Industry | Computer games |
---|---|
Genre | Visual novels |
Founder | Raymond Qian |
Headquarters | , United States |
Website | sekaiproject |
Sekai Project is an American video game publisher. They are best known for licensing and translating Japanese visual novels into English, but they have also published manga and other non-visual novel video games.
Sekai Project originated in 2007 as a fan translation group translating the visual novel School Days . [1] They later partnered with publisher JAST USA, turning their fan translation into the official English version of the game. [2] Sekai Project began publishing games on Steam in 2014; their first title was World End Economica episode.01 , released in June. Sekai Project has used the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to fund many of their projects. In November 2014, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund an English release of the visual novel Clannad . The campaign exceeded its goal of US$140,000 and ended up raising over US$500,000. [3] In July 2015, Sekai Project announced that they would be localizing manga in addition to video games, starting with Gate . [4]
Since Steam does not typically allow adult games to be sold on their platform, [5] Sekai Project releases their adult titles through their partner company Denpasoft. For titles like The Fruit of Grisaia , an all ages version is available on Steam, while the adult version is sold directly through the Denpasoft website. [6]
In 2017, the company partnered with Humble Bundle, an online marketplace where games are sold based on what other users paid for them. As is usual for the Humble Bundle site, users were also able to donate a portion of their payment to the charity of their choice. [7]
In June 2018, Sekai Project provided a censored version of the adult game Maitetsu to Fakku to distribute, contrary to what Sekai Project had promised them and their customers. [8]
In August 2018, Sekai Project laid off some or all of their permanent staff in their Los Angeles office. [9] In a statement to the press, they said most of the staff let go were marketing, but one of their employees posted to Twitter claiming that every employee in the LA office was laid off. [10] Most of the translation and programming work for the company is freelance work that is done remotely. This has continued since the layoffs.
In 2018, Sekai Project opened Sekai Games, a console focused division within the company structure. [11] Since then, Sekai Games has handled all publishing and marketing for their console releases. On April 14, 2020, Sekai Games and Limited Run Games released a physical edition of Clannad for Nintendo Switch. [12] In 2021, Sekai Games announced they were going to begin publishing games on Xbox Series X and S, having previously only published games on Nintendo and Sony consoles.[ citation needed ]
Title | Developer | Publication date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
World End Economica episode.01 | Spicy Tails | June 17, 2014 | [13] |
Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius | Love in Space | July 9, 2014 | [14] |
Sakura Spirit | Winged Cloud | July 9, 2014 | [15] |
Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet | Key | September 12, 2014 | [16] |
Rising Angels: Reborn | IDHAS Studios | September 12, 2014 | [17] |
Pyrite Heart | Winged Cloud | September 25, 2014 | [18] |
Fault Milestone One | Alice in Dissonance | December 15, 2014 | [19] |
Nekopara Vol. 1 | Neko Works | December 29, 2014 | [20] |
Sakura Angels | Winged Cloud | January 16, 2015 | [21] |
The Way We All Go | ebi-hime | March 24, 2015 | [22] |
Sunrider Academy | Love in Space | April 15, 2015 | [23] |
Narcissu 1st & 2nd | stage-nana | April 24, 2015 | [24] |
The Reject Demon: Toko Chapter 0 — Prelude | Lupiesoft | May 8, 2015 | [25] |
Love at First Sight | Creepy Cute | May 18, 2015 | [26] |
Tobari and the Night of the Curious Moon | Desunoya | May 26, 2015 | [27] |
Sakura Fantasy Chapter 1 | Winged Cloud | May 29, 2015 | [28] |
The Fruit of Grisaia | Front Wing | May 29, 2015 | [29] |
Raiders Sphere 4th | Rectangle | June 1, 2015 | [30] |
Ame no Marginal | stage-nana | July 7, 2015 | [31] |
