Wit Studios President Explains Why It Released Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, and More

The anime industry is growing faster than ever these days, and honestly? There are more shows in the work than anyone can track. With hundreds of studios churning out content, only a select few can stand as leaders, and Wit Studios has carved out that niche for itself. With new projects on hand, the studio oversaw some of anime’s biggest shows before passing them on to others. And now, the studio’s president is addressing why Wit handed over the hits.

The update was shared courtesy of George Wada, the head of Wit Studios as well as Production IG. The exec spoke with Anime News Network during a recent appearance at Anime NYC, and it was there the director explained why Wit passed on shows like Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga.

Wit’s Bottom Line

“For all of those titles that you just mentioned [Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, The Ancient Magnus’ Bride], we had only been contracted for season one. Then once the DVD sales results come in, we would get an offer to do a second season based on that. At that time, my management skills weren’t as good as they are today so I couldn’t add [the next seasons] to the schedule right away because I already had other shows lined up for funding. And of course, the fans and the publishers want to get the second season out as quickly as possible, which is what leads to it being animated by another studio,” Wada explained.

READ MORE: Attack on Titan Creator Explains How the Anime Impacted the Manga

Continuing, the exec admitted it was likely best for these series to be passed along. Wit Studios would have done the new seasons beautifully, but fan demand must be a top priority for anime production committees.

“I think that was the right choice in those cases. So because of the increase in the number of global fans and the number of streaming platforms that are available, it allows us to make more long-ended decisions on continuing to do a series. What I’d like to do with Wit Studio in the future, is that we now have the financial basis to continue to contract for longer periods.”

Of course, making anime is a business, and it is a pricey one at that. Wit Studios has a bottom line, and if it doesn’t know what kind of revenue a show is making, it cannot go all-in on a new season. Other studios could take on the risk with their budgets, and so that is how you ended up with MAPPA seizing control of Attack on Titan. But as the anime business evolves, it seems Wada is determined to lock in longer contracts for Wit to prevent any flip-flopping.