Active Gaming Media Inc. (AGM) is a localization company based in Osaka, Japan. Founded in 2008 by CEO Ibai Ameztoy, the company's main focus lies in providing

localization Localization or localisation may refer to: Biology * Localization of function, locating psychological functions in the brain or nervous system; see Linguistic intelligence * Localization of sensation, ability to tell what part of the body is a ...

services for video games. AGM has since branched out to provide services such as game

debugging In computer programming and software development, debugging is the process of finding and resolving '' bugs'' (defects or problems that prevent correct operation) within computer programs, software, or systems. Debugging tactics can involve in ...

, marketing, promotion, voice acting, and publishing for games and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

. Having worked on a number of titles for various platforms including

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

PS Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territ ...

, PC, as well as online and

mobile games A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...

, AGM has collaborated with a number of major Japanese video game companies, including

Sony Corporation , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

, Grasshopper Manufacture and

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...

. Notable titles are Demon’s Souls, No More Heroes, Monster Hunter, the survival-horror series Resident Evil, and the

Devil May Cry is a series of action-adventure games created by Hideki Kamiya. It is primarily developed and published by Capcom. The series centers on the demon hunter Dante and his efforts to thwart various demon invasions of Earth. Its gameplay consists o ...

series. In May 2011, AGM launched the Japan-based version of the Playism website, an

indie game An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...

distribution platform. With the aim of introducing Western indie games to Japan, Playism started off by distributing localized versions of

Machinarium ''Machinarium'' is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on 16 October 2009 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, on 8 September 2011 for iPad 2 on the App Store, on 21 November 2011 for BlackBerr ...

and SpaceChem. Aside from being a distribution platform, Playism offers indie game funding, localization, and publishing services for indie game developers. Along with the English release of Nigoro’s archaeological platformer

La-Mulana ''La-Mulana'' (stylized as ''La•Mʊlana'') is a platform-adventure video game, designed to imitate the look and feel of MSX games. Released on June 27, 2006, in Japan for Microsoft Windows, the game was only available in Japanese, but an Englis ...

, Playism launched the English version of th
Playism store
in July 2012. In addition to both paid and free indie games, Playism also offers a Pay what you want system for some of its titles. The platform adapts a concept similar to

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

History

*2008 **Established as a legal entity in Tokyo *2009 **

Headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

moved to Osaka. *2011 **Acquired ''Tokyo Great Visual'' (Osaka branch), headquarters relocated within Osaka **Launched digital distribution platfor
Playism
in Japan *2012 **Active Gaming Media's CEO Ibai Ameztoy was included on

Gamasutra ''Game Developer'', known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021, is a website founded in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine '' Gam ...

's 2012 "Power 50" list of influential people in the video game industry. *2016 **Launched the YumeHaven brand, which focuses on the localization of Japanese

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

Completed projects

Over the past five years, AGM has translated more than 300 games titles for six different platforms into nine languages.

References

{{portal, Video games Video game companies of Japan Companies based in Osaka Translation companies Video game companies established in 2008 Japanese companies established in 2008 Video game localization