Private company

Acquire

Logo: Acquire, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Japanese video game developer

Acquire Corp. (Japanese: 株式会社アクワイア, Hepburn: Kabushikigaisha Akuwaia) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher, mainly known for the Octopath Traveler, Tenchu, Akiba's Trip, and Way of the Samurai series, along with Mario & Luigi: Brothership.2 It is part of Kadokawa Corporation.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

Dec 6, 1994Founded1

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Acquire Corp. (Japanese: 株式会社アクワイア, Hepburn: Kabushikigaisha Akuwaia) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher, mainly known for the Octopath Traveler, Tenchu, Akiba's Trip, and Way of the Samurai series, along with Mario & Luigi: Brothership.2

Corporate structure

Acquire is part of a group headed by Kadokawa Corporation. 51 entities, 5 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

Acquire was founded on December 6, 1994, and in 1998 developed Tenchu: Stealth Assassins for the PlayStation, which turned into a franchise. The developer pushed for a more sandbox approach to the level design, which found its way in other Acquire titles like Way of the Samurai and Shinobido: Way of the Ninja.

In 2011, the company was acquired by GungHo Online Entertainment. The studio co-developed Octopath Traveler with supervision and funding from Square Enix, releasing in 2018. Acquire was chosen as development partner for the game based on their affinity with pixel-art and prior work on the What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? series.

Acquire developed Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story, which released in 2020, following the cancellation of a fifth Way of the Samurai entry.

In 2024, the company was acquired by Kadokawa Corporation.

The studio succeeded AlphaDream, which became defunct on October 1, 2019, as the developer of the Mario & Luigi series, starting with Mario & Luigi: Brothership, which released in 2024.

From Wikipedia’s article on Acquire (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

  • Kadokawa Group

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. Dec 6, 1994Founded Founded1

Sources

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

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