WWE and Earth Defense Force developer Yuke's has acquired Japanese visual novel-focused studio Aquaplus, best known for games like To Heart, Utawarerumono, and White Album.
As spotted by Automaton Media, Yuke's announced the acquisition via its official Japanese website earlier today. The deal, which cost Yuke's around 784 million yen (around $5.3 million), also includes F.I.X. Records, a music label under Aquaplus' stewardship.
Naturally, as is customary in the corporate world, Yuke's is looking to leverage Aquaplus' expertise in the visual novel area in order to reach a new audience, and it'll be putting some of its own development heft behind the studio's ongoing projects.
If you're not familiar with Aquaplus, it's a Japanese visual novel-centric studio that's also responsible for the Leaf label, under which the company has published games like 1998's White Album and 1997's To Heart.
The aforementioned White Album was unavailable outside of Japan between its original 1998 release and 2023, when it was released for PC via Steam in the West, complete with an all-new official localization.
ToHeart, meanwhile, was remade earlier this year for PC and Switch, and the new version boasts all-new 3D scenes, improved visuals and gameplay,...
