The end of Funimation is nigh, with Sony sunsettingthe Funimation websiteand app in favor of Crunchyroll. But what does this “collaboration” mean for users?

Sony Is Killing Funimation in Favor of Crunchyroll

In 2021,Sony acquired Crunchyrollfor around $1.2 billion. Sony already owned and ran Funimation, so this deal represented a coming together of the two biggest anime streaming services.

What Does This Mean for Funimation Subscribers?

First, barring some exceptions, Funimation users will have their subscriptions automatically transferred to Crunchyroll. And the price they pay will change accordingly.

Second, Funimation users may lose access to the digital versions of the physical media (DVD/Blu-Ray) they have previously purchased. This is because Crunchyroll doesn’t support the digital copies that come with Funimation media.

On theFunimation End of Services help page, the company says:

Please note that Crunchyroll does not currently support Funimation Digital copies, which means that access to previously available digital copies will not be supported. However, we are continuously working to enhance our content offerings and provide you with an exceptional anime streaming experience. We appreciate your understanding and encourage you to explore the extensive anime library available on Crunchyroll.

The good news is that whether you have an active Crunchyroll account or are newly moving across from Funimation, you’ll be able to take your Watchlist and History across with you.

Will Funimation Subscribers Pay More for Crunchyroll?

There has been a lot of confusion online over what this means for subscription rates going forward. Partly due to the price of the two services differing massively between countries, and partly because of some Funimation users enjoying legacy rates.

The truth is that, going forward, the subscription fees will follow Crunchyroll’s pricing. So, your Funimation subscription will be automatically transferred to Crunchyroll, and you’ll be paying Crunchyroll’s prices from the next billing cycle after the transfer is complete.

Funimation was always going to go away at some point, with its fate sealed as soon as Sony acquired Crunchyroll for $1.2 billion in 2021. However, now that it’s actually happening, anime fans are realizing the full impact of this deal.