Bushiroad

Bushiroad Inc. (株式会社ブシロード, Kabushiki-gaisha Bushirōdo) is a Japanese entertainment company producer of collectible card games and trading cards, publisher of mobile apps and games, promotional items and many other venues, which was founded in 2007 by Takaaki Kidani and is headquartered in Tokyo. Bushiroad created and owns various media franchises such as Tantei Opera Milky Holmes.[2] Since 2019, Bushiroad is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and has traded on the TSE since its launch on July 24, 2019.[3]

For the professional wrestler, see Bushiroad (wrestler).
Bushiroad Inc.
Native name
株式会社ブシロード
Kabushiki-gaisha Bushirōdo
TypePublic
TYO: 7803
ISINJP3829930001
IndustryVideo games
Media and Entertainment
Collectible card games
magazines
FoundedMay 18, 2007 (2007-05-18)
FounderTakaaki Kidani
HeadquartersSumitomo Nakanosakaue Bldg 1-38-1 Chuo, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan[1]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsTelevision Production
Digital media
Publishing
Music
Animated feature films
Live event promotion
ServicesLicensing
Revenue ¥9.815 billion (2017[1])
¥2,929 million (FY 2018)
¥1,637 million (FY 2018)
Total assets¥18,23280 billion (FY 2018)
Total equity¥6,900 million (FY 2018)
OwnersSumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
(33.73%)
Takaaki Kidani
(17.41%)
Nakano Sakagami Co., Ltd
(16.65%)
GREE, Inc.
(4.96%)
Number of employees
226 (2017[1])
SubsidiariesBushiroad Creative, Inc
Bushiroad Media, Inc.
Bushiroad Music, Inc.
Bushiroad USA, Inc.
Bushiroad International Pte., Inc.
Bushiroad Move Co., Ltd.
Bushiroad Fight Co., Ltd.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
World Wonder Ring Stardom
Sanzigen (8.2%)
Kinema Citrus (31.8%)
Sopratico
Websitebushiroad.com

On January 29, 2012, Bushiroad announced that it had fully acquired New Japan Pro-Wrestling, a major professional wrestling promotion, for ¥500 million.[4] In October 2019, Bushiroad acquired World Wonder Ring Stardom, a Joshi puroresu promotion.[5]

At the 2012 Tokyo Game Show, Bushiroad announced Bushimo, a new social gaming platform for smartphones, which was released in Winter 2012.[6]

In March 2013, Bushiroad announced the revival of the media franchise Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road, with an anime television that aired on December 31, 2013 as a collaboration between Bushiroad, Bandai Visual, Nitroplus, and Kinema Citrus.[7]

Bushiroad introduced a monthly magazine in September 2013 titled Monthly Bushiroad (月刊ブシロード, Gekkan Bushirōdo). It features manga serializations of their various trading card games and other franchises.

Bushiroad created the media franchise BanG Dream! in January 2015, which consists of a musical group, several manga series and an anime television series.[8] It also created the media franchise Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight in 2017, which consists of a musical and an anime television series.[9]

On December 12, 2019, Bushiroad and Kadokawa acquired each of them a total of 31.8% of Kinema Citrus. The three companies previously announced a partnership in the same year for the creation of different anime, and one of the reasons for the deal was due to that partnership and a day later Bushiroad announced that it had acquired 8.2% of Sanzigen with Ultra Super Pictures owning 75.4% of Sanzigen and studio president Hiroaki Matsuura owning 16.4% of the company.[10][2][11]

Bushiroad logo (2007–2017)

Overview

In the beginning of the company was an associated in six distinct subgroups that later merged into one entity. The two most important companies that extended the company's global market were in subsidiary which was created on November 12, 2010, to expand the company to market overseas for Collectible card games. On May 18, 2012 Bushiroad set up a subsidiary called Bushiroad USA Inc., which is located in Los Angeles, California to help them demand and increased interest in the company in those markets. The company also has large number of stores offering its products in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Colombia, and Hong Kong.

  • Bushiroad USA, Inc.

Bushiroad USA Inc. was established in Los Angeles, California on May 18, 2012, to better cater to the growing demand and interest in Bushiroad products from both players and retailers in the USA.

  • Bushiroad International Pte., Inc.

