Chunsoft, the studio behind Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward and the Shiren the Wanderer series, will merge with Japanese publisher Spike. Both companies are owned by Dwango, parent company of Nico Nico owner niwango. Starting on April 1, Spike and Chunsoft will become Spike Chunsoft.
The two companies worked together when Spike published 428 for PS3/PSP, Shiren the Wanderer 4, and the suspenseful DS game Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. Spike also owns the Way of the Samurai series and is creating Conception: Please Deliver My Child for PSP.
What they’re probably best known for, well at least in Japan, is localizing text heavy Western games. Spike brought Bioshock, Dead Island, and the Dragon Age series to Japan. Before Square Enix merged with Eidos, Spike also handled Tomb Raider and Kane & Lynch. In a way, Spike was similar to Atlus, Aksys or Xseed – except they localized niche Western games for the Land of the Rising Sun.
