What f4samurai does

f4samurai is a privately held Japanese mobile game developer and operator founded in January 2010 in Tokyo by Akihiro Kin (CEO), Kenji Taguchi (COO), and Hiroki Matsuno (CTO/CHRO), and remains founder-led. The company develops and publishes mobile online games for iOS and Android, spanning original IP titles (e.g., the Altania Saga tactical RPG series, Wander Graviti) and licensed adaptations of major anime/manga franchises including Aniplex's Madoka Magica, Bandai Namco's Code Geass and Sword Art Online, and the Tokyo Revengers production committee. Underlying technology centers on Unity-based mobile game development with proprietary expertise in Live2D character animation and real-time multiplayer systems (notably the 20v20 Guild vs Guild mechanics in Border Break Mobile co-developed with Sega Networks).

The company operates a dual business model: a B2C arm generating revenue through in-app purchases and gacha mechanics across published titles, and a B2B professional services arm providing co-development and technical support to IP holders such as Sega Networks, KADOKAWA, and EXNOA. Games are distributed globally through iOS App Store and Google Play, with localized versions released in English, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Thai to serve markets in Japan, North America, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Thailand. The company has historically maintained a single Tokyo headquarters and grown to approximately 150 employees as of the 2020 10th-anniversary milestone.

Strategically, f4samurai achieved independence from the Sega Sammy Group in 2020 via a buyback of Sega-held shares, and entered a capital and business partnership with Aniplex in 2021 to deepen its anime IP game pipeline. The company has made selective minority investments in adjacent game-industry assets (Puresink in 2022, esports operator CodeBlitz in 2024), signaling a measured ecosystem buildout rather than acquisitive scale. Paid-in capital is approximately JPY 99.5 million; the company is not publicly listed and has not pursued institutional VC funding rounds.

Name

f4samurai

Legal name

株式会社f4samurai

Website

https://f4samurai.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tokyo-based mobile game developer founded in 2010 that develops and operates iOS/Android games based on licensed anime IPs (Madoka Magica, Code Geass, Tokyo Revengers) and original titles, with secondary co-development services for IP holders, distributing globally via app stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Game Development & Publishing

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios (MPAFAAAM)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Mobile game publishing
• Anime IP games
• Social gaming platforms
• Licensed IP adaptations

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mobile Game Operations: Develops and operates mobile online games (iOS/Android), generating revenue through in-game purchases, gacha mechanics, and ongoing content updates for both original and licensed IP titles
2. Development Cooperation Services: Provides development support and co-development services for partner companies holding major IP licenses, contributing technical expertise to titles like Sword Art Online and Tokyo Revengers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

f4samurai develops and operates mobile online games for iOS and Android, spanning both original titles and licensed anime/manga IP adaptations across genres such as tactical RPGs, card-battle RPGs, magical girl RPGs, and action shooters. The company also provides contracted development cooperation and co-development services to major IP holders including Aniplex, Sega, and KADOKAWA, contributing engineering and live-operations expertise to partner-led titles such as Sword Art Online and Tokyo Revengers entries.

Product overview

f4samurai is a mobile online game developer and publisher operating a portfolio of games based on popular anime and manga IPs as well as original titles. The company develops and operates games for iOS and Android platforms, with games including tactical RPGs (オルタンシア・サーガ series), card battle games (アンジュ・ヴィエルジュ, クロノス未来戦記), magical girl RPGs (マギアレコード), and action shooters (ボーダーブレイク mobile). They partner with major IP holders including Aniplex (Madoka Magica), Bandai Namco (Code Geass, Sword Art Online), Tōkyō Revengers production committee, and Square Enix (Popolocrois). The company also developed non-game services including social apps and agricultural matching platforms. The product portfolio spans both original IP and licensed IP adaptations across multiple genres and international markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tokyo Revengers UNLIMITED (東京リベンジャーズ UNLIMITED) Free-to-play mobile game for iOS and Android based on the Tokyo Revengers manga/anime IP, with story-driven gameplay targeted at both domestic Japanese users and international audiences; released 2026-02.
• Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra (魔法少女まどか☆マギカ Magia Exedra) Mobile RPG for iOS and Android built around the Madoka Magica IP, featuring tactical combat and character collection gameplay; released 2025-03.
• Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Lost Stories (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ ロストストーリーズ) Mobile RPG for iOS and Android based on the Code Geass anime IP, shipped with multiple localized versions including Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, and Korean; original iOS/Android release 2022-11.
• Ange Re:Link (アンジュ・リリンク) Mobile game based on the Ange Vierge IP for iOS and Android; released 2023-09.
• Altania Saga R (オルタンシア・サーガR) 3D tactical RPG for iOS and Android and sequel to the original Altania Saga: Blue Knights (オルタンシア・サーガ ～蒼の騎士団～), featuring updated graphics and gameplay; released 2021.
• Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story (マギアレコード 魔法少女まどか☆マギカ外伝) Magical girl RPG for iOS and Android based on the Madoka Magica spin-off anime, released internationally with Japanese and North American versions; launched 2017.
• Border Break Mobile -Hayate no Gunfront- (ボーダーブレイク mobile) Team-based mobile shooter for iOS and Android featuring 20v20 Guild vs Guild real-time battles, co-developed with Sega Networks; released 2013.
• Wonder Gravity: Pino and the Gravity User (ワンダータグラビー ～ピノと重力使い～) Adventure RPG for iOS and Android featuring gravity-manipulation mechanics as a core gameplay element; released 2019.
• Oita Trinita Official Supporters Crown (大分トリニータ公式サポーターズクラウン) Official supporter mobile app for the Oita Trinita football club for iOS and Android; released 2022.
• Game Development Cooperation Services Contracted development and co-development services f4samurai provides to major IP holders (Aniplex, Sega Networks, KADOKAWA, and others) to build and operate mobile titles based on their franchises, contributing technical expertise, Live2D animation pipelines, and live-operations capabilities; examples include Sword Art Online -Anomaly Quest- portal work and Tokyo Revengers UNLIMITED.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, legacy and minor.

