IG Port

IG Port was born on December 1, 2007, when two creative powerhouses merged: anime studio Production I.G and manga publisher Mag Garden. The move created a holding company that could juggle animation production, manga publishing, and licensing under one roof. Production I.G itself had been around since December 15, 1987, spinning off from Tatsunoko Production. Founder Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, who built Production I.G into a prestige animation house, became the driving force behind the new group.

Over the years, IG Port expanded its studio family. Wit Studio launched in 2012, taking on Attack on Titan for its first three seasons. Signal.MD followed in 2014, focusing on digital animation and films like Lupin III: The First. Mag Garden, meanwhile, kept publishing manga such as The Ancient Magus' Bride and co-publishing Black Butler. The group's strength lies in letting each subsidiary keep its own creative identity while sharing back-office resources.

Financially, IG Port is a small-cap player on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For the fiscal year ending May 2024, it reported ¥16.8 billion in revenue and ¥1.2 billion in operating profit. Market cap hovers around ¥25–30 billion. The company competes with giants like Kadokawa and Toei Animation but carves out a niche for high-quality, story-driven anime. Recent moves include a joint venture with Netflix for new original films and a direct-to-consumer streaming service called IG Port Channel, launched in 2021.[edit]