HarperCollins to Acquire Crunchyroll Manga Operations in France and Germany
HarperCollins Publishers is acquiring Crunchyroll's manga publishing operations in France and Germany, the company announced today. The transaction is set to take place in the second half of 2025, subject to regulatory approval.
The team will be led by Hideki Iyama-Desseigne, reporting to Chantal Restivo-Alessi, CEO of International Foreign Language Publishing at HarperCollins, with the day-to-day operations of the business supported by HarperCollins France and Germany.
“We are thrilled to expand our manga portfolio in Europe, building on our already successful Japanese business,” said Brian Murray, President and CEO of HarperCollins. “As the only major Western publisher operating in Japan, this acquisition strengthens our expertise and capabilities in this fast-growing category. This is a significant step toward broadening the HarperCollins manga program around the world, not only in Europe, but the English language markets as well.”
Crunchyroll's expansion into the world of manga started in 2013 with the launch of the Crunchyroll Manga service. This service, which once allowed users to read popular titles such as Fairy Tail, was shut down in 2023. Earlier this year, the company announced a new digital manga service that will launch sometime this year in Canada and the US.
Source: HarperCollins
