Yostar Games

Yostar Games is a Tokyo-based mobile game publisher operating globally across Japan, the US, Singapore, and Taiwan, publishing freemium titles such as Azur Lane, Arknights, Blue Archive, and Mahjong Soul, with transmedia extension through its anime subsidiary Yostar Pictures.

Company typePrivate
Founded2017
HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingSoftware

What Yostar Games does

Yostar Games is a privately held Japanese smartphone game publisher headquartered in Tokyo and operating as 株式会社Yostar (Yostar, Inc.). The company publishes a portfolio of mobile games including Azur Lane, Arknights, Blue Archive, Mahjong Soul, Cookie Run: Tower of Adventures, and Stella Sora, distributing them globally through iOS App Store, Google Play, and PC platforms such as Steam. Several titles are developed by partner studios (Hypergryph for Arknights, Nexon for Blue Archive) with Yostar handling publishing in Japan and selected international markets.

The company operates a freemium business model, generating revenue through in-app purchases and microtransactions typical of mobile gacha titles. Its distribution and marketing strategy combines digital storefronts with physical event activations at major Japanese conventions such as Comic Market (Comiket), where it maintains multi-booth presences for both flagship and newer titles. Beyond game publishing, Yostar extends its intellectual property vertically through wholly-owned subsidiary Yostar Pictures (anime and media production) and Yostar Plus (game publishing services and merchandise).

Yostar serves a global base of mobile game players across Japan, the United States, Singapore, and Taiwan, and is led by President and CEO Nao Hirasawa. The company's recent strategic emphasis is on transmedia IP expansion, exemplified by the announced Blue Archive TV anime adaptation for 2026 and the December 2025 announcement of Azurlane Promilia as a new title in the Azur Lane franchise.

Yostar Games firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Yostar Games
Legal name: 株式会社Yostar (Yostar, Inc.)
Website: https://yostar.co.jp
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2017
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Yostar Games is a Tokyo-based mobile game publisher operating globally across Japan, the US, Singapore, and Taiwan, publishing freemium titles such as Azur Lane, Arknights, Blue Archive, and Mahjong Soul, with transmedia extension through its anime subsidiary Yostar Pictures.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Yostar Games industry classification

Industry

Product category: Mobile Gaming
NAICS: Software Publishers (5132)
SIC: Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
akta.pro primary industry: Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB)
akta.pro secondary industry: Digital Game Distribution Platforms & Storefronts (PC/Mobile/Console) (MPAFABAB)

Keywords

Mobile game publishing
Free-to-play games
Anime production
Digital content distribution
Smartphone games

Where Yostar Games is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Tokyo
HQ country: Japan
HQ region: Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

Yostar Games business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Software
Cost components: Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

Mobile Game Revenue: Free-to-play mobile games generating revenue through in-app purchases and microtransactions, typical model for Japanese smartphone game publishers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Yostar Games product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Yostar is a smartphone game publisher that develops, publishes, and operates free-to-play mobile and PC games distributed through major app stores. Its portfolio includes popular titles such as Azur Lane, Arknights, Blue Archive, Mahjong Soul, Cookie Run: Tower of Adventures, and Stella Sora, with a new title Azurlane Promilia announced for joint service in Japan. The company extends its intellectual property through wholly-owned subsidiaries Yostar Plus (content/media distribution) and Yostar Pictures (animation production), enabling cross-media franchise development beyond game publishing.

Product overview

Yostar is a smartphone game publisher operating a multi-title portfolio of mobile games. The company publishes popular titles including Azur Lane, Mahjong Soul, Blue Archive, Arknights, Cookie Run: Tower of Adventures, and Stella Sora. The portfolio includes both internally developed titles and games from partner studios where Yostar handles publishing. The company also operates Yostar Plus for content distribution and Yostar Pictures for animation production, extending its reach beyond game publishing into broader entertainment media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Yostar Plus: Platform for game publishing and related services
Yostar Pictures

Products and services

Azur Lane Mobile naval strategy game featuring character collection and turn-based naval battles, published by Yostar for smartphone and PC platforms with international availability.
Mahjong Soul Mobile mahjong game featuring anime-style characters and competitive online multiplayer gameplay, distributed globally by Yostar.
Blue Archive Mobile role-playing game set in a school environment with tactical combat and character collection, developed by Nexon and published by Yostar for the Japanese and broader market.
Arknights Mobile tower defense role-playing game developed by Hypergryph and published by Yostar in Japan, featuring strategic combat and character collection mechanics.
Cookie Run: Tower of Adventures Mobile adventure game based on the Cookie Run franchise, featuring tower-based exploration and gameplay mechanics, published by Yostar in Japan.
Stella Sora Mobile game title published under the Yostar brand.
Azurlane Promilia New smartphone and PC game within the Azur Lane franchise, announced for joint service provision in the Japanese market.

Companies that use Yostar Games

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Yostar Games technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Yostar Games partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Yostar Games competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Yostar Games financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Yostar Games leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Yostar Games subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries2 records

Yostar Games funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Yostar Games M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Yostar Games

What does Yostar Games do?

Is Yostar Games a public or private company?

Yostar Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Yostar Games founded?

Yostar Games was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Yostar Games based?

Yostar Games is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.

How does Yostar Games make money?

One revenue line is on record: mobile Game Revenue.

Does Yostar Games have an API?

No public API is recorded for Yostar Games.

What industry is Yostar Games in?

Yostar Games's product category is Mobile Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAB, Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores, with a secondary code of MPAFABAB, Digital Game Distribution Platforms & Storefronts (PC/Mobile/Console). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7990.