LIONA Interactive (株式会社LIONA) (formerly known as iNiS Corporation (株式会社イニス, Inisu)) is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo, specializing in rhythm games and digital content. It was founded as iNiS Ltd. (an acronym derived from "infinite Noise of the inner Soul") on February 3, 1997 by Keiichi Yano. After iNiS Corporation (2000–2016) briefly rebranded as Spica in 2017 (which soon went bankrupt),[2] a successor company inisJ (established 2016) adopted the current name in 2020.
 | |
| Formerly | iNiS Ltd. (1997-2000) iNiS Corporation (2000-2016) Spica (2017) inisJ Corporation (2016-2020) LIONA Interactive (2020-) |
|---|---|
Company type | Private |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | February 3, 1997[1] Tokyo, Japan |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Masako Harada (CEO)[1] Keiichi Yano (COO)[1] Takahide Hoshino (CFO)[1] |
| Products | Gitaroo Man Elite Beat Agents |
| Website | https://www.liona.co.jp/ |
Throughout its history, Liona Interactive has developed notable rhythm and music titles such as Gitaroo Man (2001), Elite Beat Agents (2006), and the Lips series (2008–2010), alongside game engines like nFactor2 and MixJuice for platforms including Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Portable. The company has expanded into mobile, arcade, and VR games, with projects like Evangelion Battlefields (2020–2023), Tetote Connect (2021), and Monsoni! (2024).
Subsidiaries
edit- SONICA Co., Ltd.: Established in 2001, it is a provider of sound solutions.
Titles developed
editCD/DVD-ROM
edit| Title | Platform | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Penguin Piano | ? | October 1997 |
| Space Battleship Yamato Master Edition CD-ROM | Windows/Mac OS hybrid | March 20, 1999 |
| Space Battleship Yamato Master Edition DVD-ROM | DVD player | ? |
| Picasso | ? | ?(1997–2000) |
| Safari Tokyo | Windows | October 1998 |
| Kiseki No Maya Uranai | ? | April 1998 |
| Minna no Tabetaku Ver.2 | ? | October 1999 |
| Roland VP-9000 promo CD-ROM | ?(CD-ROM) | February 2000 |
Video games
edit| Title | Platform | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| beatmania Da!! | Windows/Mac OS hybrid | February 17, 2000 |
| beatmania BEST Da!! | Windows/Mac OS hybrid | September 28, 2000, July 5, 2002(rerelease) |
| pop'n music Da!! | Windows/Mac OS hybrid | September 28, 2000, September 6, 2002(rerelease) |
| Gitaroo Man | PlayStation 2 | June 21, 2001 |
| Gundam Pilot Academy | Arcade | 2002 |
| Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan | Nintendo DS | July 28, 2005 |
| Gitaroo Man Lives! | PlayStation Portable | June 8, 2006 |
| Rain Wonder Trip | PlayStation Portable | July 6, 2006 |
| Elite Beat Agents | Nintendo DS | November 6, 2006 |
| Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 | Nintendo DS | May 17, 2007 |
| Anata mo DS de Classic Kiite Mimasenka? | Nintendo DS | July 5, 2007 |
| Lips | Xbox 360 | November 18, 2008 |
| Lips: Number One Hits | Xbox 360 | October 20, 2009 |
| Lips: Canta en Español | Xbox 360 | November 13, 2009 |
| Lips: Deutsche Partyknaller | Xbox 360 | 2009 |
| Lips: Party Classics | Xbox 360 | February 26, 2010 |
| Lips: I ♥ The 80's | Xbox 360 | April 2, 2010 |
| The Black Eyed Peas Experience | Xbox 360 | November 8, 2011 |
| Infinity Blade Cross[3] | iOS | February 20, 2012 |
| Anata Toshokan[4] | iOS, Android | May 19, 2012 (iOS), May 25, 2012 (Android) |
| Demons’ Score[5] | iOS, Android | September 19, 2012 |
| Symphonica[6] | iOS | October 18, 2012 |
| The Hip Hop Dance Experience[7] | Wii, Xbox 360 | November 13, 2012 |
| Karaoke | Xbox 360 | December 11, 2012 |
| Eden to Green | Android, iOS | April 8, 2013 |
| Initial D Perfect Shift Online | Nintendo 3DS | April 2, 2014 |
| Just Sing | PlayStation 4, Xbox One | September 6, 2016[8] |
| Project Rap Rabbit (co-developed with NanaOn-Sha) | PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows | Cancelled[9] |
Web design
edit| Title | Platform | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Shockwave Christmas Card (Dreamarts) | ? | ? |
Prototype titles
editEngines
edit- FUEL audio library (for ACID)
- nFactor2 (next-generation rendering engine - Wii, Xbox 360, PC only)
- MixJuice (interactive music engine)
- Unreal Engine 3
- Unreal Engine 4
- Unity
Awards
edit- IGN's Best Nintendo DS developer of 2006 [10]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 "Homepage" (in Japanese). iNiS Corporation. Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- ↑ 旧イニスの（株）スピカ（東京）／破産開始決定 「押忍!闘え!応援団」 [Spica Co., Ltd. (Tokyo), formerly Innis, begins bankruptcy proceedings "Osu! Fight! Cheer Squad"] (in Japanese). JC net. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
- ↑ "Infinity Blade Cross". iNiS Corporation. Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- ↑ "Anata Toshokan". iNiS Corporation. Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- ↑ @CaptivNation (2012-06-06). "We got nominated for best of show!! Woo goo!!! #demonsscore" (Tweet). Retrieved 2013-10-17 – via Twitter.
- ↑ @iNiS_corp (2012-10-17). [作品情報]SYMPHONICA:iNiSが開発に携わったリズムアクションゲーム”SYMPHONICA－グランド・マエストロ－"がiPhone,iPadで配信開始。キャラクターデザインは倉花千夏さん。3曲まで無料でお楽しみいただけます！http://bit.ly/VauMqn [[Work Information] SYMPHONICA: iNiS has been involved in the development of the rhythm action game "SYMPHONICA -Grand Maestro-" and it is now available for iPhone and iPad. The character designs are by Chinatsu Kurahana. You can enjoy up to 3 songs for free! http://bit.ly/VauMqn] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2013-10-17 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "The Hip Hop Dance Experience". Shop.ubi.com. 2012-11-27. Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- ↑ McWhertor, Michael (28 July 2016). "Just Sing is a new karaoke game from Ubisoft". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ↑ Fahey, Mike (12 May 2017). "Parappa and Ouendan Creators Join Forces for Project Rap Rabbit". Kotaku.
- ↑ "Best of 2006". iNiS Corporation. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
External links
edit- (in Japanese) LIONA Interactive
- (in Japanese) iNiS Corporation page: Japanese, English
- Sonica Inc. page
- IGN Company Profile
- GDC 2007: The Keiichi Yano Interview
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