5pb. (Five percent boost) was established by Chiyomaru Shikura after leaving Scitron. The company is highly regarded for developing visual novels, including Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate, as well as publishing and porting various arcade titles to home consoles. In 2011, 5pb. merged with AG-One to form MAGES., though the 5pb. brand continued to be used for video game releases.
In 2008, the developer released
Kanokon: Esuii, adapting the popular light novel series for the PlayStation 2. The following year marked a highly active period of releases across multiple platforms, particularly the Xbox 360 and PlayStation Portable.
In 2009, the company expanded its portfolio with the science fiction visual novel
Chaos;Head Noah, releasing both standard and limited editions for the Xbox 360 as an enhanced port of the original PC game. During this same period, the developer published several other visual novels and adventure games, including
W.L.O. Sekai Renai Kikousen (released with a limited edition), the fantasy-themed
11eyes CrossOver, and the shojo-targeted
Hakushaku To Yousei: Yume To Kizuna Ni Omoi Hasete.
Beyond adventure games, the studio engaged in porting arcade shoot-'em-ups to home consoles, notably publishing
DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou Black Label Extra (also stylized as
Do Don Pachi Daioujou Black Label Extra) for the Xbox 360 in 2009. These releases solidified the company's reputation for catering to niche Japanese gaming audiences through dedicated console adaptations.
5pb. Inc.
5pb. Games