During its Anime Expo 2024 panel, Viz Media has announced they will acquire the RWBY franchise after the demise of original owner Rooster Teeth.

Viz currently has the rights for distribution, production, and licensing of the RWBY franchise, so fully acquiring the IP makes sense for the publisher.

Yang Xiaolong’s English voice actress Barbara Dunkelman and co-producer Kerry Shawcross announced that they are in talks with Viz Media about how to handle the franchise after Rooster Teeth’s demise.

The partnership with Viz Media will oversee production, distribution, licensing, and consumer products, and future RWBY series were not ruled out.

Shawcross said that “This is a huge opportunity to grow our audience and expand into the future. They’re also very excited about this when talking with VIZ. They care about where the show is now, but they also care about where it came from. And they want to make sure that we can continue this story.”

Viz Media previously published RWBY manga based on the works of Shirow Miwa from 2015 to 2017. Bunta Kinami’s RWBY manga, running from Shonen Jump from 2018 to 2020, was also published in English by Viz.

RWBY was the creation of Monty Oum, following the stories of four girls with superpowers hunting down “Creatures of Grimm”. Nine volumes of the RWBY animated series were produced from 2015 to 2023 by Rooster Teeth. In addition, a more traditional Japanese anime adaptation aired on 2022, produced by Studio Shaft.

Rooster Teeth closed in 2024 after 21 years due to challenges in the ongoing digital media landscape and consumer behavior.