Shogakukan

A major Japanese publishing company that also published video games, including entries in the Sotsugyou (Graduation) series.

Website

Founded

1922

Tokyo, Japan

Known for

Action / Adventure / RPG

Games

1992–2018

Years

Platforms

$11.50

Ø CIB

+48.1%

24M change

About

Shogakukan is a prominent Japanese publisher that expanded into the video game market, publishing titles such as Kekkon: Marriage and several entries in the Sotsugyou (Graduation) franchise, including Sotsugyou Crossworld, Sotsugyou III: Wedding Bell, and Sotsugyou Album. The company also published educational software, such as the Kageyama Method math training games for the Nintendo DS.

The company's venture into interactive software began in the early 1990s, utilizing CD-ROM technology to distribute multimedia content such as Hyper Catalog 2 (1992). As the fifth-generation console era emerged, the publisher targeted the growing simulation genre. This led to the release of Kekkon: Marriage (1995), a virtual relationship title that debuted on the PC-FX before expanding to other platforms.

Building on this foundation, the publisher secured a significant role in the Sotsugyou (Graduation) series. They handled the publication of Sotsugyou Crossworld (1997) for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, followed by the mainline sequel Sotsugyou III Wedding Bell (1998) and the fan-oriented compilation Sotsugyou Album (1998). These releases solidified the company's presence in the bishoujo and life simulation markets of the late 1990s.

In the mid-2000s, the publisher pivoted toward the burgeoning "brain training" phenomenon on handheld consoles. They developed a highly successful line of educational software based on the pedagogy of educator Hideo Kageyama. This initiative produced Kageyama Method Masu x Masu Hyaku Masu Keisan (2006) and its digital repetition counterpart Kageyama Method Dennou Hanpuku: Masu X Masu Hyaku Masu Keisan (2006), which utilized the Nintendo DS touch screen to teach grid-based mathematics.