• Sega Networks (株式会社セガネットワークス)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Business and technical partnership for co-development of Border Break Mobile -Hayate no Gunfront-. Fulfilled performance standards set by Sega for quality assurance
• mixilegacyTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2011Platform partnership for releasing games on mixi social gaming platform; developed games like 'Fuwa Fuwa Viking' as spin-off from 'Bokuima'
• GREElegacyTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2011Platform partnership for releasing games on GREE social gaming platform; developed 'Tennisuta', 'Kourin Ultimate Monster', and AVA on GREE
• KADOKAWA (株式会社KADOKAWA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company listed in privacy policy for personal information joint use; collaborated on projects like Sword Art Online -Anomaly Quest-
• EXNOA (合同会社EXNOA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMM.com gaming subsidiary listed as partner company for personal information joint use
• Oita Trinita (大分フットボールクラブ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project for Oita Trinita official supporters crown mobile app; soccer club company partner for personal information joint use

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• gumi Inc. Listed Japanese mobile and online game developer/publisher with a portfolio that includes both original and licensed IP titles distributed globally. Directly comparable to f4samurai in B2C mobile RPG strategy, headcount scale, and IP partnership model.
• Aiming Inc. Tokyo-based mobile and online game developer known for MMORPG and co-development work on licensed IPs. Comparable in size, geographic focus, and emphasis on multiplayer mobile titles serving Japanese IP holders.
• KLab Inc. Mobile game developer/publisher specializing in Japanese anime IP adaptations (e.g., Love Live!, Bleach, Captain Tsubasa) with global distribution. Direct competitor for anime IP licensing and mobile RPG execution.
• Akatsuki Inc. Tokyo-listed mobile game developer focusing on lifestyle games and IP collaborations in Japan and Asia. Closely comparable in size, market, and hybrid original/licensed IP publishing model.
• COLOPL, Inc. Established Japanese mobile game publisher behind titles such as White Cat Project and Black Cat Mobile. Comparable in mobile RPG development capability and domestic Japanese consumer focus.
• Sumzap, Inc. Japanese mobile game developer known for licensed anime IP titles (e.g., The Seven Deadly Sins) and co-development with IP holders. Direct competitor in the same anime-to-mobile adaptation space.
• Happy Elements K.K. Japanese mobile game developer known for ensemble anime IP titles (Ensemble Stars!) with both domestic and Asian distribution. Comparable in mid-size studio economics and anime IP-centric portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• DeNA Co., Ltd. Major Japanese mobile and online gaming platform (Mobage) and developer with global reach. Overlaps with f4samurai in mobile game publishing and IP partnership work, but operates at much larger scale across multiple verticals.
• mixi, Inc. Owner of the Monster Strike franchise and historically the mixi social gaming platform where f4samurai distributed early titles. A much larger incumbent in Japanese mobile gaming with overlapping IP partnership access.
• Cygames, Inc. Top-tier Japanese mobile game developer (Uma Musume, Granblue Fantasy) and subsidiary of CyberAgent. Operates in the same anime/IP-to-mobile game value chain with vastly greater scale and budget.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/f4samurai
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/f4samurai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

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 f4samurai