Shiravune

Shiravune is a Tokyo-based localization and publishing team dedicated to bringing Japanese games — primarily visual novels, adventure games, and RPGs — to English- and Chinese-speaking audiences. According to its official About page, the company was founded in 2019 and works with developers both large and small to deliver their stories to players around the world. Its catalog spans a wide range of genres, including adventure, simulation, RPG, strategy, roguelike, and action titles, with a strong emphasis on narrative-driven Japanese games. The company's portfolio includes the seminal 1990s dating sim Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer, the crossdressing romantic comedy Otome * Domain, the action title Marco & The Galaxy Dragon, and PC ports of the acclaimed Utawarerumono series of story-driven tactics RPGs. Shiravune also publishes titles such as Kagura Genesis: Kuon's Story, a roguelike RPG starring a shrine maiden, and Onmyoji in the Otherworld: Sayaka's Story, an adventure/simulation/strategy title developed by Debonosu Works. Its product list features numerous adventure, RPG, simulation, and strategy games, reflecting a broad and growing catalog. Shiravune's games are distributed primarily through Steam and Johren, two major digital storefronts for Japanese PC games. The company maintains an active presence on Twitter and Discord, where it announces new releases and engages with its community. Its website is available in English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese, underscoring its focus on both English- and Chinese-speaking markets. As a localization team, Shiravune handles translation and publishing, often collaborating with original Japanese developers to bring their titles to international audiences, sometimes with simultaneous worldwide releases. While Shiravune is a relatively young company, it has quickly established itself as a notable publisher in the niche market of Japanese visual novels and related genres. Its commitment to quality localization and its partnerships with both established and independent developers have helped it build a recognizable brand among fans of Japanese games worldwide.

Shiravune was founded in 2019 as a Tokyo-based localization team with the goal of bringing Japanese games to English- and Chinese-speaking audiences. From its inception, the company positioned itself as a bridge between Japanese developers and international players, working with both large and small studios to localize and publish their titles. In its early years, Shiravune built a catalog that included a mix of classic and contemporary Japanese games. One of its notable early releases was the seminal 1990s dating sim Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer, which it brought to new audiences. The company also published the crossdressing romantic comedy Otome * Domain and the high-energy action game Marco & The Galaxy Dragon. These titles helped establish Shiravune's reputation for localizing niche but beloved Japanese games. A significant milestone for Shiravune was securing the rights to publish PC ports of the acclaimed Utawarerumono series, a set of story-driven tactics RPGs originally developed by Aquaplus. These releases expanded Shiravune's reach beyond visual novels into the tactics RPG space and introduced the series to a wider international audience. Shiravune continued to grow its catalog with titles such as Kagura Genesis: Kuon's Story, a roguelike RPG starring a shrine maiden, which received a simultaneous international release — a first for the Kagura series. The company also published Onmyoji in the Otherworld: Sayaka's Story, developed by Debonosu Works, an adventure/simulation/strategy game released in September 2021. By the early 2020s, Shiravune had established itself as a prolific publisher on platforms like Steam and Johren, with a diverse portfolio that includes adventure, RPG, simulation, strategy, roguelike, and action games. The company maintains an active community presence on Twitter and Discord, and its website supports English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese, reflecting its commitment to serving both English- and Chinese-speaking markets. As of the mid-2020s, Shiravune remains an active and growing force in the localization and publishing of Japanese games for global audiences.

• 2024

  Kagura Genesis: Kuon's Story receives a simultaneous international release, a first for the Kagura series.

• 2021

  Release of Onmyoji in the Otherworld: Sayaka's Story (developed by Debonosu Works) on 15 September.

• 2019

  Shiravune founded in Tokyo as a localization team.

A localization and publishing brand focused on bringing Japanese games to English and Chinese audiences, with a catalog spanning visual novels, adventure, RPG, simulation, and strategy genres.

• Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer

  A seminal 1990s dating sim localized and published by Shiravune.

• Otome * Domain

  A crossdressing romantic comedy visual novel.

• Marco & The Galaxy Dragon

  A hyperkinetic action game.

• Utawarerumono series (PC ports)

  PC ports of the acclaimed story-driven tactics RPG series.

• Kagura Genesis: Kuon's Story

  A roguelike RPG starring a shrine maiden, with a simultaneous international release.

• Onmyoji in the Otherworld: Sayaka's Story

  An adventure/simulation/strategy game developed by Debonosu Works, released 15 September 2021.

1. 1Shiravune official websiteshiravune.com
2. 2About | Shiravuneshiravune.com
3. 3Onmyoji in the Otherworld: Sayaka’s Story | Shiravuneshiravune.com
4. 4Kagura Genesis: Kuon’s Story | Shiravuneshiravune.com
5. 5Shiravune - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6ShiraVN Rebrands as Shiravuneanimenewsnetwork.com