Colorful Palette

What Colorful Palette does

Colorful Palette Inc. (株式会社Colorful Palette) is a Tokyo-based mobile game developer and wholly-owned subsidiary of CyberAgent Group, founded on June 1, 2018. Its flagship product, "Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! feat. Hatsune Miku" (プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ！ feat. 初音ミク), is a free-to-play smartphone rhythm game co-developed with SEGA Corporation, in which Colorful Palette owns broader game development, character content, illustration, animation, and live event production, while SEGA contributes music and rhythm mechanics. The game combines 3DMV rhythm gameplay with real-time virtual live concerts, a deep gacha-driven character collection system, and an extensive scenario library, and is distributed globally through iOS App Store and Google Play.

The company operates a vertically-integrated content stack built primarily on Unity with Live2D Cubism for expressive character animation and a proprietary 3DMV rendering pipeline upgraded for the 3rd anniversary. It sells related merchandise through its own e-commerce storefront (Colorful Palette Store), distributes concert content through international cinema broadcasts in 7+ APAC markets, and operates a technical blog (Tech Note) and corporate-owned media platform (Note). As of July 2025, Colorful Palette had 235 employees with an average age of 34.1 and approximately 80% mid-career hires.

Revenue is generated primarily through in-app purchases and gacha in Project SEKAI, supplemented by merchandise sales and live event ticket/cinema revenues. The company is currently developing a new full 3D title as a diversification effort and spun off its live event business into a separate subsidiary, Colorful Palette ENCORE, in June 2024. A new headquarters is planned for June 2026 to support continued scaling.

Name

Colorful Palette

Legal name

株式会社Colorful Palette

Website

https://colorfulpalette.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colorful Palette is a Tokyo-based CyberAgent subsidiary that develops and operates Project SEKAI, a free-to-play mobile rhythm game featuring Hatsune Miku, with related merchandise, virtual live concerts, and international cinema broadcasts serving mobile gamers and VOCALOID/anime fans globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Gaming

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Modding Platforms & Tooling (mods, maps, servers, script hubs) (MPAFAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

3D/CGI Animation Production (MPADACAB), Customized & Personalized Fan Gear Retail (CRAMAOAJ)

Keywords

• Mobile rhythm game
• Virtual live concerts
• Character animation
• Gacha game
• Anime merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-app Purchases / Gacha: Project SEKAI operates on a free-to-play model generating revenue through in-app purchases, including gacha (randomized card draws) for character cards and items, as well as virtual item sales within the mobile game.
2. Merchandise Sales: Colorful Palette operates the Colorful Palette Store (store.colorfulpalette.jp), an official e-commerce platform selling merchandise, apparel, and collectibles related to Project SEKAI and the company's IPs.
3. Live Event Cinema Broadcasts: The company organizes and distributes COLORFUL LIVE concert events internationally, including theatrical cinema broadcasts in Japan and overseas countries (Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan), generating revenue from ticket sales for the live viewing experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Colorful Palette develops and operates 'Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! feat. Hatsune Miku', a free-to-play smartphone rhythm game featuring Hatsune Miku and virtual singers, with 3DMV-based rhythm gameplay and real-time virtual live events. The company co-develops this title with SEGA Corporation (handling music and rhythm mechanics) while Colorful Palette leads broader game development, character content, animation, and live event operations. The company also sells official merchandise through its own e-commerce platform and distributes live concert content internationally through cinema broadcasts.

