The world has been bathed in Crunchyroll as the leading distributor of the world of Anime into the Western continents. But as things have now rolled on to be, they have confirmed that Crunchyroll Expo 2023 is not happening.
The annual Crunchyroll Expo has been highly anticipated by the anime community, but the popular streaming platform has announced that the event will not take place in 2023.
Instead, the company plans to attend various expanding anime expos and festivals, as indicated in an update on its official website.
What is the CRX?
The Crunchyroll Expo (CRX) is a three-day anime convention that takes place annually over Labor Day weekend in August/September at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The event is coordinated by anime licensor Crunchyroll and LeftField Media.
When did it begin?
- The first Crunchyroll Expo was held in 2017 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in California. The convention was managed with the help of LeftField Media.
- Most of the ticket sales were made in the days leading up to the event, which faced some staffing and badge check problems, along with confusion over autograph tickets and the absence of video rooms.
In 2018, the Crunchyroll Expo was moved to the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, and it took place during the same weekend as SacAnime. From 2020 onwards, Crunchyroll partnered with ReedPop to organize the event.
However, the 2020 and 2021 conventions were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were replaced with online events named Virtual Crunchyroll Expo.
Was Crunchyroll Expo 2022 canceled as well?
- In 2022, the Crunchyroll Expo was a hybrid event, featuring both physical and online components. The convention included a new music festival named Crunchy City Music Fest, which had an attendance cap and was sold out.
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the convention had mask and vaccination requirements, as well as increased security. LeftField Media was once again brought in to manage the event. This year, however, Crunchyroll has announced that the expo will not be held, as the company plans to prioritize other events worldwide.
CRUNCHYROLL EXPO 2023 UPDATE: This year we decided to hit pause on CRX to focus on attending a growing roster of expos and festivals around the world #AnimeNews https://t.co/KQLtEnTHJ2
— thExtend.com | thExtendList.com (@thExtend) February 9, 2023
Crunchyroll has officially canceled Crunchyroll Expo 2023.
“Thank you for your support of Crunchyroll Expo. This year we decided to hit pause on CRX to focus on attending a growing roster of expos and festivals around the world.
Crunchyroll Anime Awards is still on, however.
Hope isn’t gone yet. Because Crunchyroll has assured fans that the 7th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards will take place on March 4th as planned and will be live-streamed for the first time ever, directly from Japan.
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards are different, because they are, well, award ceremony.
Concluding
The expo would have been a much-needed refreshment for the talented artists looking to display their potential. With Cosplay growing fanatically as a pop culture, it would have been assuring to have Crunchyroll not cancel their expo.
Although there are other amounts of independently held open-for-all Anime conventions around the corner every now and then.
Also Read: Top 8 Shonen Anime like Vinland Saga for those beginning their Anime Journey
Make sure you subscribe to our push-notifications and never miss an update from the world of video games, cinema, and sports. You can also follow us on Twitter @spieltimes for the latest PS5 restock and drop. Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!
