What KMS does

KMS (株式会社KMS) is a privately held Japanese creative and entertainment company founded in July 2015 and headquartered in Tennozu First Tower, Shinagawa, Tokyo. It operates five integrated business segments: game development and operation, enterprise AI solutions, digital comics, advertising, and merchandise/music, with a registered workforce of 101-250 employees and paid-in capital of 29.98 million yen. The company maintains a portfolio of six active game titles including Flower Knight Girl (10+ year legacy IP with 800+ characters), Muv-Luv Girls Garden (co-developed and co-published with EXNOA/DMM GAMES), Mist Train Girls, Otogi Frontier, Tenkei Paradox, and World Dystoria, monetized via freemium mobile and browser microtransactions distributed through DMM GAMES, App Store, and Google Play. The AI Solutions business delivers a RAG-based enterprise platform on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, integrating Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-5.5-Instant, GPT-Image-2.0, and other frontier models, with workflow integration through Microsoft Teams, Box, and SharePoint and enterprise sales-led go-to-market. Adjacent segments include the SYNAPSE HEART vertical-scroll webtoon label (distributed via mecha comic, Renta!, Manga Kingdom), an in-house advertising creative operation producing 1,000+ assets annually, and the KMSTORE e-commerce plus Melonbooks/animate retail channels for character merchandise and KMS MUSIC soundtracks. KMS is independently owned (no disclosed institutional investors or parent company), led by President and CEO Kenta Kajiwara (梶原 健太郎), and is a Microsoft certified partner.

Name

KMS

Legal name

株式会社KMS

Website

https://kms3.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KMS is a Japanese creative company operating five integrated business segments: mobile/browser game development and operation, enterprise AI solutions built on Microsoft Azure, digital comics, advertising, and merchandise, serving Japanese consumers and enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Business (ゲーム事業): Core business segment generating revenue through free-to-play mobile and browser games with item-based monetization. KMS develops and operates multiple game titles including Flower Knight Girl (10+ years), MuvLuv Girls Garden (collaboration with EXNOA), Tenpara (3D tactics RPG), Mist Train Girls, OtoGi Frontier, and World DaiStar. Revenue comes from in-game item purchases, gacha, and premium content. The company also earns licensing fees from game IP collaborations.
2. AI Solutions Business (AIソリューション事業): Enterprise AI solutions service helping businesses achieve operational efficiency and DX promotion. Provides customizable AI Agent services leveraging RAG technology, enabling companies to utilize their own data securely. Revenue model based on service contracts with enterprise clients.
3. Digital Comic Business (デジタルコミック事業): Vertical-scroll digital comic production and distribution through KMS's own label 'SYNAPSE HEART'. Handles all production processes including scenario, storyboards, sketching, line art, coloring, and finishing. Works with entertainment companies for IP creation and expansion. Revenue from comic sales and licensing to platforms.
4. Advertising Business (広告事業): Internet advertising services leveraging entertainment company expertise. Provides creative advertising production with over 1,000 annual creative productions. Services include banner ads, video ads, and animated content. Operates both for in-house game titles and external clients.
5. Merchandise and Goods (その他事業 - KMSTORE): Official goods store (KMSTORE) selling original merchandise featuring game IP characters including acrylic stands, tapestries, cushions, key holders, badges, apparel, soundtracks, and other collectibles. Revenue from direct merchandise sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

KMS is a creative entertainment company that develops and operates free-to-play mobile and browser games, produces full-color vertical-scroll digital comics under its SYNAPSE HEART label, and sells enterprise AI solutions built on Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology integrating frontier LLMs through Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The company also provides in-house advertising creative production and sells original character merchandise through its own KMSTORE e-commerce and retail partners.

Product overview

KMS is a Japanese entertainment company operating multiple business segments: AI Solutions, Game Development & Operation, Digital Comics, and Advertising. The core AI product is the KMS AI Solution, a RAG-based enterprise AI platform accessible via Microsoft Teams with Box and SharePoint integrations. The AI portfolio has been expanded through multiple Azure AI Foundry model implementations (Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-5.5-Instant, GPT-Image-2.0, Claude Opus 4.7) and includes an AI Auto Slide Generation feature. The Game division operates a portfolio of six titles: Muv-Luv Girls Garden, World Diva Star: Yume no Stellarium, Tenkei Paradoxu, Mist Train Girls, Otogi Frontier, and Flower Knight Girl (celebrating 10 years). The Digital Comics sub-brand SYNAPSE HEART produces vertical-scroll digital comics. Merchandise is sold through KMSTORE and music through KMS MUSIC. The company also provides Managed Services and Cloud Billing Agency services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SYNAPSE HEART: Vertical-scroll digital comic label operated by KMS for creating webtoon content, leveraging expertise from online game development and operations.

