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DeNA Confirms MyAnimeList Buyout
posted on by Daryl Lee Hale
Mobile app developer DeNA confirmed via a press release on Thursday that it has purchased the anime database website MyAnimeList.net. DeNA bought the site in January from Evolve Media's male-lifestyle publisher CraveOnline Media.
DeNA also announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Anime Consortium Japan (ACJ) to stream anime through MyAnimeList. MyAnimeList began streaming the second season of The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls and the God Eater anime on Friday through videos embedded through ACJ's Daisuki streaming service. ACJ plans to increase the number of titles through embedded videos or hyperlinks.
DeNA Co., Ltd. is the creator of the Manga Box app, which gives users free access to a selection of manga on their tablets and smartphones. DeNA also released the Hacka Doll news app, which inspired a TV series of anime shorts set to air in October.
The company entered a capital and business alliance with Nintendo in March. As part of the alliance, Nintendo will lend its IP to DeNA in order to create new smartphone games, as opposed to ports of Wii U or Nintendo 3DS games. DeNA and Nintendo are also currently developing a new membership service that can be used with the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, the newly announced system NX, smartphones, PC, and tablets.
Update (April 2016): DeNA clarified with ANN that DeNA's CEO "did say it would be nice if we also had Anime Box in addition to Manga Box, but it was only a 'would be nice' idea rather than an actual plan." DeNA has not released an "Anime Box" app, as this article previously indicated.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history