DMM establishes GLEESTONE animation studio
DMM has established GLEESTONE, a new studio that will handle animation projects from planning through production, though no first title has been announced.
DMM has established GLEESTONE, a new animation studio intended to handle projects from early planning through production. The company says it will work across TV series, films and shorts, giving DMM another dedicated production operation as the group continues expanding its presence in anime. 1
GLEESTONE's official announcement describes the company as a creative studio focused on producing animation that remains memorable beyond the immediate news cycle. Its stated remit covers the process from planning to finished production, rather than limiting the new business to licensing, financing or committee participation. No specific anime title or release date was announced alongside the launch. 1
Who is running GLEESTONE
Naokazu Tsuruta (鶴田直一), who leads DMM Group's content creative unit, is GLEESTONE's representative director and CEO. Kensuke Tateishi (立石謙介) is the chief operating officer, while Kō Shimizu (清水 航) and Kōya Takami (高見晃也) join as producers. Anime News Network reports the same executive structure, citing GLEESTONE, DMM and Comic Natalie. 2
The studio lists a Tokyo base at DMM's Roppongi Grand Tower offices and a second location in Kichijoji. The Kichijoji site is scheduled to begin operating at the end of 2026. GLEESTONE says its name combines “glee” with “stone”: the ambition is to create moments that excite viewers and preserve that feeling in work that lasts. 1
Part of DMM's wider anime push
GLEESTONE is not DMM's first move into animation production. DMM Pictures, the group's anime label, was established in 2017 and has participated in licensing and production committees for more than 120 projects, according to Anime News Network. DMM also established CUE in 2023 as an animation production company. 2
The new studio therefore looks less like a one-off label announcement and more like another piece of DMM's growing production infrastructure. Its stated focus on planning and production could eventually give the group more control over the projects it develops, although the company has not yet revealed what GLEESTONE will make first.
Our opinion
A new studio without a first title is easy to dismiss as corporate housekeeping, but GLEESTONE is still worth watching because DMM has made its remit unusually clear. This is not simply a new brand attached to existing licensing activity: the company says it wants to take projects from the planning stage through animation production, and it has appointed an experienced production team to do it.
The important caveat is that the announcement contains no project slate, release window or named creative partnership. For now, GLEESTONE is a statement of intent rather than a concrete anime launch. The next meaningful test will be whether DMM gives the studio an original project or a high-profile adaptation with enough room to establish its own identity.