What Clouds does

CLOUDs Inc. (株式会社クラウズ) is a privately held Japanese IT company founded in September 2002 and headquartered in Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, operating with a remote-work-first policy and a headcount of 11–50 employees. The company runs three distinct lines of business: enterprise system integration (SI), proprietary product sales, and consumer game development and publishing through its wholly-owned subsidiary CLOUDs PlayCompany. Its SI practice delivers custom systems across healthcare, finance, manufacturing, local government, transportation, and retail, with documented projects including taxi dispatch apps, rehabilitation support apps, medical image sharing systems, rental office management, and time-clock data decryption for municipal schools.

Its proprietary products include MatrixEngine, a multi-platform 3D/2D multimedia rendering engine (Android, iOS, Windows Automotive, Linux, iTRON) spun out into subsidiary MatrixEngine Co., Ltd.; CLOUD HACCP, a cloud-based HACCP food-safety compliance service co-developed with KDDI; Smart Time Card (駅ヨミ), an IC-card-based attendance and transportation expense automation service; Souc!e?, a business video editing application; and BUGSEE, a mobile app crash-recording tool. The consumer game division publishes the おしゃべり！franchise and チコちゃんの脳活研究所 (a brain-training title co-developed with NHK) across Nintendo eShop, Google Play, and the App Store, with price points ranging from free-to-play to 4,800 yen.

Revenue is generated through three mechanisms: (1) professional services fees for SI projects, (2) subscription/recurring licensing for proprietary SaaS and engine products, and (3) one-time game purchases plus DLC and in-app purchases. In July 2020, CLOUDs entered a capital and business partnership with listed Kyoritsu Holdings Co., Ltd., which has since anchored a multi-vertical digital transformation initiative — the Io'X' network spanning animal healthcare (Kyoritsu Seiyaku), hygiene management (Japan Calmic), and related group products.

Name

Clouds

Legal name

株式会社クラウズ

Website

https://clouds-inc.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CLOUDs Inc. is a privately held Tokyo-based Japanese IT company founded in 2002 that delivers enterprise system integration, proprietary SaaS products (MatrixEngine, CLOUD HACCP, Smart Time Card, Souc!e?), and consumer games via its CLOUDs PlayCompany subsidiary, serving Japanese enterprises, government, and consumer markets under strategic shareholder Kyoritsu Holdings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom System Integration & Software Development

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud Data Platforms & Analytics Migration (BPAEACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interoperability & Integration Tooling (APIs, connectors, standards support) (MPAHANAJ)

Keywords

• Custom system integration
• Digital transformation services
• Embedded software development
• Mobile game publishing
• Cloud SaaS products

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, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. System Integration (SI) Services: Custom system design, development, testing, and implementation for enterprise clients across healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, transportation, and retail sectors. Services span requirements definition, design, development, testing, environment setup, and introduction support.
2. Product Sales / Licensing: Revenue from proprietary products including MatrixEngine (3D/2D engine licensing), CLOUD HACCP (cloud service subscription), Smart Timecard (IC timecard service), and Souc!e? (video editing application).
3. Game Development & Publishing: Development and self-publishing of consumer games for Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. Revenue from paid downloads (500-4,800 yen), free-to-play with IAP, and DLC expansions. Includes franchise titles such as おしゃべり！ホリジョ！ and チコちゃんの脳活研究所.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CLOUDs Inc. is a Japanese IT company that delivers custom system integration (SI) services and proprietary software products. It designs, develops, and implements digital solutions including AI, RPA, and IoT-enabled systems for enterprises and government, while also operating an internal game publishing division (CLOUDs PlayCompany) that develops and publishes consumer games for Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. Its proprietary product lineup includes the MatrixEngine 3D/2D multimedia engine, the CLOUD HACCP food safety cloud service, the Souc!e? video editing application, the Smart Time Card attendance and transit expense service, and the BUGSEE crash reproduction recorder.

Product overview

Clouds (株式会社クラウズ) is a Japanese IT company offering a portfolio of proprietary products and system integration services. Core products include MatrixEngine (a 3D/2D multimedia content playback engine for automotive and mobile platforms), CLOUD HACCP (a cloud service for food safety management compliant with HACCP standards), Souc!e? (a business video editing application), Smart Time Card 駅ヨミ (an IC-based time and attendance management system with transit expense features), and BUGSEE (a mobile app bug/crash recording system). The company also operates a game division (クラウズプレイカンパニー/PlayCompany) that develops and publishes games for Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, including the おしゃべり！ series and チコちゃんの脳活研究所. System integration services cover areas including GPS/health apps, taxi dispatch, medical image sharing, rental office management, and time clock decryption systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MatrixEngine: 3D/2D multimedia content playback engine for smooth rendering and rich UI. Used in automotive interfaces and mobile content.
• CLOUD HACCP
• Souc!e?
• 駅ヨミ (Ekiyomi)
• CLOUDs PlayCompany

