Crunchyroll is overhauling access to its online store, announcing Tuesday that starting in August, shopping on the Crunchyroll Store will be limited to subscribers on its Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan tiers. The company has not yet set an exact cutoff date for when the current, open-access version of the store will go away.
Some items on the store are already marked “final sale,” and going forward, refunds and returns will only be granted for products that arrive damaged or defective. Crunchyroll says orders already placed will still ship as normal, including for titles that come out after the store’s transition to a members-only model. Store gift cards will still be accepted through Aug. 14, and that same date marks the end of the standing discount perks tied to Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan memberships.
In place of the current setup, Crunchyroll says the revamped store will lean into “curated drops and Crunchyroll-exclusive merch.” The company also kicked off a Summer Sale on Tuesday.
The move comes months after Crunchyroll raised prices across all of its subscription tiers in the U.S. back in February. The Fan Tier climbed from $7.99 to $9.99 a month, Mega Fan went from $11.99 to $13.99, and Ultimate Fan rose from $15.99 to $17.99.
For reference, the Fan Tier is ad-free and gives subscribers access to new simulcast episodes as soon as they premiere. Mega Fan builds on that with offline downloads and up to four simultaneous streams, plus a 10% store discount and free shipping on orders over $50. Ultimate Fan adds a sixth simultaneous stream, bumps the store discount to 15%, and throws in an annual swag bag along with access to member-exclusive merchandise.
The Crunchyroll Store has its roots in Right Stuff, the anime retailer Crunchyroll bought back in August 2022 to build out its e-commerce arm. Right Stuff’s catalog was folded into the Crunchyroll Store in October 2023, though shoppers can still track down items that originally carried the Right Stuff name.
The store shake-up follows a rocky stretch for the company. Crunchyroll laid off staff in March as part of a broader restructuring tied to relocating roles and rethinking its e-commerce approach, something the company has maintained was not a cost-cutting move. It also ended free, ad-supported streaming on Dec. 31. Despite the turbulence, Crunchyroll reported topping 21 million paid subscribers worldwide as of May.
Crunchyroll operates as an independent joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex, with both ultimately tracing back to Tokyo-based Sony Group. Sony’s Funimation Global Group finalized its purchase of Crunchyroll from AT&T in August 2021 for $1.175 billion in cash, a deal first announced in December 2020. Funimation’s home video catalog has been folded under the Crunchyroll banner since June 2022.
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