World End Economica episode.02 | Spicy Tails | July 21, 2015 | [32] |
Machina of the Planet Tree -Planet Ruler- | Denneko Yuugi | July 28, 2015 | [33] |
Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru Part 1 | Front Wing | July 29, 2015 | [34] |
Idol Magical Girl Chiru Chiru Michiru Part 2 | Front Wing | July 29, 2015 | [35] |
Sakura Clicker | Winged Cloud | July 29, 2015 | [36] |
Asphyxia | ebi-hime | August 4, 2015 | [37] |
Sakura Beach | Winged Cloud | August 14, 2015 | [38] |
Nekopara Vol. 0 | Neko Works | August 17, 2015 | [39] |
Fault Milestone Two Side: Above | Alice in Dissonance | September 7, 2015 | [40] |
Sakura Swim Club | Winged Cloud | September 11, 2015 | [41] |
Sound of Drop: Fall Into Poison | aiueoKompany | October 30, 2015 | [42] |
G-senjou no Maou - The Devil on G-String | Akabeisoft2 | November 5, 2015 | [43] |
Sakura Beach 2 | Winged Cloud | November 6, 2015 | [44] |
Written in the Sky | Unwonted Studios | November 9, 2015 | [45] |
Yohjo Simulator | Deadfactory | November 17, 2015 | [46] |
Clannad | Key | November 23, 2015 | [47] |
Reverse x Reverse | Desunoya | December 10, 2015 | [48] |
Was: The Hourglass of Lepidoptera [Note 1] | SRL | December 15, 2015 | [49] |
Sakura Santa | Winged Cloud | December 21, 2015 | [50] |
Strawberry Vinegar | ebi-hime | January 5, 2016 | [51] |
The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns | ebi-hime | January 5, 2016 | [52] |
No One But You | Unwonted Studios | January 19, 2016 | [53] |
Narcissu 10th Anniversary Anthology Project | stage-nana | January 27, 2016 | [54] |
Rabi-Ribi | CreSpirit | January 28, 2016 | [55] |
Nekopara Vol. 2 | Neko Works | February 19, 2016 | [56] |
Atom Grrrl!! | Cosmillica | March 1, 2016 | [57] |
Sunrider: Liberation Day | Love in Space | March 4, 2016 | [58] |
Rising Angels: Hope | IDHAS Studios | March 18, 2016 | [59] |
Starlight Vega | Razzart Visual | April 14, 2016 | [60] |
Lucid9: Inciting Incident | Fallen Snow Studios | April 14, 2016 | [61] |
Root Double: Before Crime * After Days | Regista, Yeti | April 27, 2016 | [62] |
Selenon Rising | Fastermind Games | April 29, 2016 | [63] |
Resette's Prescription: Book of memory, Swaying scale | Liz-Arts | May 30, 2016 | [64] |
Nekopalive | Neko Works | May 31, 2016 | [65] |
Clannad Side Stories | Key | June 2, 2016 | [66] |
Sakura Dungeon | Winged Cloud | June 3, 2016 | [67] |
Cherry Tree High Girls' Fight | 773 | June 13, 2016 | [68] |
Highway Blossoms | Studio Élan, Studio Coattails | June 17, 2016 | [69] |
The Orchard of Stray Sheep | Namaage | June 20, 2016 | [70] |
My Little Kitties | Cosen | June 21, 2016 | [71] |
The Labyrinth of Grisaia | Front Wing | June 22, 2016 | [72] |
Karakara | calme | June 27, 2016 | [73] |
Empty Horizons | ebi-hime | July 19, 2016 | [74] |
Just Deserts | Vifth Floor | July 25, 2016 | [75] |
Sakura Shrine Girls | Winged Cloud | August 26, 2016 | [76] |
This World Unknown | ebi-hime | September 2, 2016 | [77] |
Sakura Space | Winged Cloud | October 10, 2016 | [78] |
Catch Canvas | Unwonted Studios, Razzart Visual | October 14, 2016 | [79] |
Sakura Nova | Winged Cloud | October 20, 2016 | [80] |
Ne No Kami: The Two Princess Knights of Kyoto | Kuro Irodoru Yomiji | October 26, 2016 | [81] |
Memory's Dogma CODE:01 | Liz-Arts | November 4, 2016 | [82] |
AL・FINE | CrimsonRabbit | November 11, 2016 | [83] |
A Magical High School Girl | illuCollab | November 22, 2016 | [84] |
Love, Guitars, and the Nashville Skyline | Cosmillica | November 22, 2016 | [85] |
Magical x Spiral | Broken Desk | December 20, 2016 | [86] |
World End Economica episode.03 | Spicy Tails | December 21, 2016 | [87] |
Chrono Clock | Purple software | February 28, 2017 | [88] |
PacaPlus | PacoProject | March 30, 2017 | [89] |
The Eden of Grisaia | Front Wing | April 28, 2017 | [90] |
Hoshizora no Memoria | Favorite | December 18, 2017 | [91] |
Nekopara Vol. 3 | Neko Works | May 26, 2017 | [92] |
Project LUX | Spicy Tails | February 2, 2018 | [93] |
Mhakna Gramura and Fairy Bell | Alice in Dissonance | February 19, 2018 | [94] |
Kokonoe Kokoro | Nostalgia | March 2, 2018 | [95] |
Tropical Liquor | Tentacle Games | March 9, 2018 | [96] |
Re;Lord 1: The witch of Herfort and stuffed animals | Escu:de, Element | March 9, 2018 | [97] |
