Crunchyroll Parent Company Restructure Leads to Layoffs

Crunchyroll may be one of anime’s most popular streaming services, but its parent company won’t let the site get complacent. According to a new report, Otter Media has culled a portion of its staff to bring about restructuring efforts.

According to a report by Deadline, Otter Media laid off 10% of its total staff today in reorganization efforts. The decision was made to make Otter Media and its divisions increasingly competitive in today’s changeable digital landscape.

An email was sent out to Otter Media employees earlier today outlining the changes. CEO Tony Goncalves promised the changes would put remaining employees in the path of better opportunities.

As it turns out, Otter Media will be consolidating its consumer brands underneath its Ellation umbrella, a division anime fans know well. It is the one which operates sites Crunchyroll and VRV. The change will effect Rooster Teeth as well as the brand is being folded into Ellation’s business unit. Rooster Teeth will be joined in with Machinima as the studio is also housed under WarnerMedia.

“As a result of these changes, the size of the organization has been impacted, and we had to say goodbye to valued employees,” Goncalves told Deadline in a new statement regarding the changes.

At this time, Deadline reports these layoffs will impact only select groups rather than broad sweep.

So far, there is no word on how or if this change will disturb Crunchyroll accessibility in anyway. The fact that Otter Media is folding brands into Ellation bodes well for the site as Crunchyroll is overseen by said division. For now, fans are keeping an eye on the streaming service in light of these changes, but it seems like Crunchyroll will continue on as usual. Recently, the website was rocked by change when Crunchyroll confirmed its multiyear partnership with Funimation was coming to an end. The fallout caused a series of anime titles to jump from Crunchyroll, but the streaming service assured fans it was still dedicated to securing new titles from Japanese studios.

“As demonstrated by our record year of anime announcements, Crunchyroll is more committed than ever to bringing you the best and latest series from Japan, as well as expanding our catalog of classics. Thank you for your continued support,” the site stressed in a recent statement. “We’re honored to be your favorite source for anime and will continue to do our best in delivering you your favorite series at the speed of Japan.”