Tokyo, Japan – Japanese publishing company AlphaPolis Co., Ltd. announced today its full acquisition of anime studio White Fox Co., Ltd., known for producing popular series such as Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- and Steins;Gate. The acquisition, which was approved at a board meeting on July 31, 2025, makes White Fox a wholly owned subsidiary of AlphaPolis.
This strategic move is a key component of AlphaPolis’s mid-term plan to significantly expand its anime business. By bringing a prominent animation studio in-house, AlphaPolis aims to enhance its capabilities for internal animation production and accelerate the adaptation of its extensive catalog of intellectual properties (IPs) into high-quality animated works. The acquisition date is set for September 30.
Strengthening In-House Animation Capabilities
AlphaPolis, a publisher primarily focused on light novels and manga, particularly those originating online, has been increasingly active in multi-media expansion of its IPs. This includes anime adaptations, merchandise sales, and game development. The company views the anime business as a crucial strategic initiative for growth.
The acquisition of White Fox directly addresses AlphaPolis’s goal of enhancing its media deployment capacity and improving the efficiency and consistency of its IP adaptations. The publishing company cited industry-wide shortages of skilled animators and high-quality production studios as a driving factor behind the decision, believing that owning White Fox will allow them to “construct an internal system for visual production” and ensure “high-quality anime adaptations of its IP using White Fox’s technical capabilities.”
White Fox: A Legacy of Acclaimed Anime
Established in April 2007 by Gaku Iwasa, a former producer at OLM, White Fox has built a strong reputation in the anime industry. The studio gained significant recognition for its work on Katanagatari in 2010 and Steins;Gate in 2011. Their most successful and well-regarded productions include Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Steins;Gate, and Akame ga Kill!. Other notable works from White Fox include The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Goblin Slayer, and Is the Order a Rabbit?.
White Fox’s expertise lies in adapting various source materials, particularly visual novels and light novels, into popular anime series. The studio has been praised for its strong directing, composition, and cinematography in its adaptations.
AlphaPolis’s Expanding IP Portfolio and Anime Strategy
AlphaPolis has a robust portfolio of light novel and manga series, many of which originated as web novels. Several of their titles have already received anime adaptations, including Gate, which sold 6 million copies of its original work and had an anime adaptation beginning in 2015, and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy, which also received an anime adaptation. Other AlphaPolis IPs that have been adapted into anime include Re:Monster, The New Gate, and A Playthrough of a Certain Dude’s VRMMO Life.
With White Fox now a part of the AlphaPolis group, the publisher intends to accelerate the pace of its IP adaptations, leveraging White Fox’s production strengths to enhance animation quality. This move is also expected to increase the visibility and brand power of AlphaPolis’s works, potentially reaching wider audiences, including international markets.
The acquisition signifies a growing trend of industry consolidation within the Japanese content market, as publishers seek greater control over the adaptation process of their intellectual properties into various media formats.
