Following its initial November announcement, Studio 8-Bit has finished establishing its new studio in the Niigata Prefecture. The studio serves as the company’s first regional office and will work on television anime series along with creating images for related character products. The prefecture is also considering subsidies and other support measures for the larger company.
The studio is currently recruiting animators for the new office, which will start running in April 2022.
Studio 8-Bit and Bandai’s Current Partnership
8-Bit and Bandai Namco first entered into a business partnership that started in June 2020. Producing animation-based video works and content related to the titles was the primary focus of this partnership. Bandai Namco Arts’ plan with the partnership is to take advantage of 8-Bit’s animation production pipeline to produce “high quality hit content“. Studio 8-Bit plans to take advantage of Bandai Namco Arts’ “continuous production planning capability and networking ability”. While both animation powerhouses merged, they were not able to avoid delays due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Slime Diaries: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime anime spinoff was produced as a result of the partnership.
In September of 2008, Studio 8-Bit was founded. Its main studio is in Tokyo, Japan, and is composed of former members of Satelight Studios. The studio has produced anime such as Infinite Stratos, Tokyo Ravens, and The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc. Even with its large resume of shows, different members of Studio 8-Bit have also worked on other shows’ animation and CG, such as Darling in the FRANXX.
Beyond Studio 8-Bit, Bandai Namco has decided to shut down Tales of Crestoria on February 7, 2022. In-app purchases are disabled as of now. However, the game will still be playable until it fully shuts down in February.
The studio is also producing the upcoming Blue Lock series, along with The Irregular at Magic High School: Reminiscence Arc.