Products and services

• KMS AI Solution (KMSのAIソリューション) Enterprise RAG-based AI platform deployed in a secure environment, integrating multiple frontier LLMs through Azure AI Foundry; connects with Microsoft Teams, Box, and SharePoint to enable document creation, summarization, meeting minutes processing, knowledge retrieval, and AI Auto Slide Generation for Japanese corporations pursuing digital transformation.
• Muv-Luv Girls Garden (マブラヴ ガールズガーデン) Full-auto idle RPG in the Muv-Luv franchise, co-developed by KMS and EXNOA; available on PC browser (DMM GAMES PLAYER), DMM GAMES STORE, Apple App Store, and Google Play. Features SSR character gacha, collaboration events, and free-to-play monetization.
• World Diva Star: Yume no Stellarium (ワールドダイスター 夢のステラリウム) Mobile rhythm game app featuring theatrical troupes where players manage idol groups and perform live shows; available on Apple App Store and Google Play.
• Tenkei Paradoxu (天啓パラドクス) 3D tactics RPG featuring strategic battles with 3D character models and 2D motion animations; developed jointly by EXNOA and KMS and distributed via DMM GAMES.
• Mist Train Girls (ミストトレインガールズ) Mobile RPG in which train units traverse a misty world, featuring flower-themed characters and strategic combat gameplay.
• Otogi Frontier (オトギフロンティア) Online browser game where fairy tale characters guide protagonists through a coming-of-age story featuring character collection, training, and team-building gameplay; distributed via DMM GAMES.
• Flower Knight Girl (フラワーナイトガール) Long-running character collection game featuring 800+ flower-themed characters; originally developed by YourGames with operations transferred to KMS in 2021; commemorated its 10th anniversary in 2025.
• SYNAPSE HEART Digital Comic Label KMS-operated vertical-scroll digital comic label producing full-color webtoons through end-to-end in-house production from scenario creation and storyboarding to line art, coloring, and finishing; distributed via mecchacomic, Renta!, and Manga Kingdom.
• KMSTORE Official Merchandise Store KMS's official e-commerce storefront selling original character merchandise for game IPs including acrylic stands (2,500–3,025 yen), tapestries (3,080–4,290 yen), cushions, keychains, badges, apparel, soundtracks, and collectibles (price range 509–16,500 yen).
• KMS MUSIC Music distribution service for KMS game soundtracks (notably Otogi Frontier) available for download and streaming across multiple platforms.
• Advertising Creative Production Service Internet advertising creative service leveraging KMS's entertainment-industry expertise; in-house design team produces over 1,000 creative assets annually including banner ads, animated still images, and video content ranging from 6 seconds to 4 minutes for both in-house game titles and external clients.
• Managed Services System monitoring and operational management service covering server design and setup for enterprise clients, excluding application development.
• Cloud Billing Agency Cloud billing agency service handling billing and payment management for cloud infrastructure services on behalf of enterprise clients.
• Resource AI (リソースAI) AI-powered business efficiency service within KMS's AI division that applies game development expertise to provide AI-driven problem-solving and cloud solutions for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• AI summary work reduction: approximately 80% reduction in man-hours for shared业务的工数
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• 合同会社EXNOA (EXNOA LLC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026EXNOA (DMM GAMES parent company) and KMS co-develop and co-publish MuvLuv Girls Garden, with KMS handling development and EXNOA handling publishing/distribution. KMS also operates Flower Knight Girl following 2021 transfer from YourGames to KMS, originally developed by EXNOA. This is a core strategic partnership for KMS's flagship game business.
• Microsoft (Microsoft Foundry/Azure AI Foundry)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2026Microsoft partnership enables KMS AI Solutions to access cutting-edge AI models including Claude Opus 4.8 (via Azure Databricks), GPT-5.5-Instant, GPT-Image-2.0, GPT-5.3-Codex, GPT-5.4, Deep Research, Grok 4, and Anthropic Claude Sonnet through Azure AI Foundry platform. KMS is a Microsoft certified partner.
• Azure AI FoundrycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2026Azure AI Foundry provides the platform infrastructure for KMS AI solutions, enabling integration of multiple frontier AI models and secure enterprise AI deployment with RAG capabilities.
