What QualiArts does

QualiArts is a Tokyo-based mobile game development studio and wholly-owned subsidiary of CyberAgent Group, established October 3, 2016 with 1.2 billion yen in founding capital. The company specializes in character-driven smartphone games for iOS and Android platforms, with technical competencies in 3D character modeling and animation, rhythm game mechanics, and VR-mode integration via smartphone headsets. Its product portfolio spans multiple genres including idol management RPGs (IDOLY PRIDE, 学園アイドルマスター for THE IDOLM@STER), rhythm games (hololive Dreams, ボーイフレンド（仮）きらめき☆ノート), VR-enabled RPGs (オルタナティブガールズ2), school romance games (ガールフレンド（仮）), and casual/cooking titles (mogg, うちの姫がいちばんカワイイ).

The company operates on a freemium business model, distributing games for free via the iOS App Store, Google Play, DMM GAMES, and CyberAgent's Ameba platform, with revenue generated through in-app purchases for gacha, items, and cosmetic content. Supplementary revenue streams include merchandise sales through the QualiArts Store and character song CDs. QualiArts employs a product-led growth motion with pre-registration campaigns driving early user acquisition, evidenced by hololive Dreams surpassing 1 million global pre-registrations by May 2026 and IDOLY PRIDE surpassing 400,000 pre-registrations prior to launch.

The company's strategic positioning centers on co-development partnerships with major IP holders, including Cover Corporation (hololive Dreams), Bandai Namco Entertainment (THE IDOLM@STER franchise), MUSIC RAIN, and Straight Edge (IDOLY PRIDE), combined with media mix expansion spanning TV anime, music, live events, and merchandise. QualiArts serves global consumer gaming audiences with particular strength in Japan, Southeast Asia, and the VTuber fan segment, backed by CyberAgent Group's infrastructure and capital resources.

Name

QualiArts

Legal name

株式会社QualiArts

Website

https://qualiarts.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

QualiArts is a Tokyo-based mobile game developer and CyberAgent subsidiary specializing in character-driven smartphone games, including rhythm titles, idol management RPGs, and VR-enabled RPGs, serving global gaming audiences through co-development partnerships with major IP holders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Games

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios (MPAFAAAG)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Smartphone games
• Rhythm games
• Idol management games
• Character-driven games

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

Revenue model

1. Free-to-Play with Item Monetization: Core revenue model for QualiArts games. Games are free to download with in-app purchases for items, gacha pulls, and cosmetic content. Popular for idol management and rhythm games.
2. Character Song CDs and Merchandise: Sales of character song CDs and official merchandise through QualiArts Store and retail partners. Titles include IDOLY PRIDE music albums and ボーイフレンド（仮） project character songs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

QualiArts is a mobile game development studio that plans, develops, and operates character-driven smartphone games for iOS and Android. The studio produces rhythm games, idol management RPGs, VR-enabled RPGs, and romance/social games — both original IPs (IDOLY PRIDE, Alternative Girls) and licensed titles (hololive Dreams with Cover Corporation, 学園アイドルマスター with Bandai Namco). Games are distributed free-to-play with in-app purchases, supplemented by official merchandise and character song CD sales.

Product overview

QualiArts is a mobile game development studio under CyberAgent Group, specializing in character-driven games across multiple genres. Its portfolio includes idol management RPGs (IDOLY PRIDE), rhythm games (hololive Dreams, ボーイフレンド（仮）きらめき☆ノート), VR-enabled RPGs (オルタナティブガールズ2), school romance games (ガールフレンド（仮）), and cooking/social games (mogg). hololive Dreams represents its newest major release — a joint project with Cover Corporation featuring over 50 virtual talents in a rhythm/RPG format. IDOLY PRIDE extends across anime, games, and music as a multimedia idol project. The studio also maintains the long-running ガールフレンド（仮） franchise and develops licensed collaborations for its various titles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• hololive Dreams (ホロライブドリームス) A rhythm & RPG smartphone game jointly developed by QualiArts and Cover Corporation as the first official hololive mobile title. Features over 50 hololive VTuber talents and over 150 initial songs, with a 'Create Chart' mode for user-generated rhythm charts. Targeted at global VTuber fans and rhythm game enthusiasts.
• IDOLY PRIDE (アイドルプライド) An idol management RPG multimedia project co-developed by QualiArts with MUSIC RAIN and Straight Edge. Spans TV anime (2021), mobile game, character songs, and live events. Winner of Google Play Best of 2021 Creative Category. Targeted at idol management game fans.
• 学園アイドルマスター (Gakuen Idolmaster) iOS and Android smartphone game developed by QualiArts under THE IDOLM@STER brand (Bandai Namco Entertainment). Part of the broader IDOLM@STER franchise, distributed via App Store, Google Play, and DMM GAMES. Targeted at idol management game fans.
• ガールフレンド（仮） (Girl Friend (仮)) School romance game available on Ameba, iOS, and Android. Features over 100 voice actors. Service started October 2012 and surpassed 7 million members by July 2016. Developed by CyberAgent, operated by QualiArts. Targeted at romance game and voice actor fans.
• mogg Smartphone cooking recipe game where players communicate, learn recipes, and upgrade their kitchens. Service began September 2010. Includes collaborations with external IP such as Snoopy and My Melody. Targeted at casual gamers and cooking enthusiasts.
• オルタナティブガールズ2 (Alternative Girls 2) VR-enabled RPG. Features VR Live mode where characters perform karaoke-style singing in VR using a smartphone VR headset. Also playable on AndApp (PC platform by DeNA). Targeted at VR and bishōjo game enthusiasts.
• ボーイフレンド（仮）きらめき☆ノート (Boy Friend (仮) Kirameki☆Note) School rhythm game spin-off of the Boy Friend (仮) franchise. Features 3D character animations, rhythm gameplay, and character song tracks performed by voice actors. Released November 2016. Targeted at rhythm game fans and male idol enthusiasts.
• ウチの姫さまがいちばんカワイイ Bullet-action RPG with simple tap-to-pull mechanics. Service began August 2013 (iOS) and February 2014 (Android). Crossed 5 million downloads. Features kingdom-building and guild chat functions. Targeted at casual RPG players.

