Project Sora
A short-lived Japanese Nintendo-affiliated game development studio established with Sora Ltd. to develop Kid Icarus: Uprising.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Project Sora was a Japanese video-game development studio established as a joint venture between Nintendo and Sora Ltd., the company founded by game designer Masahiro Sakurai and his wife, Michiko Sakurai. The studio was created to support the development of a new Kid Icarus title for Nintendo hardware, with Nintendo holding a 72 percent interest and Sora Ltd. holding the remaining 28 percent. Its formation reflected Nintendo's effort to organize a dedicated development structure around Sakurai after his earlier work on Super Smash Bros. Brawl and other projects. The studio became public in connection with Nintendo's 2010 E3 presentation, where Nintendo announced Kid Icarus: Uprising for the Nintendo 3DS. Masahiro Sakurai served as the game's director and game designer. The project represented the return of the Kid Icarus property after a long period without a new mainline release and was designed as a showcase for Nintendo's new handheld platform. Development involved a substantial production effort and was shaped around the Nintendo 3DS's stereoscopic 3D capabilities, touch controls, handheld format, and wireless features. Kid Icarus: Uprising was released in March 2012. It was the only publicly identified game developed by Project Sora. The studio was closed on June 30, 2012, after the completion of the title. Its closure means that Project Sora functioned as a project-focused development company rather than a continuing Nintendo label with a broad catalog. After the game's release, Sakurai continued working on the Super Smash Bros. series, including Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but those later projects were not presented as additional Project Sora productions. Project Sora is therefore best understood as a Japanese game-development company and Nintendo-affiliated joint venture, not as a standalone consumer-facing product brand. Its principal historical significance comes from its role in bringing Kid Icarus back to Nintendo platforms and from the corporate arrangement that enabled Sakurai to direct the project outside the ordinary structure of his earlier employer, HAL Laboratory. The company is defunct, and no continuing product portfolio or independent operating business is documented in the supplied reference material.
History
Project Sora emerged from the professional relationship between Nintendo and Masahiro Sakurai's Sora Ltd. Sakurai had previously worked at HAL Laboratory, where he created Kirby and directed early Kirby games before leaving the company in 2003. He later founded Sora Ltd. with Michiko Sakurai in 2005 and worked on projects independently or through external collaborations. His subsequent responsibilities included directing Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which strengthened his association with Nintendo and established the basis for further large-scale Nintendo projects. Nintendo and Sora Ltd. established Project Sora as a jointly owned development company. Nintendo held 72 percent of the studio and Sora Ltd. held 28 percent. The arrangement gave Nintendo a majority stake while allowing Sakurai's company to remain directly involved in the studio's ownership and creative leadership. Rather than operating as a broad publishing label, Project Sora was created around a specific development objective: producing a new entry in Nintendo's Kid Icarus series for the Nintendo 3DS. The studio was publicly associated with Kid Icarus: Uprising at E3 2010. Sakurai served as director and game designer. The game marked the return of the Kid Icarus property to a major new release after a lengthy absence and was positioned as one of the more prominent original Nintendo 3DS projects. Its design combined action gameplay with the platform's stereoscopic 3D display, touch interface, and wireless functionality. The production also drew on Sakurai's experience designing character-driven action games and crossover titles. Kid Icarus: Uprising was released in March 2012. It was the principal, and in the supplied reference material the only documented, commercial game produced by Project Sora. After the game's completion, Project Sora closed on June 30, 2012. The closure indicates that the company was intended as a limited-purpose studio rather than a permanent development organization with a continuing sequence of releases. Following Project Sora's closure, Sakurai continued to work with Nintendo on Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and later Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Those projects extended his Nintendo career but were not identified as Project Sora productions. Project Sora's historical role consequently rests on a single major release, the revival of Kid Icarus on Nintendo 3DS, and its unusual joint-venture structure between Nintendo and a creator-led independent company. As the studio is defunct, its website and corporate presence should not be assumed to represent an active business without further verification.
- 2012
Kid Icarus: Uprising launches
[1]The studio's documented game was released for Nintendo 3DS in March 2012.
- 2012
Project Sora ends operations
[1]Project Sora closed on June 30, 2012, after completing its known title.
- 2010
Project Sora is established
[1]Nintendo and Sora Ltd. formed Project Sora, with Nintendo owning 72 percent and Sora Ltd. owning 28 percent.
- 2010
Kid Icarus: Uprising is announced
[1]Nintendo announced Kid Icarus: Uprising at E3 2010 as a Project Sora production directed by Masahiro Sakurai.
- 2005
Sora Ltd. is founded
[1]Masahiro Sakurai and Michiko Sakurai founded Sora Ltd., the company that later became Project Sora's minority partner.
Products and positioning
A Nintendo-affiliated development studio organized around Masahiro Sakurai's direction of a major first-party Nintendo 3DS title.
Action video game · 2012
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Kid Icarus: Uprising is a Nintendo 3DS action game directed and designed by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by Project Sora. It revived Nintendo's Kid Icarus property after a long interval and was built around a mixture of on-rails aerial combat, ground-based action, character dialogue, and Nintendo 3DS features including stereoscopic 3D and touch controls. The game was released in March 2012 and is the only commercial Project Sora production identified in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
2012
Close Project Sora after the initial productionStrategyBackground
Project Sora was organized around the development of Kid Icarus: Uprising rather than a documented long-term release slate.
Action taken
The company ended operations on June 30, 2012, after the game's March release.
Aftermath
Sakurai subsequently worked on later Super Smash Bros. projects, while no additional Project Sora titles are documented in the supplied material.
2010
Nintendo and Sora Ltd. create a majority-owned joint-venture studioM&ABackground
Nintendo sought a dedicated development structure for a new Kid Icarus game, while Sora Ltd. provided the creator-led company associated with Masahiro Sakurai.
Action taken
The parties established Project Sora, assigning Nintendo a 72 percent ownership stake and Sora Ltd. a 28 percent stake.
Aftermath
The studio developed and released Kid Icarus: Uprising before closing in June 2012.
Recent events
- 2012
Kid Icarus: Uprising released[1]
Product launch
Project Sora's known game, Kid Icarus: Uprising, launched for Nintendo 3DS in March 2012.
- 2012
Project Sora closes[1]
Other
Project Sora ended operations on June 30, 2012, following the completion and release of Kid Icarus: Uprising.
- 2010
Nintendo and Sora Ltd. establish Project Sora[1]
Other
Nintendo and Sora Ltd. formed Project Sora as a jointly owned development studio, with Nintendo holding 72 percent and Sora Ltd. holding 28 percent.
- 2010
Project Sora announced as developer of Kid Icarus: Uprising[1]
Product launch
Nintendo introduced Kid Icarus: Uprising at E3 2010 and identified the newly established Project Sora as the studio working on the Nintendo 3DS game, with Masahiro Sakurai directing.
Sources2 sources
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