Funimation is shutting down on April 2nd, 2024. The anime streaming service will begin migrating present subscribers to Crunchyroll — a transfer that won’t solely have an effect on subscription costs, however may also wipe digital libraries.
A assist web page on Funimation’s web site says the service will routinely switch present subscribers to Crunchyroll, noting that the switch “could range relying in your particular fee platform, subscription kind and area.” However the web page — unhelpfully — doesn’t say how a lot subscribers must pay following the transition, solely that legacy subscribers will see a worth enhance. You’ll must verify your electronic mail to see how a lot you’ll must pay.
Screenshot by Emma Roth / The Verge
Since I’m a legacy subscriber, my worth goes up. As an alternative of paying $5.99 per thirty days for the Funimation Premium Plus plan I used to be grandfathered into, I’ll must pay $9.99 per thirty days for Crunchyroll’s Mega Fan plan. (For some cause, my electronic mail lists my new worth as $12.49 Canadian, which is how a lot Canadian customers must pay for the Mega Fan plan.)
I’m not the one one getting a worth enhance, both. In a submit on X, one person says they’ll see their yearly subscription worth go from $54.95 to $99.99. Nonetheless, the person notes that they had been additionally grandfathered into an older Funimation plan, which is why the value hike is so steep. One other person on the identical legacy plan as me may also see the identical soar from $5.99 to $9.99 per thirty days. We’ve reached out to Crunchyroll for extra clarification in regards to the new costs Funimation subscribers must pay however didn’t instantly hear again.
To make issues worse, Crunchyroll gained’t assist the digital copies redeemed by means of Funimation. This promotion allowed customers to redeem digital copies of a Funimation Blu-ray or DVD they bought, giving them the power them to retailer and look at the present or film by means of the streaming service. Funimation stated customers may hold the copies “without end” — however that’s clearly not the case now.
In response to Funimation’s assist web page, Crunchyroll “doesn’t presently assist Funimation Digital copies, which signifies that entry to beforehand accessible digital copies is not going to be supported.” In different phrases, all these digital copies are going away, too, which is an enormous bummer for anybody who bought — and later offered — eligible DVDs or Blu-rays, hoping to retailer the digital copies on Funimation without end.
The writing has been on the wall for Funimation for fairly a while. When Sony acquired Crunchyroll in 2021, it made plans to mix Crunchyroll and Funimation right into a single streaming service. After that, Crunchyroll inherited an enormous library of content material from Funimation — however Funimation remained on-line, whereas nonetheless including episodes of continuous collection. We didn’t know when Funimation was going to close down till now.
Should you’re keen on transferring to a Crunchyroll subscription, there are directions on the assist web page about the right way to switch your watch historical past and queue. As for myself, I’m possible going to cancel my subscription. The one cause why I saved Funimation was as a result of I’m on a legacy $5.99 per thirty days plan — making it the most cost effective ad-free streaming service I’ve amid rising costs throughout all the business. Certain, Funimation’s playback controls and UI aren’t all that nice, however I’ll miss utilizing the app to get my fill of nostalgia from Dragon Ball Z or to meet up with new episodes of My Hero Academia.