Quantifiable outcome

• hololive Dreams achieved 1 million pre-registrations globally, indicating strong market demand
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Cover Corporation (カバー株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development partnership for hololive Dreams, the first official smartphone game featuring hololive VTuber talents. QualiArts handles development and publishing while Cover provides the hololive IP and talent content. The game features 50+ talents with 150+ songs at launch.
• CyberAgent (株式会社サイバーエージェント)coreOthersCyberAgent is the parent company of QualiArts. QualiArts is a consolidated subsidiary operating within the CyberAgent Group. The company leverages CyberAgent's infrastructure, resources, and brand recognition.
• MUSIC RAINcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the IDOLY PRIDE media mix project. MUSIC RAIN provides music production and idol talent for the multi-platform entertainment project spanning games, anime, and music.
• Straight EdgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner for IDOLY PRIDE project, working alongside CyberAgent Group and MUSIC RAIN on this large-scale idol media mix project.
• CAAnimationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCyberAgent's animation label that collaborates with QualiArts on anime production for projects like IDOLY PRIDE. Handles animation production oversight and coordination.
• LerchemajorOthersAnimation studio responsible for TV anime adaptation of IDOLY PRIDE, produced in collaboration with CAAnimation and QualiArts.
• Bandai Namco Entertainment (バンダイナムコエンターテインメント)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIP holder for THE IDOLM@STER brand, partnering with QualiArts on 学園アイドルマスター game development for iOS, Android, and DMM platforms.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bandai Namco Entertainment: Both an IP licensor (THE IDOLM@STER) to QualiArts and a mobile game publisher (THE IDOLM@STER: SideM, ONE PIECE games). Overlapping business in character-driven mobile titles with global reach.
• DeNA: Major Japanese mobile gaming platform (Mobage historically) and developer (Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Super Mario Run co-development). Comparable in Japanese mobile game development and live-ops expertise.
• mixi: Operator of Monster Strike, one of Japan's top-grossing mobile games. Comparable as a large Japanese mobile-first game developer with strong IP and live-ops capability.
• Cygames: Major Japanese mobile game studio behind Uma Musume Pretty Derby and Granblue Fantasy. Comparable as a high-quality character-driven mobile game developer operating anime/media-mix franchises at scale.

Others

• Cover Corporation: Operator of hololive Production and the strategic IP partner for QualiArts' largest title. Adjacent rather than directly competitive; covers the VTuber/IP holder side of the same value chain.
• Krafton (PUBG Studios / Hi-Rez / etc.): Global mobile and online game publisher with media-mix franchises. Relevant for global expansion patterns and live-ops benchmarks as QualiArts moves from Japan-centric to worldwide releases.

Direct peers

• KLab: Japanese mobile game developer specializing in rhythm and idol games (notably Love Live! School Idol Festival). Closely comparable in genre, monetization (gacha + IAP), and Japanese character IP co-development model.
• Bushiroad: Operates the BanG Dream! multimedia idol project including rhythm mobile games. Directly comparable media-mix strategy combining anime, music, mobile games, and live events.
• Craft Egg (Colorful Palette): Developed Project Sekai: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku with SEGA. A direct peer in the Japanese rhythm mobile game genre with strong character IP partnerships.
• Wright Flyer Studios (CyberAgent subsidiary): Fellow CyberAgent mobile game subsidiary developing titles such as Another Eden. Operates in the same corporate ecosystem, sharing infrastructure and talent — essentially a sister-studio peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/QualiArts_PR
• Facebookfacebook.com/QualiArts.By.CyberAgent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qualiarts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 QualiArts