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Asatsu-DK Announces Plans to Acquire Anime Studio Gonzo
posted on by Karen Ressler
Japanese advertising agency Asatsu-DK announced on Thursday that it plans to purchase animation studio Gonzo with the goal of making it a consolidated subsidiary. A public offering period will open on Friday and run through August 22 with shares at 26,819 yen (about US$254). The total buyout will be approximately 6.2 billion yen (about US$59 million) if Asatsu-DK buys all the shares.
Asatsu-DK settled on the price of the shares in an agreement with Japanese investment company Iwakaze Capital, which became the majority owner of Gonzo's parent company GDH in 2008 and now owns about 80% stake in Gonzo.
Gonzo was established in 1992 when anime producer Shouji Murahama left Gainax to start his own company. It merged with Shinichirō Ishikawa's Digimation company in 2000 and a new parent company, GDH (which stands for Gonzo Digimation Holdings), was formed. GDH absorbed Gonzo and adopted its name in 2009.
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