Why did Attack on Titan change from Wit to MAPPA?

The producers (Kensuke Tateishi, Toshihiro Maeda and Tetsuya Kinoshita) told the story in Newtype’s November 2020 issue, and it is more respectful than the rumour version. The change was discussed with Wit during season 3’s production. Season 3 ends with the protagonist gazing at the ocean, a turning point after which the work becomes something larger and harsher; as the producers put it, “as creators we wanted the anime to escalate even further,” and through their talks they understood continuing would be difficult for Wit.

Then came the search: the three producers divided the industry between them, and dozens of studios declined, several pleading schedule. MAPPA alone agreed to consider it, and its answer is the quote fans keep: “Attack on Titan should have a proper ending for the sake of the fans.” Wit, for its part, said it could rest easy knowing the series was in MAPPA’s hands. MAPPA’s Final Season ran from December 2020 to the closing special of 5 November 2023. One thread of continuity survived the move: CG director Shūhei Yabuta was the only graphics-team member to cross from Wit’s seasons to MAPPA’s. Wit’s CEO George Wada later added the studio-side coda: the production’s burden was immense, its staff wanted to make original works, and he believes the two-studio relay was the only way the anime could ever have been finished.