ASOBISYSTEM has completed the subscription of a third-party allotment of shares in ContentAge, which operates in the fields of IP development, comprehensive advertising, and talent agency services, and has entered into a capital and business alliance with the company.
Through this partnership, we will combine ASOBISYSTEM’s assets, including artists, creators, events, stores, and facilities, with ContentAge’s skill in advertising, IP development, and talent management to strengthen our intellectual property-centered business structure. We aim to create globally recognized IP originating in Japan by intensifying our efforts across the entire process, from creation to development to expansion.
1. Outline
ASOBISYSTEM has completed the subscription of a third-party capital increase in ContentAge and has entered into a capital and business alliance. Through this partnership, we will integrate the assets of both companies to strengthen our framework for the integrated promotion of IP development, management, and deployment. By combining ASOBISYSTEM’s expertise in artist management and cultural promotion with ContentAge’s capabilities in advertising, social media marketing, and talent management, we aim to create and commercialize a steady stream of content centered around character IP. We plan to announce the first phase of this joint project as soon as preparations are complete.
2. Background
In recent years, Japan’s entertainment industry has been undergoing a major transformation both domestically and internationally. In today’s world, where content and technology are converging at a rapid pace, the speed at which development, operations, and deployment are integrated is becoming a key competitive advantage, in addition to creative capabilities. Leveraging its business foundation that spans comprehensive advertising, entertainment, and IP development, ContentAge has strengthened its organizational structure to enhance the scalability of its IP-centric business operations. ASOBISYSTEM has built a strong reputation in the entertainment industry for artist management, event production, and the development of global networks.
3. Business Synergy
Through this partnership, we will combine ASOBISYSTEM’s assets―including artists, creators, events, stores, and facilities―with ContentAge’s advertising and IP development capabilities to holistically advance the process of “creating → nurturing → expanding” in the following areas.
・Planning & Development: IP design with an eye toward marketability and sustainability (initial design of the world setting, characters, and media expansion)
・Production and Management: Communication strategy encompassing both social and offline channels, and operational improvements based on audience feedback
・Deployment and Commercialization: Designing a monetization strategy based on multiple channels, including advertising, events, and licensing
・Structure: A unified structure combining production and operations, capable of supporting global-scale operations
4. Future Initiatives (Areas of Priority)
Through this partnership, we will expand our character business in the following areas.
・Development of new IP in conjunction with artists and content owned by ASOBISYSTEM
・Launching a new character and anime development project in collaboration with media companies
・Regional Revitalization × Character IP (Collaboration with Local Governments · Locally Developed Content)
・IP development with an eye toward global expansion (taking into account multilingual and cross-border distribution from the initial planning stages)
5. Representative statements
Yusuke Nakagawa, Representative Director, ASOBISYSTEM
“We look forward to collaborating with ContentAge to create new IP, leveraging the company’s strengths in IP development and marketing, as well as our ability to promote our unique brand of culture. We aim to bring Japanese content to the world and nurture it into IP that transcends borders and generations, becoming a new cultural phenomenon loved by people everywhere.”
Sosuke Noda, Representative Director, ContentAge
“I am both reassured and excited to have entered into a capital and business alliance with ASOBISYSTEM, a company dedicated to promoting the global expansion of Japanese culture. Through this partnership, we aim to strengthen and accelerate our core business―the content IP business, including characters and animation―and cultivate IP that will be loved by people across borders and generations.”
6. Company Overviews
■About ASOBISYSTEM
ASOBISYSTEM is a company that manages artists and creators who embody Japanese pop culture, produces events such as music festivals, promotes regional revitalization by combining local resources with entertainment, and operates retail businesses based on popular IP. Through partnerships with companies and media outlets both in Japan and abroad, the company is promoting the global expansion of Japanese culture.
Company Name: ASOBISYSTEM
Location: Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Established: June 2007
Representative Director: Yusuke Nakagawa
HP: https://asobisystem.com
■About ContentAge
Guided by its purpose—“Creating new experiences and a new era of content through the synergy between people and AI”—ContentAge operates three core businesses: IP development, talent agency services, and comprehensive advertising.
Company Name: ContentAge
Location: Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Established: August 2015
Representative Director: Sosuke Noda
HP: https://contentage.co.jp
7. About Inquiries
ContentAge
Contact Form: https://contentage.co.jp/contact/
*We also welcome inquiries from companies interested in collaboration or the development of new character IPs.