Natsume

What Natsume does

Natsume Inc. is a privately held video game publisher and developer founded in 1991 and headquartered in Burlingame, California, operating with 51–100 employees under its "Serious Fun" brand. The company develops and publishes games across Nintendo Switch/3DS, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, PC (Steam, GOG, Epic), iOS, and Android, with a product portfolio anchored by long-running franchises including Harvest Moon (farming simulation, since 1997), Reel Fishing (fishing, since 1999), Wild Guns (arcade shooter), River City (beat 'em up), and the licensed Pocky & Rocky (from TAITO Corporation). Its current slate emphasizes cozy life-simulation titles, with active releases and pre-orders spanning 2024–2026 (e.g., Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea, Home Sweet Home Special Edition, Cozy Bundle, Winds of Anthos Complete Edition).

Natsume monetizes through one-time perpetual game licenses sold via digital storefronts and physical retail, supplemented by branded merchandise and limited-edition collectibles sold through natsumestore.com at fixed unit prices (e.g., $19.99 T-shirts). Distribution in Europe is handled through a channel partnership with Rising Star Games. The company also operates the Natsume Indie Program, a publishing initiative supporting independent developers such as Lucid Dreams Studio (Legends of Ethernal) and YummyYummyTummy (ConnecTank), adding a modest third-party publishing layer to its first-party franchise business.

Customer segments center on casual and enthusiast gamers seeking cozy farming, fishing, and retro-style action experiences, with a secondary B2B segment of indie developers seeking console publishing support. Marketing is conducted via social media (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Instagram), newsletters, press releases, and event participation such as E3. The company is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or M&A activity in the source data, and is GDPR-compliant per its self-attested privacy policy.

Name

Natsume

Legal name

Natsume Inc.

Website

https://natsume.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Natsume Inc. is a privately held, Burlingame-based video game publisher and developer founded in 1991, serving casual and enthusiast gamers with farming, fishing, and retro-action franchises—most notably Harvest Moon and Reel Fishing—across all major console, PC, and mobile platforms, supplemented by an indie publishing program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Game Publishing

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios (MPAFAAAM)

Keywords

• Video game publishing
• Farming simulation games
• Fishing simulation games
• Indie game publishing
• Console game development

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlingame

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Video Game Sales: Sale of video game software through digital distribution and physical retail across multiple gaming platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, PC, iOS, and Android.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including T-shirts and collectible items through Natsume's official store and Amazon.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Natsume develops and publishes family-oriented video games across Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and mobile platforms, anchored by its Harvest Moon farming-simulation franchise. It also produces fishing (Reel Fishing), arcade shooter (Wild Guns, Pocky & Rocky), beat 'em up (River City), and action-adventure titles, plus operates the Natsume Indie Program to publish third-party games. The company sells games through digital storefronts, physical retail, and its own NatsumeStore.com alongside branded merchandise.

