Mages (company)


Mages Inc., formerly 5pb. Inc., is a Japanese video game developer and record label for video game and anime music. It was formed on April 6, 2005 after Chiyomaru Shikura left Scitron to begin the company as its executive director, a position he still holds. The company is divided into two parts, 5pb. Games for the manufacturing of video games, and 5pb. Records for the record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of the TYO Group until Shikura purchased the remaining rights from the TYO Group on April 15, 2009. Shikura co-owns 5pb. with AGOne, an affiliate of Dwango Japan. Staff members include scenario writer Naotaka Hayashi, artist Yukihiro Matsuo, and producer Tatsuya Matsuhara.
In April 2011, a group of companies consisting of Arkray, Seed Project, Dwango Creative School, Animelo Summer Life, 5pb. Records, and 5pb. Games merged under the parent company Mages. Inc. led by executive director Chiyomaru Shikura. In July 2019, Mages was acquired by Shikura's concept studio Chiyomaru Studio, with the goal of being more flexible and fast in its decisions as a company independent from their parent company Dwango and from the Kadokawa group. With that said, while Mages will no longer be a part of Kadokawa Group following the management buyout, it still expects to maintain the same favorable relationship with the Group that it has so far. Along with this buyout, the company intends to strengthen its branding by consolidating the 5pb. brand into Mages.
In March 2020, Colopl acquired Mages from Chiyomaru Studio for ¥1.612 billion.

Artists

Previously called 5pb. Records, since 2019 the brand does not exist anymore, with the Mages brand being the only one used for everything.

Games

5pb. Games was a division of Mages, which dealt with video game development. The brand was originally named Five Games Kid, or 5gk. for short, but the name was changed in December 2007 to coincide with the name of 5pb.'s record label 5pb. Records. Some of 5pb. Games' developers arrived from KID, Tonkin House and Scitron, such as with Takeshi Abo in December 2006. Since 2019, the 5pb. Games brand is not used anymore, with the Mages brand being the only one used for everything.
YearTitlePlatform
2007'PS2
2007'PS2, PSP
2007UmishōPS2
2008'PS2, PSP
2008Night Wizard! The Video Game: Denial of the WorldPS2
2008'PS2
2008Chaos;HeadWin
2008Memories OffPSP
2008Memories Off 2ndPSP
2008Ghost Hound DSNDS
2008Kanokon EsuiiPS2
2008'PS2
2008'PSP
2008'PSP
2008'PS2, iOS, PSP, X360
2008'PS2
2009'PSP
2009Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa NaiPS3, PS Vita, Win
2009DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Black Label ExtraX360
2009Kemeko Deluxe! DS: Yome to Mecha to Otoko to OnnaNDS
2009KimokawaE!NDS
200911eyes CrossOverX360, PSP, iOS
2009Chaos;Head NoahX360, PS3, PSP, iOS, Android
2009'PS2
2009'PS2
2009Skip Beat!PS2
2009Memories Off After RainPSP
2009'PS2
2009'PS2, X360, PSP
2009'NDS
2009Steins;GateX360, PS3, PS4, Win, PSP, iOS, PS Vita, Android
2009Taishō Baseball GirlsPSP
2009L no Kisetsu W pocketPSP
2009'X360
2010Chaos;Head Love Chu Chu!X360, PS3, PSP
2010'X360
2010'PS2, PSP
2010'PS2, PSP
2010W.L.O. Sekai Renai KikōX360
2010'X360
2010Corpse Party: Blood Covered Repeated FearPSP, iOS, 3DS
2010'X360
2010'PSP
2010Pastel Chime ContinuePSP
2011Bullet SoulX360
2011'Win, PSP
2011Phantom BreakerX360, PS3
2011'X360, PS3, PSP, PS Vita
2011Dunamis 15X360, PS3
2011Corpse Party: Book of ShadowsPSP
2011Steins;Gate: Variant Space OctetWin
2011Muv-LuvX360
2011Muv-Luv AlternativeX360
2011'X360
2011'PS3, PSP
2012Robotics;NotesPS3, X360
2012Corpse Party: Sachiko’s Game of Love Hysteric Birthday 2UPSP
2012Bravely Default3DS
2013'PS3, X360
2013'PS3, X360, PS Vita, iOS
2013'PS Vita
2013'PS3
2013Disorder 6PS3, X360
2013Phantom Breaker: ExtraPS3, X360
2013Hero X Battle PrincessPS3
2013Eiyuu*SenkiPS3
2013Liberation Maiden SinPS3
2014Bullet Soul Infinite BurstX360
2014Corpse Party: Blood DrivePS Vita
2014Robotics;Notes ElitePS Vita
2014Chaos;ChildXBO, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, iOS, Win
2014Infinite Stratos: Versus ColorsWin
2015'Win
2015'PS4, PS Vita, Win, XBO
2015Steins;Gate 0PS3, PS4, PS Vita, XBO, Win
2016Plastic MemoriesPS Vita
2017New Game! The Challenge StagePS4, PS Vita
2017Occultic;NinePS4, PS Vita, XBO
2017Chaos;Child Love Chu Chu!!PS4, PS Vita
2017'NS
2017'PS4, PS Vita, NS
2018Steins;Gate ElitePS4, Win, PS Vita, NS
2019Robotics;Notes DaSHPS4, NS
2020'NS
2020'NS
TBAAnonymous;CodePS4, PS Vita, NS

Chiyomaru Studio

Chiyo St. Inc., doing business as Chiyomaru Studio, is a multimedia concept studio led by Chiyomaru Shikura, the representative director and president of Mages. The company, which was originally named Chrome Edge, was founded separately from Mages for the purpose of managing the copyrights to the media projects Shikura works on, including the Science Adventure franchise and the Occultic;Nine novel series, and for creating stories for use in various media. In July 2019, Chiyomaru Studio made a management buyout of Mages, acquiring all shares held by its former parent company Dwango; the following year, Chiyomaru Studio sold all Mages shares to Colopl.
While the concept work is done by Chiyomaru Studio, they work together with Mages to develop video games using the concepts, and with Kadokawa Corporation to print books and produce anime and manga. The studio includes staff members from Mages, who communicate through instant messaging; as of 2015, Shikura was the only on-site staff.
The first new intellectual property developed by Chiyomaru Studio, not based on Shikura's previous works, is the upcoming video game Anonymous;Code, which is developed together with Mages' video games division 5pb. Games, and is together with Occultic;Nine part of a media franchise referred to internally as Science Visual Novel. Chiyomaru Studio has also developed the Science Adventure game Robotics;Notes DaSH. Since 2017, the studio organizes live music events where they also release updates on their media projects, called "Chiyo-ST Live".