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Athena

Japan Founded 1987

Athena was a Japanese video game developer and publisher, who produced video games for a variety of different consoles throughout the 1990s. Taking on a relatively obscure profile, the majority of the company's video games have been restricted to the native Japanese market. Some have made it overseas though, primarily the company's large inventory of bowling games.

Athena at a Glance

Athena is a Japanese publisher and developer that operated from 1989 through 2026. Their catalog on PlayPile contains 40 titles, with the company credited as a publisher on 32 of them and as a developer on 31. The data shows a heavy concentration of activity in the 1990s, where they released 31 games. This output dropped to just two titles in the 1980s and three more in the 2000s. Only one game appeared in the 2020s list before the company ceased new releases according to the records. Their genre focus leans heavily toward niche categories. Card and Board games make up the largest portion of their work with 12 titles, followed by Shooters at eight entries. They also produced Sports games, Adventure titles, and Hack and slash or Beat 'em up games, alongside smaller numbers of Strategy, Visual Novel, Platform, Puzzle, and Quiz/Trivia games. Most of these releases targeted Japanese audiences, though the company did export some of their bowling titles to other regions. Platform support was extensive across generations. PlayStation titles lead their library with 13 games, followed closely by PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable releases at 11 each. They also have a significant presence on older hardware like the Super Famicom with seven games, plus releases for Arcade cabinets, Game Boy, Family Computer, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, and the Nintendo Entertainment System. The quality ratings for Athena are notably low. The average IGDB score across their three rated titles sits at 47.9 out of 100. Their rating breakdown shows zero great scores and no mixed reviews either. They have two good-rated games and one poor-rated entry. Castle of Dragon from 1990 holds a 60.6 rating, while BioMetal from 1993 scored 60. Kiwame Mahjong DX II from 2002 received a 23 rating. Recent releases listed include Dezaemon in February 2026 and various older titles like the Simple 1500 Series Vol. 34: The Quiz Bangumi from August 2000. The company remains a footnote in gaming history with a small but specific output centered on Japanese market hardware and genres.

40
Total Games
47.9
Avg Rating
1989
First Release
2026
Latest Release

Genre Breakdown

Card & Board Game
29%
Shooter
19%
Sport
10%
Adventure
10%
Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
7%

Platform Spread

PlayStation
13
PlayStation 3
11
PlayStation Portable
11
Super Famicom
7
Arcade
4

Release Timeline

1980s
2
1990s
31
2000s
3
2020s
1

Rating Distribution

0
80-100
2
60-79
0
40-59
1
0-39