Effective from June 1st, following shareholder approval, Steins;Gate publisher, 5pb, will be absorbed into their parent company, AG-ONE, according to a report at Japanese site Gamebiz.jp. AG-ONE themselves are part of a company named Dwango, who also own game publishers Spike and Chunsoft.
Whether or not the 5pb brand will remain intact going forward remains to be seen. For example, in the case of Atlus and their own absorption by parent company, Index Holdings, Atlus still develop and publish games under their own name.
In addition to being a game publisher, 5pb are also a recognized record label in Japan. Prior to establishing 5pb, executive director, Chiyomaru Shikura, had wanted to set up a company that combined his talents as a composer as well as his experience in games, and 5pb was the result.
