4K Entertainment (Simpsonverse)

4K Entertainment (previously known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and 4Kids Entertainment) is an American licensing company. The company is also a film and television production company that has English-dubbed Japanese anime since 1992; it specializes in the acquisition, production and licensing of entertainment around the United States. The first anime that 4K dubbed was the first eight seasons of Pokémon that aired on MGM Kids in the United States. The company is most well known for its range of television licenses, which has included the multibillion-dollar Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! Japanese anime franchises. They also ran the program block 4KTV on MGM, aimed at children. The 4KTV block ended on July 1, 2013, when all the now-redubbed 4K programs were moved to Adult Swim through its Toonami block.

4K Entertainment has its world headquarters on Third Avenue in New York City, The New York Stock Exchange delisted 4Kids (NYSE: KDE) on June 1, 2010. On April 6, 2011, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following a lawsuit concerning the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. On December 13, 2012, WarnerMGM Communications Co. announced that it had saved the company from bankruptcy and rebranded as 4K Entertainment in order to produce newer, more accurate dubs. The new company was relisted (NYSE: 4KE) on December 20, and the deal was finalized the next day.

History

2012-present: The WarnerMGM era and resurgence

The buyout of 4Kids Entertainment was welcomed with open arms, as Simpson promised to rebrand and make more accurate dubs by regaining the rights to anime they dubbed before, as well as anime they had never dubbed as 4Kids.