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Game Development Company Yuke's to Purchase Aquaplus
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Yuke's medium- to long-term growth strategy includes promoting the independent development of its publishing business model, establishment of publishing functions within the group, and improvement of its IP creation capabilities. With its acquisition of AQUAPLUS, Yuke's aims to complement its lacking publishing functions and establish a system to enhance its IP-based business model.
Pole to Win Holdings (PTW) had announced in June it was withdrawing from the media and content business, and thus had decided to transfer all shares of its consolidated subsidiary AQUAPLUS to an outside company.
AQUAPLUS is the direct subsidiary of the HIKE Group, which is itself a subsidiary of PTW for media and content business. PTW agreed to a management buyout offer by HIKE's current management. The result will be a new HIKE Holdings company to spin off HIKE's assets from PTW, except for AQUAPLUS.
AQUAPLUS' remake of its 1997 To Heart visual novel/dating sim game launched in Japan for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on June 26.
The company also announced the new project kizuna title last November, and a new entry in the Utawarerumono visual novel series titled Utawarerumono: Shiro e no Michishirube (Utawarerumono: The Guidepost to White), along with the restart of the previously canceled Jasmine visual novel.
AQUAPLUS released the To Heart visual novel on Windows for PC in 1997, and later released it as their first ever console game in 1999 on the PlayStation (though both versions have many significant plot differences). The visual novel/dating sim is known as a classic in the genre, whose character designs and relaxed pacing has influenced numerous otaku media thereafter. Notably, the character of Multi is known by Japanese otaku as a hallmark of moe character design and writing, with her spirited attitude and cute demeanor contrasting with her sad fate.
The game inspired a television anime in 1999, as well as a second season focusing on Multi titled ToHeart - Remember my memories in 2004. The game received the sequel game To Heart 2 in 2004, which itself inspired a television anime in 2005, as well as numerous OVAs and spinoff games in subsequent years.
Yuke's released the Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 game in Japan on Switch, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 in May 2024. The game released in the West for the same platforms in September 2024. Yuke's is also working on the Double Dragon Revive game, which will launch on October 23 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam. Yuke's is developing a new game titled Full Metal Schoolgirl that will launch on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on October 23.