Product overview

Natsume Inc. is a video game publisher offering a diverse portfolio of titles primarily focused on farming/life simulation games (Harvest Moon franchise), fishing games (Reel Fishing franchise), arcade shooters (Wild Guns, Pocky & Rocky), and action-adventure games. The company operates under its 'Serious Fun' motto and publishes games across multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, PC, iOS, and Android. Key product lines include the Harvest Moon series (farming simulation), Reel Fishing series (fishing games), Wild Guns (arcade shooter), and the River City series (beat 'em up). Natsume also runs an Indie Program to publish third-party titles. The company maintains an official online store (NatsumeStore.com) for merchandise and game sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos Open-world Harvest Moon farming simulation where players explore the land of Anthos, featuring farming, animal care, and character relationships across multiple areas. Available on Nintendo Switch, PS4/5, Xbox, and Steam.
• Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Cozy farming simulation mobile game for iOS and Android featuring a return-to-roots storyline.
• Harvest Moon: One World Harvest Moon game featuring a whole new world to explore with innovative farming mechanics and new exotic animals. Available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Steam.
• Harvest Moon: Light of Hope
• Harvest Moon: Mad Dash
• Harvest Moon Cozy Bundle Standalone bundle for Nintendo Switch featuring Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley and Harvest Moon: Skytree Village with all DLC included.
• Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Special Edition Enhanced console/PC version of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home with new features including the Hoverbike 5000, two new marriageable candidates, and new cutscenes.
• Reel Fishing: Days of Summer Fishing game where players catch over 40 species of fish from 14 different fishing locations, crafting over 50 different kinds of tackle. Available on Switch, PS4/5, Xbox Series X, and Steam.
• Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure JRPG-inspired fishing adventure where players join three friends on a summer road trip to catch the elusive Legendary Fish. Available on Nintendo Switch and PS4.
• Wild Guns Reloaded Fast-paced arcade-style shooter mixing the Wild West with steampunk, supporting up to 4 players with online rankings. Available on Nintendo Switch and PS4.
• Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined Classic 16-bit style multi-directional scrolling shooter published under license from TAITO Corporation with improved graphics and sound and new characters. Available on Nintendo Switch and PS4.
• ConnecTank 2D action-adventure tank battle game set in New Pangea, published under the Natsume Indie Program. Available on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Steam.
• Legends of Ethernal 2D single-player action adventure game featuring hand-crafted environments, puzzles, and challenging creatures with 4K resolution support. Available on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Steam.
• Cosmic Defenders 2D fast-paced revolving shooter where players protect the galaxy from chaotic aliens using powers of nature. Available on Nintendo Switch.
• River City Series Beat 'em up game series featuring Kunio and friends, including titles like River City: Rival Showdown, River City: Knights of Justice, and River City: Tokyo Rumble.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• YummyYummyTummy Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2020Partnership for ConnecTank, a tank battle game. ConnecTank is the third title launched from the Natsume Indie Program. Natsume and YummyYummyTummy collaborated on game development and publishing.
• Lucid Dreams StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2020Partnership for Legends of Ethernal, published through the Natsume Indie Program. First title published by Lucid Dreams Studio through Natsume's indie publishing initiative, released on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
• Natsume Indie ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2019Indie publishing program for independent developers of console and PC games. Cosmic Defenders was the first title under this program. Natsume provides publishing, marketing, and distribution support to indie developers.
• Rising Star GamescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 May 2017Partnership for European distribution of Harvest Moon titles and other Natsume games. Rising Star Games handles publishing and distribution in Europe for multiple Natsume titles including Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition and Harvest Moon: Mad Dash.
• NIS AmericaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLimited edition distribution partner for Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos special editions.
• TAITO CorporationcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partner for Pocky & Rocky Reshrined. Natsume publishes the game under license from TAITO Corporation, the original developer and IP holder of the Pocky & Rocky series.
• IMAGICA GEEQ Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Special Edition (2025).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Marvelous Inc. Japanese developer/publisher that originally created Bokujo Monogatari (Harvest Moon's Japanese name) and now publishes Story of Seasons, the franchise's spiritual successor. Closest direct peer because it competes for the same farming-sim audience and IP lineage.
• XSEED Games: Marvelous' North American localization and publishing arm. Directly comparable mid-tier niche publisher focused on Japanese games for Western markets, with overlapping genre and platform footprint.
• NIS America: Western publishing subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software; similar mid-tier size, multi-platform niche JRPG and family-friendly catalog, and reliance on Japanese parent IP licensing.
• Aksys Games: Independently owned mid-tier publisher with comparable employee scale and a niche portfolio spanning console and handheld platforms — competes for similar shelf space at retail and on digital storefronts.
• KEMCO: Long-running Japanese publisher specializing in retro-styled RPGs across mobile and console. Similar catalog breadth strategy, multi-platform publishing model, and family-friendly positioning.
• PQube: UK-based mid-tier publisher of Japanese and indie games in Western markets. Comparable scale, multi-platform strategy, and reliance on licensing relationships with Japanese developers.
• PM Studios: Mid-sized indie publisher operating across console and PC with physical and digital distribution. Closely comparable business model to the Natsume Indie Program.

Broad incumbents

• Koei Tecmo: Much larger publisher with overlapping farming-life-sim titles (Rune Factory). Not a direct peer on size, but a structural competitor in the cozy/farming niche and a benchmark for premium-tier farming sims.
• Level-5: Established Japanese developer/publisher with family-friendly and casual-friendly IPs (Yo-kai Watch, Inazuma). Larger portfolio but overlapping audience and multi-platform publishing approach.

Regional players

• Zoo Corporation: Japanese indie publisher focused on console ports and remasters of niche titles — overlaps with Natsume's strategy of remastering classic IPs (Wild Guns, Pocky & Rocky) for modern platforms, but primarily Japan-domestic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Natsume_Inc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/NatsumeUSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/NatsumeInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/natsume.inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Natsume