MIXI Announces Strategic Partnership with Runway

MIXI Co., Ltd. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President, and Senior Executive Officer, CEO: Hiroki Kimura) announced today that it has entered into an enterprise partnership with Runway AI, Inc. (hereinafter "Runway"), a globally recognized leader in generative AI-powered video production, editing, animation, and visual expression.

Runway develops and researches generative AI and multimodal AI models, while also providing a creative AI platform that supports the production workflows of creators and businesses. Its technology is increasingly used in fields requiring advanced visual expression, such as film, television, advertising, VFX, and gaming, helping millions of users unlock new possibilities through AI-assisted creative production.

Our company pursues the creation of "heartfelt connections" through various communication services. In recent years, we have positioned generative AI as a crucial technology to support creators' expression and production processes, and have been actively utilizing it in creative production operations. As part of this initiative, we have previously leveraged Runway in our production workflows for video creation, animation, effects, and visual proposals.

Through this partnership, MIXI will further develop its use of Runway and strengthen its creative production capabilities. Furthermore, both companies plan to collaborate on creating new creative use cases utilizing generative AI in areas such as gaming, animation, and interactive experiences.

Key Examples of Past Runway Utilization

Production of "Monster Strike" videos: Completed in approximately 3 days, a process that previously took about 21 days. Production was handled in-house without outsourcing to external production companies.

Corporate brand movie production: Completed in approximately 7 days, a process that previously took about 20 days using conventional methods. A hybrid production process combining live-action footage and generative AI was established.

Visual proposals for character animation, in-app effects, and screen transitions: Production processes that previously took several days were shortened to as little as approximately 5 minutes.

Comments from Both Companies

Ryoma Murase, Director and Senior Executive Officer, MIXI Co., Ltd.

"At MIXI, with our tagline 'Let's connect hearts,' we are dedicated to creating products that value the experiences and emotions generated between people. Runway is a vital partner supporting our creative production workflows, expanding the possibilities of expression in the realms of sports, lifestyle, and digital entertainment. As AI expands production possibilities, what becomes even more important is what we create, from what perspective we deliver it, and what stories and experiences we bring to our users. Through our collaboration with Runway, we are very excited to challenge ideas and expressions that were previously difficult to achieve and create new value."

Cristóbal Valenzuela, Co-founder and Co-CEO, Runway AI, Inc.

"MIXI embodies the typical process we see when enterprise adoption is successful. They start with clear use cases, see the results, and then rapidly scale their usage. The speed at which Runway is being adopted across MIXI's various businesses is incredibly impressive. As one of our early partners in Japan, we are thrilled to see Runway being utilized for such a diverse range of applications by a company like MIXI."

MIXI and Runway will continue to explore the possibilities of creative production using generative AI, aiming to deliver richer communication experiences to our users.

About Runway (https://runwayml.com/)

Runway is an applied AI research company building generative video and world models. It enables new forms of creative production, simulation, and training while supporting millions of users in fields such as video production, video editing, animation, VFX, gaming, and robotics.

About MIXI Co., Ltd. (https://mixi.co.jp/)

Under its purpose (raison d'être) of "Enriching communication and enveloping the world in happy surprises," MIXI provides communication services for friends and family to enjoy together, including "mixi," "Monster Strike," "Family Album Mitene," and "TIPSTAR." Guided by our core principle of "User Surprise First," we contribute to realizing a society of heartfelt, emotional connections by continuing to create "heartfelt connections" – places and opportunities for deep, rich communication, not just simple connectivity – in line with our mission.