Fatal Twelve | aiueokompany | March 30, 2018 | [98] |
9-nine | Palette | January 31, 2019—March 19, 2021 | [99] |
Heart of the Woods | Studio Élan | February 15, 2019 | [100] |
M.A.S.S. Builder | Vermillion Digital | September 13, 2019 | [101] |
Title | Developer | Status | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
Eternal | Mawari Works | TBA | [102] |
Fault Milestone Two Side: Below | Alice in Dissonance | 2019 | [103] |
Fault - Silence the Pedant | Alice in Dissonance | TBA | [103] |
Moonshot | Fastermind Games | TBA | [104] |
NarKarma EngineA | Novectacle | TBA | [102] |
November Boy | Team ANAGO | TBA | [105] |
The Human Reignition Project | Alienworks | TBA | [106] |
Hoshizora no Memoria -Eternal Heart- (fandisk) | Favorite | TBA | [107] |
Title | Media format | Developer | Publication date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 Moe Headphones Design | Book | Lunatic Joker | 2014 | |
Gate: Where The JSDF Fought | Manga | AlphaPolis | December 2016 | [108] |
Clannad Anthology | Manga | TBA | ||
MikuMikuDance | Freeware | Yu Higuchi | TBA | [109] |
Ne no Kami | Manga | Fenrir Vier | TBA | [110] |
A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustrations and a varying degree of interactivity. The format is more rarely referred to as novel game, a retranscription of the wasei-eigo term noberu gēmu (ノベルゲーム), which is more often used in Japanese.
Steam is a video game digital distribution service and storefront developed by Valve Corporation. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 to provide game updates automatically for Valve's games, and expanded to distributing third-party titles in late 2005. Steam offers various features, like digital rights management (DRM), game server matchmaking with Valve Anti-Cheat measures, social networking, and game streaming services. Steam client's functions include game update automation, cloud storage for game progress, and community features such as direct messaging, in-game overlay functions and a virtual collectable marketplace.
Clannad is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key and released on April 28, 2004, for Windows. While both of Key's first two previous works, Kanon and Air, had been released first as adult games and then censored for the younger market, Clannad was specifically made for all ages. It was later ported to the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch consoles. An English version for Windows was released on Steam by Sekai Project in 2015.
Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet is a Japanese post-apocalyptic visual novel developed by Key, a brand of Visual Arts whose previous works include Kanon and Air. It was released over the Internet on November 29, 2004, for Windows, and is rated for all ages. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Switch, as well as mobile devices. The story centers on a man who comes across a malfunctioning robot in a dead city. The man, known simply as "the junker", stays with this robot for a time and attempts to fix the projector of the planetarium where the story takes place.
Kyoto Animation Co., Ltd., often abbreviated KyoAni, is a Japanese animation studio and light novel publisher located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. It was founded in 1985 by husband and wife Hideaki and Yoko Hatta, who remain its president and vice-president respectively.
Clannad is a visual novel developed by Key and published by VisualArt's in 2004. The story follows Tomoya Okazaki, a discontented high school student whose life changes when he meets a girl one year older than him named Nagisa Furukawa. It was adapted by Toei Animation into an animated film in 2007 directed by Osamu Dezaki with music direction by Yoshichika Inomata. Kyoto Animation also adapted it into two anime television series consisting of 49 episodes broadcast between 2007 and 2009, including two original video animation episodes released in 2008 and 2009, directed by Tatsuya Ishihara with music direction by Shinji Orito. The discography of Clannad and its anime adaptations consists of two studio albums, four singles, two soundtracks, and four remix albums.
