Ghost of Tsushima anime |
| Mobile global publishing | Anime platform's game division | Crunchyroll Games / Princess Connect |
Game-to-anime and the Sony ecosystem
The Ghost of Tsushima anime shows how complex game-to-anime rights can become. Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Sony Music, and PlayStation Productions announced the series in January 2025. The original game, developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, had sold over 13 million copies globally as of August 11, 2024.
Each partner contributes a different rights layer. Aniplex handles anime production and distribution, Sony Music serves as the strategic soundtrack partner, PlayStation Productions brings the original IP, and Crunchyroll gets exclusive streaming distribution. That structure is only possible because all four sit under Sony Group, but it still requires distinct rights allocations.
Mobile anime games and global publishing
Crunchyroll Games has positioned itself as a global publisher of mobile titles tied to anime IP. It launched Princess Connect! Re:Dive worldwide in partnership with Cygames and Funplex, bringing a Japanese hit mobile RPG to international audiences. That kind of deal gives Crunchyroll game publishing rights outside Japan while the original developer retains ownership of the IP.
These arrangements are different from adaptations. Instead of making a new game from an anime, the publisher localizes, operates, and monetizes an existing game in new territories. The license is therefore closer to a publishing and distribution agreement than a derivative-work right.
No verified price data: Public sources do not disclose what anime game rights cost. Reported figures for adaptation or publishing deals are either confidential or unverified, so this guide focuses on deal structures and rights holders rather than pricing.
Why game rights are negotiated early
Game rights are most valuable when they are bundled with other media from the start. A production committee that includes a game publisher can plan a simultaneous anime, game, and merchandise launch. When game rights are held by a separate company, the anime side may have to wait for approval or revenue-sharing terms before referencing game-specific designs or music.
For licensors, the lesson is that anime game rights are not an afterthought. They affect everything from character designs to release timing, and they are often the reason a popular anime gets only a low-budget mobile tie-in instead of a major console release.
Frequently asked questions
What are anime game rights?
They are the rights to create, publish, or distribute a video game based on an anime, or to create an anime based on a video game. They are licensed separately from streaming, merchandise, or music rights.
Does a streaming license include game rights?
No. A platform that streams an anime does not automatically receive the right to make or publish a game based on that property. Game rights must be negotiated separately.
Who are the major anime game rights companies?
Bandai Namco Entertainment holds many anime-based game rights and licenses, Aniplex develops anime and related game apps, and Crunchyroll Games publishes mobile titles such as Princess Connect! Re:Dive globally.
How does a game become an anime?
The game publisher or platform holder partners with an anime producer. The Ghost of Tsushima anime, for example, involves PlayStation Productions, Aniplex, Sony Music, and Crunchyroll, each contributing different rights and expertise.
Sources and methodology
- Licensing Center, Bandai Namco Entertainment. Official licensing portal listing franchises such as PAC-MAN, SOULCALIBUR, TEKKEN, and DARK SOULS available for merchandise and game licenses.
- CRUNCHYROLL, ANIPLEX, SONY MUSIC, AND PLAYSTATION PRODUCTIONS TO PRODUCE ANIME SERIES BASED ON GHOST OF TSUSHIMA: LEGENDS, Games Press. Press release confirming game-to-anime rights structure, 13 million copies sold, and 2027 Crunchyroll premiere.
- Crunchyroll Games bringing Princess Connect! Re:Dive mobile game to worldwide audience, SiliconValley.com. Reports Crunchyroll Games publishing partnership with Cygames for global English launch of Princess Connect! Re:Dive.