Voltage Inc. is a Japanese developer and publisher of interactive story
apps, such as
visual novel
A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
s and
otome game
An is a story-based romance video game targeted towards women with a female protagonist as the player character. Generally one of the goals, besides the main story goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female main player char ...
s, for
iOS
Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
and
Android
Android most commonly refers to:
*Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google
* Android TV, a operating system developed ...
devices. They also previously developed games with their
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
based subsidiary Voltage Entertainment USA.
History
The company originated in 1999, based in Tokyo, and began to expand to English-speaking audiences in 2011, releasing English-language versions of their games through the
Apple Store
The Apple Store is a chain of Retail, retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. The stores sell, service and repair various Apple products, including Macintosh, Mac desktop and MacBook laptop personal computers, iPhone smartphones, iPad ta ...
and
Google Play
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...
. They went on to establish a US subsidiary company, Voltage Entertainment USA, in 2012. Expanded versions of several of their games were previously released through
GREE, however support for the
GREE platform ceased in 2014.
Voltage's American subsidiary, Voltage Entertainment USA, have released adaptations of existing Voltage games which have been localized to appeal to Western audiences. Beginning in 2013, the subsidiary began producing original games marketed directly to their English-speaking audience. By 2014, it was reported that Voltage had an audience of 22 million across all its games. In 2017, Voltage Entertainment USA launched the multi-series app ''Lovestruck: Choose Your Romance'' and transitioned its AmeMix series into the app. In July 2020, Voltage Entertainment USA's writing staff went on strike and won increased wages and greater workplace transparency.
In December 2021, Voltage announced they would be shutting down Voltage Entertainment USA in 2022 to allocate resources more efficiently.
Games
Voltage Entertainment USA
Adaptations
Original titles
Augmented and virtual reality
Voltage Inc. has a subsidiary, Voltage VR Inc. Their first app, "Let's Snuggle!
AR" allows users to interact and talk with characters from other Voltage romance titles in a more personal setting.
Notes
References
External links
*
* https://www.voltage-ent.com
Lovestruck: Choose Your Romance
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Mass media companies of Japan
Japanese companies established in 1999
Mass media in Tokyo
Internet technology companies of Japan
Video game companies of Japan
Software companies based in Tokyo
Companies established in 1999
Mobile game companies