Geneon to return with new distribution method – Summer 2008?

It has been several months since the President of Geneon USA, Eiji Orii, left his [PDF format] parting words back in November 2007, and while there is still no official word on the situation, an industry insider and owner of the popular fan-orientated US anime distribution company “Robert’s Anime Corner Store” has let out some carefully worded information on the current situation, which provides a very well deserved sigh of relief for the many thousands of anime fans who have been left in the cold since the last quater of 2007.

Robert writes in his weekly newsletter:

I’m still getting a half dozen e-mails each week from folks wondering when Geneon’s old titles will be back on the market. Anime fans are consummate optimists. 🙂 I actually do have an update of sorts, and I have not mentioned anything up until now because I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up – but what the heck, here goes. Geneon has been in serious talks with a major US home entertainment distributor for about the past three months to get their titles back on the street. I know exactly who it is, how far along they are, and the details that are going to make or break the deal. The trouble is I can’t make any of that info public without jeopardizing our relationship with the new company, but perhaps it’s helpful to let you guys know that there is something serious in the works. Whether the deal is completed or not remains to be seen, and I would advise everyone to not get their hopes up, but I will tell you this:

• If we don’t hear anything by mid-summer we probably won’t hear anything.
• Even if a major deal is struck, it won’t involve Geneon’s entire catalog circa Sept 2007. The new company will cherry pick those releases like people at Ruby Tuesday pick over the salad bar.
• The ‘major distributor’ they are in talks with is NOT one of the existing US Anime studios.