gamebiz

gamebiz (ゲームビズ) is a Japanese online news outlet specializing in the computer game industry and the business surrounding it. It is operated by gamebiz, Inc. (株式会社ゲームビズ), a company headquartered in Japan and, since September 2020, a wholly owned subsidiary of the entertainment group Bushiroad Inc. The site publishes industry news, rankings of game sales on platforms such as Steam, Google Play and the App Store, pre-registration announcements, event coverage and corporate news about game makers and related media companies. The publication began in August 2010 as a personal news site called "Social Game Info" (ソーシャルゲーム情報), founded by Hidehiko Kimura, a former securities-industry journalist and game-developer public-relations staffer. In January 2011 it was incorporated as Social Game Info, Inc. (ソーシャルゲームインフォ株式会社) with investment from gloops. The company passed through several owners and names: it was acquired by Colopl in March 2013, renamed Social Info, Inc. in October 2016, renamed Bigiple, Inc. in February 2018, and reverted to Social Info, Inc. in May 2019. In September 2020 Bushiroad acquired all shares from Colopl, making it a Bushiroad subsidiary. On 27 July 2021 the site was renamed from "Social Game Info" to "gamebiz," matching its long-standing domain gamebiz.jp, and on 1 September 2021 the operating company changed its name to gamebiz, Inc. The site now covers not only social and online games but also console and broader game-business topics, aiming to be a leading industry information source. Its editor-in-chief is Hidehiko Kimura, and its president is Yusuke Onuki. A sister site, the anime-news outlet AnimeRecorder, was operated from 2019 until it ended service on 10 October 2024.

gamebiz traces its origins to August 2010, when Hidehiko Kimura — a former securities-industry newspaper reporter and investment-information site producer who later handled IPO preparation and public relations at a game developer — launched a personal news site called "Social Game Info" (ソーシャルゲーム情報). The site initially focused on the launch and shutdown of social games and online games, as its name suggested. In January 2011, with investment from the social-game company gloops, the operation was incorporated as Social Game Info, Inc. (ソーシャルゲームインフォ株式会社). In March 2013 the company was acquired by Colopl. It was renamed Social Info, Inc. (株式会社ソーシャルインフォ) in October 2016, and in February 2018 it became Bigiple, Inc. (株式会社ビジプル), taking over Colopl's merchandise manufacturing/sales and event-related businesses. In May 2019 the company name reverted to Social Info, Inc. In August 2019 it acquired the operating rights to the anime-news site AnimeRecorder, making it a sister site. On 1 September 2020, Bushiroad acquired all shares of Social Info from Colopl, making it a wholly owned Bushiroad subsidiary; Yuki Nemoto, a producer of Bushiroad's BanG Dream! project, concurrently became representative director and president. On 27 July 2021 the news site was renamed from "Social Game Info" to "gamebiz," matching its original URL gamebiz.jp, reflecting that its coverage had expanded beyond social and online games. On 1 September 2021 the operating company itself was renamed gamebiz, Inc. (株式会社ゲームビズ), with Masashi Hasegawa becoming representative director and president. On 1 July 2022 Yusuke Onuki, a director of Bushiroad Move, concurrently became representative director and president. The site now covers computer games and related business broadly, including console games, corporate acquisitions, capital and business alliances, and financial disclosure notices. Its sister site AnimeRecorder ended service on 10 October 2024. gamebiz continues to operate as a Bushiroad subsidiary, with Hidehiko Kimura serving as editor-in-chief and director.

• 2024

  Sister site AnimeRecorder ends service.

• 2022

  Yusuke Onuki becomes representative director and president.

• 2021

  News site renamed from "Social Game Info" to "gamebiz."

• 2021

  Operating company renamed gamebiz, Inc. (株式会社ゲームビズ); Masashi Hasegawa becomes president.

• 2020

  Bushiroad acquires all shares from Colopl; company becomes a Bushiroad subsidiary; Yuki Nemoto becomes president.

• 2019

  Company name reverts to Social Info, Inc.

• 2019

  Acquires operating rights to anime-news site AnimeRecorder, making it a sister site.

• 2018

  Company renamed Bigiple, Inc. (株式会社ビジプル); takes over Colopl's merchandise and event businesses.

• 2016

  Company renamed Social Info, Inc. (株式会社ソーシャルインフォ).

• 2013

  Acquired by Colopl.

• 2011

  Incorporated as Social Game Info, Inc. (ソーシャルゲームインフォ株式会社) with investment from gloops.

• 2010

  Hidehiko Kimura launches the personal news site "Social Game Info" (ソーシャルゲーム情報).

A specialized B2B/B2C news media covering the Japanese and global game industry, aiming to be the industry's leading information site.

• gamebiz news site

  Online news outlet covering computer games and related business, including industry news, sales rankings, pre-registration announcements and corporate news.

• AnimeRecorder

  Sister anime-news site operated from 2019 until service ended on 10 October 2024.

1. 1gamebiz【ゲームビズ】gamebiz.jp
2. 2運営会社について | gamebizgamebiz.jp
3. 3gamebiz - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4ゲームビズ - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org