Products and services

• MatrixEngine

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KDDI株式会社 (KDDI Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development partnership for CLOUD HACCP — a cloud service for HACCP food safety compliance. KDDI co-developed the platform with CLOUDs and provides it as part of its enterprise service offerings.
• SST株式会社 (SST Inc.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for PitTouch card reader device content. CLOUDs develops embedded content for the PitTouch Pro3 device, including transportation expense (駅ヨミ) and attendance management applications, using the Elm programming language. CLOUDs is listed as a development partner on SST's official site.
• 共立製薬株式会社 (Kyoritsu Seiyaku Corporation)coreOthersGroup company under Kyoritsu Holdings. Founded 1955. Leading animal healthcare company developing, manufacturing, and selling veterinary pharmaceuticals for companion animals and livestock. Mission: 'Creating paths for animals and people to move forward together.' CLOUDs collaborates with this group for DX of animal healthcare products.
• 日本カルミック株式会社 (Japan Calmic Corporation)coreOthersGroup company — a joint venture between Kyoritsu Seiyaku and Rentokil Initial. Provides environmental management solutions for hygienic and comfortable environments using world-leading technology and know-how. CLOUDs collaborates with this group for hygiene management product digitization.
• MatrixEngine株式会社minorOthersGroup company for the MatrixEngine 3D/2D multimedia content engine. Develops and licenses the MatrixEngine technology for automotive HMI, mobile content, and industrial applications across multiple OS platforms.
• 株式会社ギガ連射minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for おしゃべり！カケジョ！ and other game titles. Giga Rensya (Constructor) co-developed game titles alongside CLOUDs PlayCompany.
• ダーツガールズコレクション (Darts Girls Collection / DGC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner for おしゃべり！カケジョ！ featuring professional darts players as game characters. DGC contributed character designs and collaborated on game content development.
• スーパースィープ (SuperSweep)minorOthersMusic production partner for おしゃべり！カケジョ！ and other game titles. Responsible for game soundtrack composition.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Drecom Co., Ltd. Japanese mobile game developer that has expanded into enterprise web services and digital transformation consulting. Comparable to CLOUDs in combining consumer gaming revenue with B2B SI/DX offerings for Japanese clients.
• Ateam Inc. Japanese mobile game developer with adjacent DX/e-commerce and lifestyle services businesses. Closely mirrors CLOUDs' hybrid model of self-published casual/mobile games plus enterprise digital services, and competes for similar Japanese engineering talent.
• COLOPL, Inc. Japanese casual mobile game developer with a large Switch/mobile catalog. Comparable to CLOUDs' Oshaberu! franchise strategy of low-price casual titles targeting mass-market Japanese consumers.
• Aiming Inc. Japanese online and mobile game developer with B2B/division operations. Similar mid-sized hybrid profile to CLOUDs, balancing self-published games with contract development and tech services.
• KLab Inc. Japanese mobile and online game developer publishing titles globally on iOS/Android. Directly comparable in business model to CLOUDs PlayCompany's self-publishing approach on Nintendo Switch and mobile.

Emerging players

• Ridge-i Inc. Japanese AI consulting and solutions firm focused on satellite imagery, manufacturing, and enterprise AI. Comparable to CLOUDs' DX consulting engagements that combine AI expertise with industry-specific system integration.
• ABEJA, Inc. Japanese AI/DX company offering AI platform services and digital transformation consulting to enterprises. Comparable to CLOUDs on the AI/RPA/IoT integration side, though ABEJA specializes more deeply in AI/ML.

Broad incumbents

• Systena Corporation: Established Japanese SI firm covering enterprise systems, mobile app development, and cloud services. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same IT services space CLOUDs targets for its enterprise engagements.
• Cybozu, Inc. Japanese SaaS provider offering cloud-based workplace and business applications (Kintone, Garoon). Comparable to CLOUDs in the SaaS/product side of the business (e.g., CLOUD HACCP, Smart Time Card) as a broader cloud software publisher.
• TIS Inc. Large Japanese system integrator offering cloud migration, data platforms, and managed services. Operates in the same enterprise SI/cloud services category as CLOUDs but at far greater scale and across wider industry verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_y79HLhNuIv-cPPi9-asdA
• Xx.com/clouds_play
• Facebookfacebook.com/clouds.inc.jp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Clouds