Nigoro

Japan Founded 2007 Website

"NIGORO is a naughty group that doesn’t watch main stream nor trend of the game, and make games as we like! We grow up on playing retro games. Our purpose is to pursue and to evolve more the fun of them. NIGORO is not a game company. To be exact, NIGORO is a game development department of ASTERIZM corporation. The games are developed by NIGORO members have released as a brand name “NIGORO”. We may also sell on behalf of other game developers. In that case, they have released as a brand name “ASTERIZM”. It is hard to understand. lol. In the United States, indie Games has considerable demand, and many developers have been successful. In Japan, when it comes to a genre called “DOUJIN”, there are successes. On the other hand when it comes to a genre called “INDIE”, there are few successes. On top of that, indie games themselves are not so popular. In that circumstances, we have the ambition to be successful Japanese indie games and hope to boost Japanese indie game development field which like-minded people. We are working with such thoughts. Thanks."

Nigoro at a Glance

Nigoro operates out of Japan as a development team within ASTERIZM corporation rather than a standalone company. The group formed in 2007 and has released eleven games up to 2023. Their output shows clear growth over time. They released one title in the 2000s, four titles during the 2010s, and six titles in the 2020s. This increase suggests a more active period recently compared to their earlier years. The studio focuses heavily on fighting games with nine releases in that category. They also work in adventure, platformer, puzzle, indie, and sport genres. Their portfolio is spread across multiple platforms but leans toward Nintendo Switch with seven titles. PC and web browser versions follow with three releases each. PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mac, and Android all have two games, while iOS has only one. Ratings for the studio are based on a single reviewed title, which sets a high bar for their quality perception. La-Mulana 2 from 2018 holds an 82.5 rating. This makes it the only rated game in their catalog and places them in the great category. No other titles have received IGDB scores yet, so this single data point defines their current reputation on that platform. Recent activity shows a heavy focus on the Rose & Camellia series. The studio released three entries in this line within September 2023 alone. Earlier releases include Rose & Camellia: The Legendary Rose Bride in March 2020 and Rose & Camellia & La-Mulana in November 2020. This pattern indicates a strategy of releasing multiple games in a short window rather than spreading them out over years. Nigoro describes itself as a group that does not follow mainstream trends. They aim to evolve the fun found in retro games and express a desire to succeed in the Japanese indie scene. Their approach remains focused on making games they enjoy without worrying about current market directions. The team notes that while indie success exists in the United States, it is less common in Japan for this specific genre label. They hope their work helps boost the local field for like-minded creators.

Total Games

82.5

Avg Rating

2007

First Release

2023

Latest Release