Yuke’s, the development company behind pro wrestling game series WWE 2K and several Earth Defense Force titles, surprised many of us when it announced the acquisition of romance visual novel developer Aquaplus last month. In a recent financial results briefing, the company shed some light on what led to this decision, as well as its future plans for Aquaplus.
As reported by GameBiz, Yuke’s had two main reasons for buying Aquaplus – the first being that the studio is a strong IP holder and publisher. Yuke’s seems to be particularly interested in Aquaplus’s track-record in releasing full-priced visual novel and simulator games. They highlight the value of the long-running Utawarerumono and ToHeart IPs, which are estimated to have a core fanbase of over 500,000 players each. Additionally, Yuke’s is hoping to leverage Aquaplus’s experience in global transmedia IP expansion, such as anime adaptations and merchandising. Going forward, the company plans to further develop existing IPs while also actively working on establishing new franchises.
The second main reason for the acquisition is that Yuke’s considers Aquaplus’ strengths and weaknesses to be complementary with its own. While Yuke’s specializes in the fighting, action and pro wrestling genres, Aquaplus covers the visual novel, JRPG and simulator genres. In terms of technical expertise, Yuke’s has experience with Unreal Engine and 3D, while Aquaplus excels in fields like scenario writing and music. Yuke’s plans to take advantage of this synergy for future game development, which admittedly sounds quite promising.
On a related note, Yuke’s is already moving towards branching out with the upcoming anime-style shooter Full Metal Schoolgirl. In the meantime, Aquaplus is working on the brand-new JRPG Project Kizuna and the once cancelled visual novel Jasmine.
Related article: ToHeart developer Aquaplus is being sold off by parent company – currently in talks with multiple parties
