Crunchyroll made an announcement that they will be partnering with Leftfield Media to launch a new anime convention! This was announced after Crunchyroll surpassed 1 million paid subscribers for their premium anime streaming service. The convention will be titled “Crunchyroll Expo” and will be abbreviated as “CRX.” Fans won’t have to wait too long to experience the first-ever CRX as it will be held on August 25-27 of this year in Santa Clara, California at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
In addition to Crunchyroll themselves, they will play host to numerous other partners and publishers from the anime and manga industries. While no names have been officially announced, one can assume that FUNimation will be there given their recent partnership.
Peter Tatara, formerly of the New York Anime Expo and show manager for Anime NYC, will be assisting in working on the event as a part of Leftfield Media. Adam Sheehan, Crunchyroll’s Director of Events, stated that the Crunchyroll Expo will have a goal of following a different model than most of the well-known anime conventions. He cited conventions such as Blizzcon, PAX, SXSW and E3 as how he looks to present CRX. He was quoted as saying:
“You’re going to see some things that have not been done before at anime cons, some things that have been done, but we’re going to do it differently and some of the fan favorites that people continue to enjoy will be brought back either in different ways, or more broadly and more extensively for the fans.”
CRX’s official website states that convention will feature exhibits, screenings, panels and guest appearances by some of the biggest personalities in Japan and the United States. The website also states that the convention will celebrate anime, manga, games, guests and cosplays. In addition, there are special features planned such as special events, premieres, and interactive features focused around anime pop culture, the latest content from Japan and ways for fans to connect with each other to share their passion for anime.
Crunchyroll stated that they have surpassed 1 million paid subscribers, play home to 20 million registered users, have a library of over 800 titles and that users consume billions of minutes per month on the platform!
