When two industry giants decide to team up and put a check with many zeros on the table, you know something monumental is coming. Production company Twin Engine officially announced a strategic partnership with merchandise titan Bandai to create a new franchise from scratch. The ambitious plan is to start with a original manga, jump directly to its animated adaptation, and finish with a flood of merchandise, figures, and collectibles to empty the wallets of the community.

To show they’re serious about this alliance, the companies agreed on a joint initial investment of up to four billion yen (an insane budget) exclusively for the printed project development and anime production. The division of tasks is meticulously planned: Twin Engine will handle all planning, distribution, and animation, while Bandai will take charge of marketing, licensing, and physical product development. The goal is to design works with their TV version in mind from the first sketch, ensuring a seamless transition from manga to screen.

This strategy makes a lot of sense when we look at Twin Engine’s recent moves. Since creating its EOTA group in 2020 and acquiring studios like NuT earlier this year, Twin Engine has been preparing to publish mangas of its own creation. By adding Bandai’s vast commercial experience, they aim to avoid the typical headaches of a fragmented production committee, maintaining full control of the IP to ensure it grows steadily and consolidates globally in the coming years, though details about the first story remain a complete secret.

Given that they’re investing four billion yen in totally new projects instead of adapting existing popular works, do you think this duo will create the next big phenomenon of the decade, or is it too risky to bet such a fortune on a story no one knows?