Anime/webtoon platform market is booming now. Experts say that the anime/webtoon platform market will reach over $60 Billion by 2030. And the driving factor is technology that is making anime/webtoon production faster, cost-effective, and efficient than ever before.
The problem is:
Anime production used to take a long time. Months, even years, to create just a single season. Large crews were needed to manually draw and color every frame.
But, that is not the case anymore…
In this article, we’ll discuss:
- How AI is disrupting anime production pipelines
- The role of real-time rendering in reducing production time
- Streaming platforms, and the revolution in anime distribution
- What the new tech means for smaller studios and indie creators
- Where the anime/webtoon platform industry is headed in the future
Artificial Intelligence (AI) And The Anime Industry
The biggest disruptive technology in anime industry at the moment is Artificial Intelligence. AI implementation in the animation industry grew by a whopping 35% from 2020-2023. The AI growth is still in its infancy.
And the reason why:
AI is taking over tasks that were repetitive and time-consuming in production pipelines. Frame interpolation, background generation, character rigging – all these processes can be done using AI tools. This automation is freeing up the actual animators to focus on the important stuff – actual creative work.
The global market size of the Generative AI in Animation market is expected to reach $15.9 Billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 39.8%
But there’s more to the story…
Anime/webtoon platforms are evolving as key central hubs where anime creators discover and exchange production resources and tools to use. Korean anime/webtoon platforms like 한눈에 링크를 모아보는 플랫폼 (aka “링크”), which translates in English to something like, “a platform that gathers links at a glance”, are the latest revolution in how animators discover and use technology resources. These Korean link aggregation platforms bring all the necessary resources for animators to streamline their processes, access tools, tutorials, and build anime production communities to stay competitive in an increasingly technology-dependent anime/webtoon industry.
Best of all? Smaller, independent studios can now compete against the large established anime production studios because the production tools have been democratized and made more accessible for smaller teams.
Real-Time Rendering: A Game-Changer In Speed
Animation renderings used to take forever. Hours just to render a single frame used to be the norm. Not anymore.
Real-time rendering technology is cutting down production times by as much as 40%. Months of work can now be done in weeks.
Imagine:
- Faster iteration and creative experimentation
- Overall lower costs of production
- More anime content reaching the market
- Higher quality content created in less time
Animation studios are adopting the new real-time rendering technologies at rapid speed because it’s making production so much faster. You see your animation come to life immediately, you can make changes on the spot, and get the final product out in record time.
Cool, right?
Streaming Platforms: The Distribution Revolution
Here’s the thing that most people don’t know:
Streaming platforms aren’t just changing the way we consume anime. They’re changing the way it’s produced.
Netflix, Crunchyroll, and other platforms are now pumping billions into original anime productions. They’re not just licensing existing shows anymore. They’re funding and producing anime from the ground up.
Why are they doing that? Because:
- They have guaranteed distribution deals for the content before production even begins.
- Anime has a global reach from the first day it’s released.
- They’re able to get real direct data and feedback on what audiences are actually consuming and enjoying.
- Funding from these platforms means larger budgets for anime creators and production.
Domestic streaming revenues alone grew by more than 50% in Japan. The streaming platforms are pumping all that money straight into anime productions.
Anime Production Technology Stack: Key Technologies
Here are some of the major technologies that are transforming anime production these days:
Motion Capture and AI animation
Capturing and animating motion, from character movements to action sequences, can be done by AI and requires less manual intervention than ever before.
Procedural Generation
Procedural content generation allows for backgrounds, crowds, and even entire scenes to be automatically generated, saving huge amounts of manual labor.
Cloud-Based Collaboration Platforms
Anime production teams can collaborate on files in real-time from anywhere in the world, be it Tokyo, LA, or Seoul.
2D Raster to 3D Vector Conversion
New technology tools are emerging that can take 3D models and convert them into traditional 2D raster that give the appearance of traditional anime style.
The New Tech Means Opportunity for Creators
The exciting part is:
There’s already an explosion of demand for animators skilled in AI and technology know-how. The demand for animators with AI experience is set to increase by 25%+ in the coming years.
And the good news is that it’s not just for tech-experts anymore. The tools are getting more user-friendly every year. What used to require a Computer Science degree now have tools with interfaces that are accessible for everyone to learn and master.
Smaller studios are the big winners here. It no longer takes a large crew to produce professional quality anime. A small team of talented people armed with the right tools can now create shows on par with the big anime studio productions.
Webtoon: The Parallel Boom
Webtoons are booming in parallel to the anime industry.
This is because they employ many of the same technologies and often become source material for full-fledged anime productions. Webtoons and anime production are becoming more and more intertwined.
Platforms that host both webtoon and anime are becoming creative powerhouses and hotbeds of activity for the next generation of anime creators to build up their audience before moving into actual anime productions.
A lot of anime series start off as webtoons. It’s become a proving ground for stories and characters before making the jump to the much more expensive anime production.
The Future Is Already Here
Technology is accelerating anime production faster than ever before.
Virtual reality anime experiences, AI-generated storylines and characters, real-time audience engagement, none of these are science fiction anymore. All of this is already happening.
The studios that have adopted these new technologies and technologies are reaping the rewards. Studios that are lagging behind are falling behind.
What’s next:
- Better AI tools that can produce more complex character emotions and behaviors
- Virtual production stages modeled on live-action films
- Blockchain based fan engagement
- Interactive anime where the viewer has agency to impact the storyline
The anime industry generated $24 Billion globally and technology is the biggest driving force behind this.
Conclusion
Technology is changing anime production on a fundamental level.
AI Automation, Real-Time Rendering, Streaming Platforms, Cloud-Based Collaboration, all these aspects of anime production are being transformed by technology.
The best part? Technology isn’t just making production faster and cheaper. It’s making it more creative. Artists have more time to focus on actual art, studios have the ability to take more risks, and independent creators have the ability to actually compete with established industry giants.
If you are in or entering the anime/webtoon production business, it’s time to get up to speed on these technologies and how they work. Learn the new tools. Experiment with AI and automated processes. Educate yourself on how streaming platforms operate.
The anime industry is growing at almost 10% CAGR. Content demand is at an all-time high, and with technology becoming more accessible by the day, production has the ability to meet that demand while also pushing the boundaries of creative storytelling in ways we haven’t seen before.
Time to dive in and be part of the revolution.
