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Private company

Visual Arts

Logo: © VISUAL ARTS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Japanese video game publisher

Visual Arts (株式会社ビジュアルアーツ, Kabushikigaisha Bijuaru Ātsu), formerly Visual Artist Office (ビジュアルアーティストオフィス, Bijuaru Ātisuto Ofisu) and previously spelled in English as VisualArt's, is a Japanese publishing company which specializes in publishing and distributing visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Arts has developed game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and AVG32. Visual Arts also handles the distribution of these games.2 It was founded by Takahiro Baba.1 It is part of Tencent.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1991Founded1
  • Industryvideo game industry1
  • HeadquartersNaniwa-ku1
  • Websitevisual-arts.jp
  • Legal formkabushiki gaisha1

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Parks Tower (Namba Parks) 20100418-001
Photo: J o, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

Visual Arts (株式会社ビジュアルアーツ, Kabushikigaisha Bijuaru Ātsu), formerly Visual Artist Office (ビジュアルアーティストオフィス, Bijuaru Ātisuto Ofisu) and previously spelled in English as VisualArt's, is a Japanese publishing company which specializes in publishing and distributing visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Arts has developed game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and AVG32. Visual Arts also handles the distribution of these games. The games published are mostly for a male audience, though they also publish games targeted towards women as well. They are well known for publishing games developed by Key, such as Kanon, Air, and Clannad.2

Corporate structure

Visual Arts is part of a group headed by Tencent. 882 entities, 43 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 of annual reports filed with the SEC; subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What Visual Arts reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

  • I've Sound
  • JADE
  • Key
  • Key Sounds Label
  • fripSide
  • ocelot
  • queens label

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1

The story

Founded by Takahiro Baba in 1991.1

Leadership

Who has led Visual Arts, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Products and brands

  • visual novel

Listed on Wikidata.1

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Subsidiaries

Also owns

  • I've Sound
  • JADE
  • Key
  • Key Sounds Label
  • fripSide
  • ocelot
  • queens label

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. Jul 27, 2023Acquired Acquired by Tencent1
  2. 1991Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
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