WILL

What WILL does

WILL Co., Ltd. (株式会社 ウィル) is a privately held Japanese game development studio founded in March 1988 in Saitama, Japan, operating under the motto 'Making Play Come True' (アソビをカタチにする). The company operates as a B2B contracted development studio, delivering game software for major Japanese publishers and IP holders including Nintendo, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Takara Tomy Arts, TBS Television, Nippon Columbia, Kadokawa, Square Enix, and Index Corporation. WILL does not publish or self-distribute titles; instead, it provides full-cycle development services — programming (C/C++/C#), design (2D, 3D, character, motion, effects), and quality assurance — under contract.

The studio's portfolio spans four core product categories: consumer games for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4/5, and legacy consoles; mobile games for iOS, Android, i-mode, and i-applications; arcade games including card battle and medal titles for physical Japanese arcade venues; and computer/PC games for Windows and legacy PC platforms. An ancillary educational software line, dating to 1990, supports PC-based mathematics, science, and language learning programs. Notable franchise work includes co-development on the Super Mario Party series (2018, 2024, 2025 Switch 2 Edition), Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (2017, 2024 Complete), Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy (PS4/PS5, 2021), and multi-year arcade card game series for Beyblade, Zoids, Inazuma Eleven, My Hero Academia, and Dragon Quest under Takara Tomy Arts, alongside the Sumikko-gurashi and Gesshi-series titles for Nippon Columbia.

Revenue is generated through negotiated development contracts and licensing arrangements with publishers; no consumer-facing pricing or public revenue disclosures exist. WILL is led by President and Representative Director Yu Kishida (岸田 悠) and Chairman and Representative Director Hisao Hasunuma (蓮沼 尚夫). The company maintains a 87-person team at its Urawa, Saitama headquarters, operates exclusively within Japan, and shows no public ownership structure, external investors, or M&A activity.

Name

WILL

Legal name

株式会社 ウィル

Website

https://will-net.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Game Development Services

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios (MPAFAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outsourcing Studios (Art/Animation/Audio/Engineering Support) (MPAFAAAN)

Keywords

• Game development studio
• Multi-platform games
• Console game development
• Arcade game development
• Mobile game development

Headquarters

HQ city

Urawa

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Game Development Services: WILL operates as a contracted game development studio that develops games for major publishers and IP holders. Revenue is generated through development contracts and licensing arrangements with companies such as Nintendo, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Takara Tomy Arts, TBS Television, and Nippon Columbia. The company develops various game types including party games, action games, card battle games, and simulation games.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

WILL operates as a contracted game development studio that develops video game software for major publishers and IP holders. The company delivers end-to-end game development including design, programming, and quality assurance across home consoles (Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4/5), mobile devices (iOS/Android), arcade systems, and PC platforms. Clients include Nintendo, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Takara Tomy Arts, TBS Television, and Nippon Columbia, with work spanning party games, action games, card battle games, and simulation titles.

Product overview

株式会社ウィル (WILL) is a game development company established in 1988, specializing in multi-platform game software development. The company operates across four core product categories: Consumer Games (home consoles including Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation, and legacy platforms), Mobile Games (iOS/Android smartphone applications), Arcade Games (physical arcade card battle and medal games), and Computer/PC Games (Windows and legacy PC platforms). The company also develops educational software for PC platforms. Their portfolio includes notable collaborations with major publishers such as Nintendo (Super Mario Party series, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp), Bandai Namco (Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy), Taito (Dragon Quest card games), TBS Television (LAPPY GAMES), and Nippon Columbia (Sumikko and Gusshi series). The company motto is 'Making Play Come True' (アソビをカタチにする) with operations based in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consumer Game Development Contracted development of home console and handheld game software for publishers, covering platforms including Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and legacy Nintendo, PlayStation, and Sega systems.