• Azure DatabrickscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2026Azure Databricks used for Claude Opus 4.7/4.8 model deployment in KMS AI solutions, enabling advanced reasoning and long-context understanding capabilities.
• 得非常コミック (mewcocomic)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2026めるコミック (mewcocomic) platform serves as distribution channel for KMS's SYNAPSE HEART digital comic label, hosting titles like 'ニセモノ皇女に執着しないで' for serialization and sales.
• 学校法人岩崎学園 情報科学専門学校 (Iwasaki Gakuen Information Science College)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Industry-academia collaboration for game development education. KMS engineers participate in curriculum discussions with school faculty to help shape IT/game engineering education that aligns with actual industry needs. Also serves as talent recruitment pipeline.
• Renta!majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2022Renta! manga platform distributes KMS SYNAPSE HEART webtoon content including '魔王の能力で分からせる件' as part of multi-platform expansion strategy.
• まんが王国 (Manga Kingdom)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2022Manga Kingdom platform distributes KMS SYNAPSE HEART digital comics as part of multi-platform content distribution strategy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• mixi, Inc. Japanese mobile game and social networking company behind Monster Strike, one of Japan's highest-grossing mobile games. Comparable character-IP-driven mobile gaming model with established franchise longevity (similar to KMS's Flower Knight Girl), operating across consumer entertainment and adjacent services.
• Good Smile Company: Japanese character merchandise leader producing Nendoroids, scale figures, and pop culture collectibles with global distribution. Directly comparable to KMS's KMSTORE business in character goods, though at much larger scale with broader licensed IP partnerships across anime, games, and pop culture.
• KLab Inc. Japanese mobile game developer known for anime IP titles including Love Live! School Idol Festival and Bleach: Brave Souls. Directly comparable to KMS in scale (~$300M market cap, ~300 employees), business model (anime IP → gacha mobile games → merchandise), and target market (Japanese mobile gamers seeking character-driven experiences).
• Aiming Inc. Japanese online game developer operating browser games via DMM GAMES and mobile titles including Dragon Quest Tact. Comparable mid-sized Japanese game studio with multi-platform approach, browser and mobile titles, and similar DMM GAMES distribution dependency as KMS.
• Coly Inc. Japanese mobile game developer focused on female-oriented character collection games such as Stand My Heroes and other gacha titles. Closely comparable niche to KMS in character-driven mobile RPGs, with similar target demographics and freemium gacha monetization approach.
• gumi Inc. Japanese mobile game developer and publisher known for titles like Final Fantasy Brave Exvius and various global mobile game partnerships. Similar mid-cap Japanese game studio profile to KMS with comparable headcount, multi-title strategy, and mix of consumer gaming and enterprise technology initiatives.
• Bushiroad Inc. Japanese entertainment company integrating card games, anime, music, and merchandise around character IP (Cardfight!! Vanguard, BanG Dream!, D4DJ). Comparable IP-centric multi-business model with games, merchandise, and media - similar diversification strategy to KMS's integrated stack approach.

Emerging players

• AI inside Inc. Japanese AI vendor specializing in enterprise AI solutions including OCR, image recognition, and LLM applications for Japanese corporates. Comparable to KMS AI Solutions as a Japanese enterprise AI provider targeting corporate DX initiatives, though with different technical specialization and more established enterprise track record.

Broad incumbents

• Cygames, Inc. Major Japanese mobile game developer behind Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Granblue Fantasy, and Princess Connect, owned by CyberAgent. Comparable character-driven gacha game model but vastly larger scale (thousands of employees, multi-billion yen capital) - represents the upper bound of what KMS could scale into within character-driven mobile gaming.

Others

• DMM GAMES (EXNOA LLC): Japanese browser game platform and publisher, and direct partner with KMS on Muv-Luv Girls Garden co-development and distribution. Acts as both strategic partner and adjacent ecosystem participant in Japanese browser gaming; provides distribution scale KMS could not access independently.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/otogi_staff
• Instagraminstagram.com/kms_recruit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 KMS