Founded in 2006 by Akibo Shieh, Aksys Games Localization Inc. is prominent for bringing niche Japanese video games, particularly visual novels and fighting games, to North America. They are well-known for publishing titles in the Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, and Zero Escape series.
The publisher's early catalog demonstrated a strategy of localizing diverse Japanese intellectual properties while managing port distributions for Western consoles. Among these early efforts was the PlayStation 2 release of
Eagle Eye Golf in 2006, a title originally developed in 2000. The company's staff maintained strong ties to legacy franchises, having prior involvement with the distribution and localization of
Guilty Gear X (2000/2001) and
Guilty Gear XX #Reload [Robo-Ky Metallic Edition] (2003) before the publisher's formal incorporation.
Expanding into handheld consoles, the company published a Nintendo DS port of the iconic adventure game
Myst in 2006. To appeal to broader audiences, they also licensed popular Western brands, resulting in the publication of the puzzle-action game
M&M's Break'Em in 2007 for both the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. Through these varied projects, the company established its operational pipeline for translation, quality assurance, and physical distribution, securing a foothold in the console market by bridging regional software gaps.