Rumor: Sony Could Bundle Crunchyroll Into PS Plus


Sony recently acquired anime streaming service Crunchyroll for $1.17 billion through Funimation, which Sony also owns, and a new rumor from Eurogamer shines some light on how the two services might co-exist.

"With the addition of Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV -- everywhere and every way fans want to experience their anime," Tony Vinciquerra, Sony Pictures CEO, said in the acquisition statement.

"Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible."

Eurogamer's Tom Philips said could involve plans to offer Crunchyroll as part of an expanded PS Plus subscription.

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Rumor: Sony Could Bundle Crunchyroll Into PS Plus

Ampere Analysis games research director Piers Harding-Rolls said the rumor "seems reasonable" considering Sony already experimented with video in some regions, and PS Plus has a broader platform than PS Now.

Currently, Funimation exists as a separate app users can download on PlayStation consoles. The only interweaving of the console and anime service came earlier in 2021, when PlayStation offered an extended trial during its COVID-inspired Play At Home campaign.

Presumably, the "unified anime subscription experience" Vinciquerra mentioned would eventually include both Crunchyroll and Funimation on the same service.

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[Source: Eurogamer]

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