This Does Not Look Good
If no news is okay news, then is any news at all bad news? It’s certainly looking iffy for ADV: Anime on DVD reports on an auction of a bunch of office equipment from a “large video/DVD company” in Houston, ADV’s hometown.
Several of the images give it away as ADV– like the above, which features stickers and boxes from ADV series like Sorcerer Hunters and Martian Successor Nadesico. The auction title on PhotoBucket is “ADVideo” and the auction address appears to be ADV’s warehouse. (It was posted on AOd’s forums by Chris Johnston, formerly of ADV’s Newtype USA, btw.) AoD also reports that some ADV employees have dropped hints about not working there anymore– though ADV did have that booth at AnimeNext and there were certainly people acting as employees, including ADR director David Williams.
So, what does this mean? Could mean anything– layoffs, a full shut down, or maybe just “looking for change in the couch cushions” (as one AoD forum member suggested). It IS worth noting that their website seems to be evading providing info on products: wherever you try to go, all you get is the ads and website feedback form. That could be an accident or something intentional, I don’t know.
I’m going to offer one bit of wild speculation, which is why I’m prefacing it with this little cautionary statement. But FUNimation has mentioned that they have a major “acquisition announcement” to give at Expo. That could refer to a major license, of course, but it could just as easily refer to ADV and/or its catalogue. (Or, for that matter, Geneon’s.) “Consolidation opportunities” were also mentioned in the Navarre conference call earlier this month, although it’s hard to tell if that was volunteered by Navarre’s CEO or if it was in response to a question. So…is it possible that FUNimation/Navarre is planning (or has already arranged) to buy ADV? It might explain why they’d sell off the office furniture, if whatever ADV staff remains was going to be fused with the FUNimation office (or laid off).
Once again: that is entirely speculation on my part, so we’ll see what happens. I wouldn’t expect to hear anything official from ADV until Anime Expo, unless something major hits the fan.
Tags: ADV, rumors, western industry
June 26th, 2008 at 8:31 am
(T_T)
June 26th, 2008 at 8:56 am
[...] gia finds that ADV is selling off a bunch of office equipment and wildly speculates. I hope she’s [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I could use a new chair like the one AoD mentioned http://www.animeondvd.com/news/news.php?news_view=14320
June 27th, 2008 at 5:19 am
[...] Gia Manry reports on the latest thing to trigger speculation over anime/manga publisher ADV’s [...]
June 29th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
It looks like the decline in DVD sales is hurting companies that do better quality work first. Geneon falls first, now ADV, soon only Funimation will be left standing. THAT’S a scary thought.