NTT Solmare

What NTT Solmare does

NTT Solmare Corporation is a digital content distribution and entertainment company founded in April 2002 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTT WEST, Inc. (part of Japan's NTT Group), headquartered in Osaka, Japan. The company operates three core business lines: domestic e-book distribution (Comic C'moA, Japan's largest comprehensive e-book store with 40M+ monthly users and 1.74M+ items since 2004), international e-book distribution (MangaPlaza, a US-focused digital manga platform launched in 2022 with 160,000+ chapters from 120+ publishers, with a $6.99/month premium subscription tier), and mobile gaming and IP (the Shall We Date? series and Obey Me! franchise, an otome dating simulation with 11M+ cumulative global downloads, plus newer visual novel and lifestyle app extensions). The company also operates C'moA Comics, an original manga publishing label, and has expanded into physical print distribution via a partnership with Dai Nippon Printing.

Name

NTT Solmare

Legal name

NTT Solmare Corporation

Website

https://nttsolmare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NTT Solmare is a Japan-based digital content subsidiary of NTT WEST that operates the Comic C'moA e-book platform (40M+ monthly users in Japan), the MangaPlaza digital manga store in the US, and the Obey Me! otome mobile gaming franchise with 11M+ global downloads.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Content Distribution and Mobile Gaming

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global) (MPAJAGAA), Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Print-on-Demand (MPAJANAD)

Keywords

• Digital manga distribution
• Mobile otome games
• E-book platform
• Digital content publishing
• Romance simulation games

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Mobile Gaming Revenue: Revenue from Obey Me! mobile otome game franchise generating approximately $112,000 weekly combined revenue from game and sequel Nightbringer. Includes in-app purchases, premium content, and virtual item sales. Series has accumulated over 11 million downloads.
2. Digital Manga/E-book Platform: Comic C'moA in Japan and MangaPlaza in North America generate revenue through chapter sales, subscription premium memberships ($6.99/month), and transaction fees. Comic C'moA estimated at $500 million annually with over 40 million monthly users.
3. Print Manga Sales: Partnership with Dai Nippon Printing for print editions of manga titles at select US bookstores, expanding from digital to physical format.
4. IP Licensing and Merchandise: Revenue from IP expansion including merchandise sales at events, exclusive event tickets, autograph sessions, and character-related products at Anime Expo celebrations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NTT Solmare is a digital content distribution company that operates Comic C'moA, Japan's largest e-book store with over 40 million monthly users, and MangaPlaza, one of the largest digital manga platforms in the US market with 160,000+ chapters. The company also develops and distributes the Shall We Date? mobile otome game franchise, most notably the Obey Me! series with 11 million+ cumulative global downloads, alongside original manga publishing through C'moA Comics and audio drama content.

Product overview

NTT Solmare operates a multi-platform digital entertainment portfolio spanning e-book distribution, mobile gaming, and original content creation. The core offerings include Comic C'moA (Japan's largest e-book store with 40M+ monthly users), MangaPlaza (U.S. digital manga platform with 160K+ chapters), and the Shall We Date? mobile game series featuring the Obey Me! franchise (11M+ downloads). The portfolio extends to original manga publishing via C'moA Comics, new visual novel products including Obey Me! Sinner's Choice (Good Smile Company partnership) and Fantôme Rapport, lifestyle apps like Obey Me! Till Death Do Us Part, and the Song N' Story multimedia project. Recent expansion includes NTT Solmare Global, Inc. subsidiary in Silicon Valley and print edition partnerships with Dai Nippon Printing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shall We Date?: Dating simulation game series featuring mobile otome games including Obey Me! franchise
• Obey Me!
• Comic C'moA
• MangaPlaza
• C'moA Comics
• Ex and Bee
• Fantôme Rapport

Products and services

• Comic C'moA (コミックシーモア) Japan's largest comprehensive e-book store offering over 1.74 million digital items including manga, novels, and magazines. Operates as the domestic flagship platform with over 40 million monthly users and serves as the parent platform for the C'moA Comics publishing label.
• MangaPlaza One of the largest digital manga stores in the U.S. market, offering over 160,000 manga chapters from 120+ publishers with a focus on women-oriented titles including BL, GL, and Romance genres. Partners with publishers including Kodansha, TOKYOPOP, and Yen Press.
• C'moA Comics (シーモアコミックス) Original manga publishing label under Comic C'moA that creates unique works in new genres to fulfill diverse reader needs. Publishes titles across Romance, Boys' Love, and Yuri genres, with select works expanded into MangaPlaza's English-language catalog.
• Obey Me! (original mobile game) Original mobile otome dating simulation game allowing players to enjoy romantic drama stories with seven handsome demon brothers through chats, phone calls, and interactive scenarios. Foundation of the Obey Me! franchise with over 11 million cumulative downloads across all titles.
• Obey Me! Nightbringer Second installment in the Obey Me! otome mobile game series featuring immersive romantic drama stories with seven demon brothers. Builds on the franchise with enhanced interactivity and deeper character relationships, part of a series with over 11 million global downloads.
• Obey Me! Till Death Do Us Part First lifestyle support app in the Obey Me! series for iOS and Android. Centers on married life theme where players experience newlywed life with demon characters. Features customizable characters, fan room design, and daily life integration including chat, weather forecasts, and calendar sync.
• Obey Me! Sinner's Choice New visual novel game in partnership with Good Smile Company, featuring fully voiced stories and stunning visuals exploring the demon brothers' backstory. Initial PC release on Steam planned with Nintendo Switch under consideration. Set for wide release in Autumn 2026.
• Fantôme Rapport Romance horror mystery adventure set aboard a ghostly luxury liner, combining YouTube-based storytelling with interactive browser gameplay. Features fully voiced audio drama characters including Galatea, Manon, Ageha, Tosca, and Luca. Expanded Steam version 'Intermezzo' available for wishlist with deepened narrative.
• Ex and Bee: Nightfall's Coven
• Song N' Story