Product overview

Colorful Palette is a game development company within the CyberAgent Group that develops and operates multiple products centered around the 'プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ！ feat. 初音ミク' (Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! feat. Hatsune Miku) rhythm game. The company also operates the Colorful Palette Store for merchandise, maintains technical and corporate media blogs (Tech Note and Note), is developing a new full 3D title, and has established a subsidiary ENCORE for live event operations. The product portfolio includes a core mobile game, associated merchandise e-commerce, and content creation platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! feat. Hatsune Miku (プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ！ feat. 初音ミク) A smartphone rhythm game developed in collaboration with SEGA Corporation, featuring virtual singer Hatsune Miku and other virtual singers. Players can enjoy 3DMV rhythm gameplay and experience real-time virtual live concerts with other players. The game is distributed as free-to-play via iOS and Android app stores with in-app purchases.
• Colorful Palette Store Official e-commerce store selling merchandise, apparel, accessories, and collectibles related to Project SEKAI characters and Colorful Palette IP. The store underwent site renewal in March 2024.
• COLORFUL LIVE Cinematic Broadcasts International cinema broadcasts of Project SEKAI COLORFUL LIVE concert events, delivering virtual idol performances to theatrical audiences across multiple countries and regions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Project SEKAI reached 3+ years of operation with sustained momentum, described as one of the most popular rhythm games in Japan
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Colorful Palette ENCORE (Subsidiary)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2024Colorful Palette established a subsidiary company 'Colorful Palette ENCORE' (株式会社Colorful Palette ENCORE) in June 2024 as part of a corporate logo renewal. ENCORE handles the live event business that was previously part of Colorful Palette's live operations division, spun off as a separate entity.
• SEGA CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColorful Palette collaborates with SEGA Corporation as a co-development partner for 'Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! feat. Hatsune Miku'. SEGA is responsible for the music and rhythm game mechanics while Colorful Palette handles the broader game development, character content, animation, and live events. This is the company's flagship IP and core business relationship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bandai Namco Entertainment: Major Japanese game publisher with extensive rhythm and music game portfolio (THE IDOLM@STER series, Taiko no Tatsujin). Larger and broader incumbent in the same rhythm-game genre with deeper IP and global distribution.
• HoYoverse (miHoYo): Global leader in character-driven mobile gacha games (Genshin Impact, Honkai). Comparable in mobile-game gacha business model, character IP merchandising, and live concert/offline event extensions, though at much larger scale.
• Cygames: Sister studio within the broader CyberAgent Group, operating flagship mobile titles like Uma Musume Pretty Derby and Granblue Fantasy. Comparable mobile-game development environment, group resources, and Japanese-market mobile RPG/rhythm strategy.

Direct peers

• KLab Inc. Developer of Love Live! School Idol Festival and other mobile rhythm games with anime-licensed IP and gacha mechanics. Closely comparable in product mechanics, target audience (anime/VOCALOID-adjacent fans), and Japanese mobile rhythm game market positioning.
• Akatsuki Inc. Japanese mobile game developer focused on IP-licensed titles (IDOLiSH7, Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle collaborations). Comparable in size, Japanese mobile rhythm/IP-game focus, and gacha-driven revenue model.
• Craft Egg (CyberAgent subsidiary): Developer of BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! and a CyberAgent Group company. Sister entity within the same parent and one of the most direct competitors in Japanese mobile rhythm games.
• SEGA Corporation: Core co-development partner for Project SEKAI; SEGA handles music and rhythm-game mechanics while Colorful Palette handles broader game development. SEGA also licenses the Hatsune Miku IP and operates comparable character-driven mobile games (e.g., Project DIVA, maimai).
• Happy Elements: Developer of Ensemble Stars!!, a character-driven mobile rhythm/collection game with similar gacha, live event, and merchandise monetization. Direct competitor for the same Japanese male-leaning anime-character fan demographic.
• Bushiroad International: Publisher of mobile rhythm games in the same Japanese market, including BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! and D4DJ Groovy Mix. Directly competes with Project SEKAI for rhythm-game players and uses a similar gacha + live event + merchandise model.

Emerging players

• Aniplex (Sony Music): Anime IP holder and game publisher active in rhythm/music mobile gaming (Fate/Grand Order, Magia Record). Comparable in IP-driven content strategy and game-plus-anime-merchandise ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CP_inc_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Colorful Palette