Bushiroad International Pte Ltd was established in Singapore on November 12, 2011 in order to expand the overseas market for Bushiroad card games. The company was formerly known as Bushiroad South East Asia Pte Ltd before the present name was adopted in August 2017.

  • Bushiroad Creative, Inc.

On February 27, 2015, Bushiroad formed a subsidiary to help the company with the trading sales. In May 2016 Bushiroad change the name of Alcard Co., Ltd. to Bushiroad Creative and is currently headed by Kosuke Narita and they moved their headquarters from Warabi, Saitama to Nakano, Tokyo. The company also helps the main company with Merchandising sales.

  • Bushiroad Media, Inc.

Specialize in distributing contents via the radio, digital and print media. It publishes and edit the magazine Monthly Bushiroad along with its manga which is then distributed by Kadokawa in the market, make TV Programs and also plan and produce goods. It's also Bushiroad Group's In-house Agency.

  • Bushiroad Music, Inc.

Operates a music business and handles activities such as the planning, production and sales of music contents. Bushiroad Music is also highly involved in the production of live events.

  • Bushiroad Move Co., Ltd.

Specialize in the production and distribution of internet radio programs and manage a voice acting agency and owns Hibiki brand and the Hibiki Radio Station which is an internet radio station that distributes promotional programs of Bushiroad's various contents such as anime, games, voice actors and actresses.

  • Bushiroad Fight Co., Ltd.

Bushiroad Fight is a company of Bushiroad Group founded in 2016 that owns several sports companies that include

Sopratico
Sopratico
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryTheater
GenreFitness
FoundedOctober 7, 2004
FounderTakashi Oba
Headquarters
Hokkaido
,
Japan
Key people
Takashi Oba (Representative Director)
Serviceslicensing
Number of employees
497 (2020)
ParentBushiroad
SubsidiariesThearter Company HIKOSEN
Websitehttp://www.sopratico.com/

Sopratico is a subsidiary of Bushiroad that owns fitness clubs and theaters and was founded in 2004.

Bushiroad would acquire 14.5% of the shares in 2019 and then later on October 1, 2019 for the purpose of forming a tie-up with the companies' subsidiary theater company Thearter Company HIKOSEN. Furthermore, on February 3, 2020, Bushiroad would acquire all shares of the company made a wholly owned subsidiary.

Games and products

Multimedia franchises

Those are original crossmedia projects of the company that are made available on different media like manga, anime, games and live events.

Beginning in 2010, it has a voice actor unit for live performances, an anime, light novel, manga and games.

Created in 2015, it has an anime, manga, a mobile game and bands made up by the voice actors of the characters which perform in live events with instruments and also launch music albums and singles. A male-centric version titled Argonavis from BanG Dream! launched in 2018.

Beginning in 2017, it has a unit with voice actors for musicals, an anime, manga, a radio program and a mobile game.

Beginning in 2019, it has an anime, a game, and live DJ performances.

Collectible card games

Published video games

Published games through their Bushimo social smartphone gaming service:

Acquisitions

References
  1. "Company Overveiw". Bushiroad. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  2. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-12-12/bushiroad-kadokawa-jointly-acquire-63.6-percent-of-kinema-citrus-studio-shares/.154252
  3. http://zuuonline.com/archives/200989
  4. ５億円！新日オーナー会社　電撃交代 (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
  5. https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/10/njpw-parent-company-purchases-stardom-660850/
  6. Toto, Dr Serkan. "Bushimo: Japan Gets Yet Another Social Gaming Platform [Social Games] – Kantan Games Inc. CEO Blog". Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  7. "Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road's Anime's 2nd Promo Video Reveals Air Date". Anime News Network. November 6, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  8. "BanG Dream! Girls Band Project Gets 2017 TV Anime". Anime News Network. July 7, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  9. "Bushiroad Reveals Revue Starlight Franchise With Stage Musical, TV Anime Projects". Anime News Network. April 30, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  10. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (14 December 2019). "Bushiroad Acquires 8.2% of Sanzigen Animation Studio". Anime News Network. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  11. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-07-01/bushiroad-kadokawa-kinema-citrus-announce-partnership-to-produce-anime-ip/.148486
  12. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bushiroad.CrayonShinchan.global
  13. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/crayon-shinchan-storm-called!/id1023315217?mt=8
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