Toei, the Japanese entertainment conglomerate whose animation subsidiary produced One Piece, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Digimon, has established Toei Games, a new gaming division dedicated to developing original titles. The division’s first releases will target PC before expanding to consoles.
The studio will launch its first games primarily on Steam, with plans to later expand to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Toei made the announcement on April 21, 2026, alongside the launch of an official Toei Games account on X.
Original IP only, not anime adaptations
Despite Toei Animation’s extensive catalog, Toei Games is not planning to adapt existing franchises, at least not initially. The company’s press release is direct on this: “Our goal is to create a new IP that will captivate the world, starting with games.”
The initial lineup will consist of “completely new game titles created by talented creators from Japan and abroad.” That positions Toei Games as a studio building new properties from scratch, rather than a licensing vehicle for One Piece or Dragon Ball adaptations.
Toei’s anime history and the games market
Toei Animation has been producing content since 1948 and ranks among Japan’s largest animation studios by output. Its franchises generate substantial global revenue through merchandise, licensing, and theatrical releases, but Toei’s direct role in game development has remained minimal.
Rights to its most commercially recognizable properties have historically gone to third-party publishers: Bandai Namco holds the major One Piece and Dragon Ball titles, with separate licensing arrangements covering Sailor Moon and Digimon. That structure has kept Toei largely removed from game development decisions and the associated revenue streams.
Taking an original-first approach carries genuine risk. Toei Games forgoes the built-in audience that a One Piece or Sailor Moon title would bring, and breaking through on Steam with new IP is difficult for any studio. The upside is full creative and commercial control over whatever franchises it manages to establish.
Steam is a practical entry point for a studio without a track record in games. The platform gives new developers access to a global audience without the marketing budgets required for a major console launch, and PC players have shown strong appetite for Japanese-developed titles across genres.
First Toei Games title announced Friday
Toei Games will reveal its debut title on Friday, April 25, 2026. Toei has shared no genre information, screenshots, or development partner details ahead of that date. The company’s X account has offered nothing beyond the initial announcement.
The press release leaves open the possibility of future games based on Toei’s existing franchises. Toei frames the original-only approach as a starting point, not a permanent limitation, which suggests it could eventually develop One Piece or Dragon Ball games through the division once it has found its footing in the market.