Mages, developer of some of the industry's most popular visual novels, is entering insolvency following financial reporting of substantial losses. Originally known as 5pb., Mages is known for the visual novel franchise known as the Science Adventure series, made up of games including Chaos; Head and Steins;Gate, half-a-dozen anime adaptations, manga, drama CDs, and more. Future development of the Science Adventure series and other Mages projects may now be in jeopardy.
There is a complicated history behind Mages, going back 17 years. It largely revolves around Chiyomaru Shikura, the founder of the company and its executive director. Shikura's role in the company is multifaceted, serving as a composer, writer, producer, and lead planner not just for Mages' games but also for related anime and audio works. In 2020, Shikura sold Mages to a company named Colopl, known for mobile gacha games, though Shikura and his projects largely remained unimpacted.
Everything appears to be on the precipice of massive change at Mages, however. Recently, Mages reported financial losses of ¥613,000 million (around $4.6 million), pushing the company into insolvency. Specific details regarding where Mages' debts came from are unclear, given its complex structure and diverse businesses and investments. In 2022 alone, however, Mages released games including Phantom Breaker: Omnia, The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie adaptation, and Science Adventure visual novel Anonymous;Code.
What happens next is a mystery. Mages itself could declare bankruptcy, splitting up its assets, selling them individually, or lumping them together for the highest bidder. Mages' parent company Colopl could, assumedly, also cover Mages' debts. Shikura could theoretically re-purchase Mages from Colopl, given he's done so in the past. Those are all optimistic outcomes, though. Mages and Science Adventure could also go defunct, though there's no indication it's moving in that direction yet.
The biggest question remains where Mages' debt comes from. It's entirely possible that Mages' visual novel business is successful. That would make it a valuable asset and would ensure Science Adventure's continued development in 2023 and beyond. The visual novels could also be the source of the debt, however, which could put Science Adventure's visual novels at great risk.
Financial details aside, this has to be a very sad development to what's become an extremely loyal community of fans. Steins;Gate, Chaos;Head, Robotics;Notes and their various spin-offs, sequels, and follow-ups are beloved among Mages' playerbase. Shikura even livestreamed earlier this month, sharing details about three planned new Science Adventure projects. With hope, Shikura and Mages will be able to share those games with Science Adventure players yet.
Source: GameBiz.jp