Update - July 15: Details shared with GamesRadar+ clarify that Fan-tier subscribers will still be able to "browse" the Crunchyroll store, while only Mega and Ultimate-tier subscribers will have access to the "new curated experience" coming in the August store update.
I've asked for further clarification regarding Fan and non-subscriber shopping access, the scope of this new exclusive section, and how the Crunchyroll store's inventory may change following this August update and the ongoing "final sale" of many items.
Original story:
Crunchyroll, acquired by Sony's Funimation from AT&T in 2021, is making substantial changes to its online store, which absorbed anime and manga shop Right Stuf in 2023. Soon enough, only Crunchyroll Mega and Ultimate-tier subscribers will be able to use the store at all, and it's unclear how its selection of items may change.
In a news post announcing "A New Crunchyroll Store and Member Experience Is Coming Soon," Crunchyroll confirms that an August overhaul will introduce "a brand-new shopping experience that will be available exclusively for Mega and Ultimate Fans."
Mega and Ultimate are the upper tier of Crunchyroll's subscription options. The basic plan, Fan, is $9.99 a month and gets you access to the Crunchyroll anime library (and, per Crunchyroll comment, the option to browse the baseline store).
The Mega tier, $13.99 a month, adds multi-device streaming support and access to the service's game vault.
Ultimate subscribers paying $17.99 a month additionally get access to the Crunchyroll manga library, six device streaming support rather than Mega's four, and an "exclusive swag bag."
This type of swag bag will seemingly be integrated into the Crunchyroll store going forward. "The new store captures the excitement of convention-exclusive merchandise—collectibles, curated drops, and limited-release products inspired by the anime series you love," the announcement reads.
Ahead of this overhaul, the store is throwing a 50% off summer sale beginning today, July 14. An attached FAQ affirms, "Open orders will continue to process and ship as usual, including items that release after the store transitions. If any part of your order cannot be fulfilled, you’ll receive a separate email with details and next steps."
Additionally, Crunchyroll is enacting "final sale terms" for select, currently unspecified items. "Returns, exchanges, and refunds are not permitted for final sale items for change of mind, incorrect selection, or other non-defect-related reasons. This policy applies only to orders placed on or after the effective date and does not apply retroactively," the FAQ clarifies.
This move will effectively charge users for the privilege of browsing the Crunchyroll store, where they'll then need to spend more money to acquire the books, Blu-rays, figures, and other merch that was previously available via the demonstrably superior Right Stuf shop.
This assumes that the same inventory will even be accessible in this new "curated" shop. Many users, myself included, recently noticed that a lot of items have vanished from the store, possibly because it's completely broken right now. For example, I currently can't find much of anything apart from figures and apparel for Frieren: Beyond Journey's End or The Apothecary Diaries, two of the hottest series in recent memory. The Ancient Magus' Bride manga is listed for final sale, meanwhile.
Crunchyroll's faced additional scrutiny ever since the Right Stuf purchase, which removed a major Japanese specialist shop from the ecosystem. At its best, I've found the new, combined shop to be a slightly worse option.
This change to the Crunchyroll store also comes as Sony moves to kill physical games on PlayStation. With users already revolting over the impending end of discs, another threat to once readily accessible physical goods has struck a nerve.
