The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has closed down AnimePlay, a popular anime streaming website with over 5 million users.

ACE, supported by over 50 leading media companies like Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Netflix, and Universal Pictures, combats illegal streaming by using lawsuits, reporting criminal activity, and sending cease-and-desist letters.

Recently, ACE has targeted and eliminated numerous other large-scale illegal streaming services in coordinated efforts with law enforcement. For example, in November 2025, they shut down Photocall, a big pirated TV streaming site with over 26 million annual visits.

Their latest action involved shutting down the AnimePlay anime streaming service, which featured over 60 terabytes of anime shows and movies and had gained more than 5 million registered users, primarily from Indonesia.

ACE took control of the AnimePlay application and shut down the service by taking all supporting systems offline, including servers and websites.

“ACE gained control of not only the application but also its supporting technology, including 15 related domains, the original programming, the hosting setup, and other digital materials, all of which are now offline,” the anti-piracy group stated on Thursday. “By doing this, ACE has completely stopped the service and prevented the operator from rebuilding or restarting it.”

The person who created and managed the pirated service also gave ACE control of the backend systems that powered AnimePlay, encompassing backend servers, related databases, advertising tools, and 29 GitHub locations containing the complete programming instructions.

“We will continue our partnerships in the Asia Pacific region and around the world to shut down criminal activities like this one and protect the creative sector,” said Larissa Knapp, Chief Content Protection Officer and Executive Vice President for the Motion Picture Association (MPA).