Jun Maeda is a Japanese writer and co-founder of the visual novel brand Key under Visual Arts. He is considered a pioneer of nakige visual novels, and has mainly contributed as a scenario writer, lyricist, and musical composer for the games the company produces. His style was originally inspired by James Herbert Brennan, and is influenced by Haruki Murakami's novel Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
Umineko When They Cry is a Japanese dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. Its first episode debuted at Comiket 72 for Windows in August 2007. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two days, and the mysterious murders that befall them. Readers are challenged to discern whether the murders were committed by a human or some other, supernatural source, as well as the method and motive behind them. The eight main Umineko games are split into two sets of four, which are considered the third and fourth titles in the When They Cry series, preceded by the two sets of Higurashi When They Cry games and followed by Ciconia When They Cry.
The Fruit of Grisaia is a Japanese adult visual novel, the first in a series of visual novels by Frontwing, with character designs by Akio Watanabe and Fumio. It was released in February 2011 for Windows, and it was later ported to the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. Two sequel visual novels were also produced for Windows: The Labyrinth of Grisaia in February 2012 and The Eden of Grisaia in May 2013. The three games have been licensed in English and published worldwide by Sekai Project in 2015. There have been two manga adaptations published by Akita Shoten and Mag Garden. A 13-episode anime television series animated by Eight Bit and produced by NBCUniversal aired in Japan from October to December 2014. Subsequently, anime adaptations of the two sequel games aired between April and June 2015. An anime film adaptation of Grisaia: Phantom Trigger premiered on March 15, 2019. A sequel to the film titled Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation Stargazer premiered on November 27, 2020. An anime television series adaptation of Grisaia: Phantom Trigger has been announced.
Sakura Spirit is a 2014 visual novel by British indie developer Winged Cloud and published by Sekai Project. The game was released on 9 July 2014 on Steam and MangaGamer. It is one of the few visual novels that are developed outside Japan and aimed at the English-speaking market. It is also one of the first projects published by Sekai Project that is not a translation of a Japanese visual novel, but rather an original English work.
Nekopara, taglined Cats Paradise, is a series of adult visual novels developed by NEKO WORKs and published by Sekai Project. The first game in the series, Nekopara Vol. 1, was released in December 2014. Taking place in a world where humans live alongside adorable catgirls, the series follows Kashou Minaduki and Shigure Minaduki, siblings who have a family of catgirls named Chocola, Vanilla, Coconut, Azuki, Maple, Cinnamon and Cacao. It is centered around work life at Kashou's pâtisserie and home life at Shigure's family house.
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, often referred to simply as KonoSuba, is a Japanese light novel series written by Natsume Akatsuki. The series follows Kazuma Satou, a boy who is sent to a fantasy world with MMORPG elements following his death, where he forms a dysfunctional adventuring party with a goddess, an archwizard, and a crusader. Originally serialized as a web novel on Shōsetsuka ni Narō between December 2012 and October 2013, KonoSuba was published as a printed light novel series by Kadokawa Shoten under the company's Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint from October 2013 to May 2020. The light novel series features a divergent plot and illustrations by Kurone Mishima.
Shiori Izawa is a Japanese voice actress from Saitama Prefecture.
Winged Cloud is an American English language visual novel developer. They are known for creating the Sakura visual novel series, mainly of the adult genre.
Fault Milestone One is a visual novel video game developed by Alice in Dissonance and published by Sekai Project. It was first released in Japan for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux in 2013, with an English version localized and released by Sekai Project the following year. Versions for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 were later released in 2020.
Felix Film Corporation is a Japanese 3DCG-focused animation studio founded on May 14, 2014 in Mitaka, Tokyo.
Maitetsu is a visual novel developed by Lose, which has also been adapted into the anime series Rail Romanesque. Maitetsu was initially released in Japan in 2016, and it was released internationally by Sekai Project on Steam in 2018. Sekai Project also released an uncensored, 18+ version of the game on Fakku. A sequel, Maitetsu: Last Run, was released in 2020.