| File:Dwango company) logo.png | |
Native name | 株式会社ドワンゴ |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Dowango |
| Type | Kabushiki gaisha Subsidiary |
Traded as | TYO: 3715 (until September 26, 2014) |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | August 6, 1997 in Tokyo, Japan |
| Founder | Interactive Visual Systems d/b/a DWANGO |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
Area served | Japan |
Key people | Takeshi Natsuno (President and CEO) |
| Services | Niconico |
| Parent | Kadokawa Corporation |
| Subsidiaries | Dehogallery Dwango AG Entertainment Dwango Music Publishing FromNetworks Project Studio Q Spike Chunsoft Vantan Vaka Virtual Cast Watanabe Amaduction |
| Website | www |
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DWANGO Co., Ltd. (株式会社ドワンゴ, Kabushiki gaisha Dowango) is a telecommunications and media company based in Japan, headed by Nobuo Kawakami. The company is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation. The company was spun off from a U.S.-based service offering online multiplayer for video games, DWANGO (Dial-up Wide-Area Network Game Operation), which was shut down in 1998. Dwango's majority shareholders until its merger with Kadokawa Corporation included Kawakami himself, Kadokawa Corporation, and Avex Group. Dwango runs the popular Japanese video sharing site Niconico. The company also is the 100% owner of the game developer Spike Chunsoft, which Dwango bought as the companies Spike and Chunsoft in 2005 when they were separated companies, before merging them in 2012. In November 2013, it was confirmed Nintendo purchased 612,200 or 1.5% shares of the company at the request of Nobuo Kawakami.[1][2]
On May 14, 2014, it was announced that Dwango and Kadokawa Corporation would merge on October 1, 2014, and form the new holding company Kadokawa Dwango Corporation. Both Kadokawa and Dwango became subsidiaries of the new company.[3][4]
In February 2019, Kadokawa Dwango announced that Dwango would stop being their subsidiary to be a direct subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation in a reorganization of the company.[5]
In July 2019, Mages was acquired by its CEO concept studio Chiyomaru Studio and stopped being a subsidiary of Dwango and part of the Kadokawa Group.
References[]
- ↑ Amano, Takashi (November 15, 2013). "Nintendo Rises After Buying Stake in Web Company Dwango". Bloomberg News. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-11-15/nintendo-rises-after-buying-stake-in-web-content-company-dwango.
- ↑ "dwango co ltd (3715:Tokyo)". Bloomberg Businessweek. November 15, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Schilling, Mark (May 14, 2014). "Kadokawa and Dwango to Merge". Variety. https://variety.com/2014/digital/asia/kadokawa-and-dwango-to-merge-1201181747/.
- ↑ "Publisher Kadokawa, Internet firm Dwango complete merger". The Japan Times. October 1, 2014. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/01/business/corporate-business/publisher-kadokawa-internet-firm-dwango-complete-merger/.
- ↑ Ressler, Karen. "Nobuo Kawakami Steps Down as Kadokawa Dwango President". Anime News Network. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
{{cite web}}:
External links[]
| Kadokawa Dwango | ||
|---|---|---|
| Publishing | ASCII Media Works • Enterbrain • Fujimi Shobo • Kadokawa Shoten • Media Factory | |
| Other | Glovision • Gempak Starz • ENGI • Kadokawa Daiei Studio • Niconico • Yen Press • Dwango | |
| Video games | Developers | FromSoftware • Mages/5pb. • Spike Chunsoft |
| Franchises | Armored Core • Conception • Danganronpa • Derby Stallion • Echo Night • Fire Pro Wrestling • King's Field • Lost Kingdoms • Memories Off • Mystery Dungeon • Otogi • Panzer Front • Phantom Breaker • RPG Maker • Science Adventure • Shadow Tower • Shinobido • Way of the Samurai • Zero Escape | |
| Defunct | ASCII Corporation • MediaWorks • Niwango • Spike | |
| Related | Kadokawa | |
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