CygamesPictures will become a consolidated subsidiary of CyberAgent as part of a groupwide reorganization aimed at strengthening the company's animation business. The change takes effect on February 27, 2026, when CyberAgent will acquire shares directly from Cygames, shifting the studio from a game-sector affiliate to a core entity within CyberAgent's Media & IP division. The studio will also adopt a new corporate name, CyPic, on April 6, coinciding with its tenth anniversary.

The restructuring brings CygamesPictures closer to CyberAgent's central management. CyberAgent president Takahiro Yamauchi will join the studio's board, while current president Nobuhiro Takenaka will remain in his role to oversee day-to-day operations. In its announcement, the company emphasized that the change is intended to reinforce production capabilities and accelerate decision-making, without altering the creative principles that have guided the studio since its founding.

Established in 2016 as a subsidiary of game developer Cygames, CygamesPictures was created to translate the company's game IP into animation and to build original titles. The studio produced works such as Princess Connect! Re:Dive and Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray, and in recent years has collaborated more closely with CyberAgent on projects including Apocalypse Hotel and Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu (The Summer Hikaru Died). Despite these joint efforts, the studio had remained organizationally distant as a second-tier subsidiary. The new structure is designed to integrate it fully into CyberAgent's expanding media strategy.

CyberAgent has been rapidly increasing its presence in anime as global demand grows and production capacity in Japan tightens. Beyond distribution through its streaming platform Abema, the company has invested in original IP development and in-house production infrastructure under the "CyberAgent Anime" brand. A key element of this strategy has been the creation of new studios: CA Soa, launched in January 2025 under veteran producer Masakazu Ogawa, focuses on planning and production management, while Studio Kurm, established in October 2025 and led by producer Maiko Okada, is positioned as a full-scale creative studio aimed at nurturing new talent and original projects.

By adding CygamesPictures—soon to be CyPic—to this network, CyberAgent is assembling a multi-studio framework that covers the entire production pipeline. Company executives view the move as a way to secure stable resources amid industry-wide shortages of animators and facilities, while also enabling closer coordination between IP creation, production, and global distribution.

The rebranding to CyPic marks a symbolic reset as well as an administrative shift. The studio noted that although the name will change, its commitment to hands-on craftsmanship will remain intact.

Source: Animation Business Journal, RTB Square