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 million monthly users for Comic C'moA platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 June 2026Joint marketing at Anime Expo 2026 through JETRO's Geek Street booth, showcasing Japanese digital content and manga to international audiences.
• Good Smile CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026Strategic partnership for co-production of Obey Me! Sinner's Choice visual novel game. Good Smile Company, known for Nendoroid figure series, brings technical expertise and IP production capabilities to develop the visual novel featuring demon brothers from the Obey Me! franchise. The game will feature fully voiced stories and stunning visuals with plans for PC (Steam) and potentially Nintendo Switch release.
• Kodansha Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Exclusive digital manga publishing partnership for Kodansha titles on MangaPlaza including The Maid's Three-Star Cuisine in Another World, Never Say Ugly, You Might As Well Be the One, and others released January-February 2026.
• C&R Creative Studios (Creek & River Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 December 2025Game development partnership for Obey Me! Till Death Do Us Part lifestyle support app. C&R Creative Studios, one of Japan's largest development studios with 2,000 creators working on 6,000+ projects annually, collaborated on the marriage-themed mobile game launched December 2025.
• flaggs Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2025Development partner for Obey Me! Till Death Do Us Part lifestyle support app. Mobile game development company with mission to create entertainment for a new era, contributing to game development alongside NTT Solmare and C&R Creative Studios.
• Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 November 2025Partnership for converting digital manga to print editions and managing sales/distribution in the US market. DNP handles print production and US distribution for three MangaPlaza titles: From Zero to Office Romance, Prettyboy Jun's Tender Loving Coaching, and The Seduction of the Deep Sleeper, available at select US bookstores from December 2025.
• TOKYOPOP Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 October 2025Manga and light novel distribution partnership bringing TOKYOPOP titles to MangaPlaza including My Beautiful Man, FANGS, and romance series with promotional point reward campaigns.
• NTT QONOQsupportingTechnology or Integration · 30 June 2025Virtual concert technology partnership using NTT QONOQ's Matrix Stream system for 3D virtual concerts featuring Obey Me! characters at Anime Expo 2025 and subsequent events.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• VIZ Media: VIZ Media operates one of the largest English-language digital manga platforms (VIZ Manga/Shonen Jump) alongside print publishing. Directly comparable to MangaPlaza as both distribute licensed Japanese manga to North American readers with subscription and chapter-purchase models, though VIZ is vertically integrated with major Japanese publishers (Shueisha, Shogakukan).
• Crunchyroll (Sony): Crunchyroll Manga (formerly Manga Plus by Shueisha integration) offers digital manga access bundled with anime streaming subscriptions. Directly competes with MangaPlaza in the English-language digital manga space, backed by Sony's entertainment conglomerate resources and direct publisher relationships.
• BookWalker (Kadokawa): BookWalker is Kadokawa's digital bookstore specializing in manga, light novels, and web novels with global English-language availability. Directly competes with MangaPlaza and Comic C'moA on digital manga distribution, with the advantage of Kadokawa's proprietary content catalog.
• Yen Press: Yen Press is a major English-language manga and light novel publisher (joint venture between Kadokawa and Hachette) with digital distribution. Comparable to NTT Solmare as both publish and distribute manga in North America, with Yen Press owning more proprietary IP.
• TOKYOPOP: TOKYOPOP is a manga publisher with digital distribution on MangaPlaza and other platforms. Comparable as a manga publisher-distributor hybrid serving North American audiences, though at smaller scale than NTT Solmare's platform.
• Voltage Inc. Voltage Inc. operates one of the largest otome/romance mobile game franchises globally (Lovestruck, etc.). Directly comparable to NTT Solmare's Obey Me! franchise as a mobile otome game publisher serving international audiences with similar freemium monetization.

Emerging players

• Kodansha: Kodansha is one of Japan's largest manga publishers and a key MangaPlaza content partner. Comparable as a publisher-and-distributor hybrid, though Kodansha's K Manga platform directly competes for the same North American digital reader base that MangaPlaza serves.
• Akatsuki Inc. Akatsuki is a Japanese mobile gaming company known for lifestyle and romance simulation games with international reach. Comparable to NTT Solmare as a mobile game publisher targeting similar demographics with character-driven narrative experiences and IP expansion strategies.

Regional players

• Piccoma (Kakao): Piccoma is one of Japan's largest mobile manga platforms operated by Kakao Piccoma. Directly comparable to Comic C'moA as a domestic Japanese digital manga distribution platform, though Piccoma's strength is mobile-first distribution while Comic C'moA operates across web and mobile.
• LINE Manga (LY Corporation): LINE Manga is a major Japanese digital manga platform operated by LY Corporation (formerly LINE/Z Holdings). Comparable to Comic C'moA as a domestic e-book manga distributor in Japan with strong mobile app distribution and publisher partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NTTsolmare
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7EB-cG2-P2YGqM97x5Gwxg
• Facebookfacebook.com/nttsolmare/?locale=ja_JP
• Instagraminstagram.com/obey_me_official

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NTT Solmare