Konami reveals new animation studio at Yu-Gi-Oh! anniversary event 

On February 3, Konami revealed its new animation studio- Konami Animation. This announcement was made during “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: The Legend of Duelist QUARTER CENTURY,” an event held at Tokyo Dome to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game (source: Famitsu). 

Konami Animation’s debut work, a video commemorating the history of Yu-Gi-Oh!, was shown at the event. The video below has sparked widespread excitement and discussion among Yu-Gi-Oh! Fans, who are speculating whether Konami’s fledgling studio will make a new Yu-Gi-Oh! series or film. 

The Yu-Gi-Oh! commemorative animation has been trending on X. The video features many cards transformed into animated sequences, including Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, The Legendary Six Samurai, and The Fallen of Albaz. Yu-Gi-Oh! Fans appear to have been on the edge of their seats wondering which card the animation will segue into next. In particular, the transition between the cute Melffys of the Joyous Forest and Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS has been getting a lot of attention.  

The dramatic animation introducing AA-ZEUS reminded others of Gundam – leading to this reference. 

According to their website, Konami Animation aims to “dynamically evolve the Japanese anime scene to a new level” by taking their cutting-edge technology and experience acquired from game development and applying it to animation. In addition to the Yu-Gi-Oh! video, Konami Animation has also produced the opening movie for Reign of the Seven Spell Blades. At the time of writing, these are the only projects by the new studio. 

Given the various beloved game IPs that Konami owns, there is also speculation as to whether Konami Animation will make series or films based on well-known game franchises. Though according to their press release, Konami Animation plans to produce a wide range of works beyond its own IPs as well.