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• TBS Television (TBSテレビ)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Development partnership for 'LAPPY GAMES' published on TBS GAMES platform, released for Nintendo Switch in 2025.
• Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Development partnership for Gundam franchise title 'Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy' released on PS4/PS5 in 2021. The game was published by Bandai Namco Entertainment and developed by WILL.
• Nintendo Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Long-term development partnership for Nintendo franchise titles. WILL has developed multiple Super Mario Party games (2018, 2024, 2025 Nintendo Switch 2), Animal Crossing Pocket Camp mobile app (2017, 2024 complete version), and 1-2-Switch! (2023). Relationship involves contracted game development services for Nintendo-owned IPs.
• Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. (日本コロムビア)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Long-term development partnership for Sumikko-san (すみっコぐらし) franchise games including Sumikko Park e Youkoso (2017), Sumikko Island (2025), and the Gesshi-series (げっし～ず) of games (2018-2022), plus various party games for Nintendo platforms.
• Takara Tomy Arts Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2014Long-standing arcade game development partnership. WILL has developed numerous arcade card battle games including Dragon Quest Dai's Cross Blade series (2021-2024), Zoid Wild Battle Card Hunter series (2018-2020), Inazuma Eleven AC All Stars series (2019-2023), My Hero Academia Heroes Battle series (2016-2019), and Beyblade Burst Bay Terminal series (2016-2024).
• Kodansha Ltd. (講談社)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Early mobile development partnership for i-mode services including 'Kaiji' gambling game released in 2000.
• Square Enix Co., Ltd.notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for 'Earth's Walking Guide DS' series (2007) and 'Wine no Hajimekata DS' (2007) published by Square Enix.
• Index CorporationnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerArcade game development partnership for Inazuma Eleven Battle games starting 2010.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brownie Brown / 1-UP Studio: 1-UP Studio (formerly Brownie Brown) is a Japanese game developer that has co-developed multiple Nintendo titles including Mario & Luigi and Mother 3. It is directly comparable to WILL as a mid-sized Japanese studio serving as a co-development partner to Nintendo and other Japanese publishers.
• Tose Co., Ltd. Tose is Japan's largest 'ghost' game developer, generating most of its revenue from contracted development for major publishers without holding its own IP. It is the closest functional analogue to WILL: same B2B co-development/outsourcing model serving Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and other Japanese publishers.
• Camelot Software Planning: Camelot is a Japanese game studio that has long co-developed Nintendo franchises including Mario Party and Mario Golf. It is directly comparable to WILL because it works on the same Mario Party franchise and shares the same B2B development model serving Nintendo as the anchor client.
• Arzest Corporation: Arzest is a Japanese game co-development studio that has worked on Nintendo titles such as Yoshi's New Island and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. It mirrors WILL's role as a contracted/co-development partner for Japanese publishers across handheld and home console platforms.
• Vanillaware Ltd. Vanillaware is a Japanese game developer that creates 2D action/strategy titles often published through partnerships with Atlus and other Japanese publishers. It is comparable to WILL in operating model — a focused Japanese studio that depends on publisher partners to bring its work to market.
• Nude Maker Co., Ltd. Nude Maker is a Japanese developer that has contributed to Nintendo projects including Super Smash Bros. and Metroid. It is comparable to WILL as a B2B co-development studio operating in the same Japanese publisher ecosystem with a similar headcount range.
• Good-Feel Co., Ltd. Good-Feel is a Japanese game developer known for co-developing and supporting Nintendo first-party titles (Yoshi's Woolly World, Kirby's Epic Yarn). It is comparable to WILL as a mid-sized Japanese studio that builds franchises on behalf of larger publishers rather than owning its own IP.
• M2 Co., Ltd. M2 is a Japanese studio specializing in retro game ports, remasters, and original development for publishers including SEGA and Nintendo. It is comparable to WILL as a multi-platform Japanese developer working under contract with major Japanese IP holders.

Broad incumbents

• Atlus Co., Ltd. Atlus is a larger Japanese publisher-developer (Persona, Shin Megami Tensei) that both develops internally and co-develops with external partners. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with WILL's space — it both commissions and competes with outsourced Japanese developers.
• Marvelous Inc. Marvelous is a Japanese publisher-developer with both internal studios and outsourced co-development partners. It is comparable to WILL as a player in the Japanese publisher-developer ecosystem that mixes first-party development with contracted external work, including arcade titles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 WILL