NIS America logo

NIS America

United States Founded 2003 Website

Nippon Ichi Software was founded in September 1991 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, as an entertainment software company. It was relocated and reincorporated on July 12, 1993. Since then Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. has grown into an international company focused on creating video game products across modern console platforms. NIS America, Inc. subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. of Japan, established its North American operations on December 24, 2003. Based in Santa Ana, California, NIS America, Inc. handles operations including localization, marketing, and publishing of Nippon Ichi titles. The first game to be released in North America by NIS America was Phantom Brave. NIS America was the result of the company's wish to focus on international publication of their works in the U.S., given the increased popularity of their titles. Prior to the creation of this subsidiary, NIS software titles that appeared in the U.S. were localized and distributed by outside publishers. Notable examples would be Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, published in North America by Atlus and in Europe by Koei, La Pucelle, published in North America by Mastiff Inc, and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure which was also published in North America by Atlus. The publisher has become a somewhat of a well-known presence in the North American market, having won RPGLand's "Stateside Publisher of the Year Award" in 2009.

NIS America at a Glance

If you are browsing PlayPile looking for niche strategy and role-playing games, NIS America is a publisher you will encounter often. This United States-based subsidiary of the Japanese developer Nippon Ichi Software began operations in late 2003 to handle localization and marketing for its parent company. The first title they released in North America was Phantom Brave. Over the years, the company has published 134 games on PlayPile, with the vast majority serving as a publisher rather than a developer. Their output has grown significantly since their early days. They released only nine games during the 2000s. That number jumped to 70 titles in the 2010s and remains strong with 55 releases in the 2020s. Their catalog is heavily focused on Role-playing games, which make up 89 of their total entries. Adventure and Strategy genres also appear frequently with 65 and 34 titles respectively. They have a specific strength in Turn-based strategy and Tactical games, each holding 34 spots in their library. You will find fewer Platformers, Shooters, or Arcade titles in their collection. In terms of hardware, they dominate the Nintendo Switch with 75 releases. PlayStation 4 and PC follow closely behind with 65 and 57 games respectively. They have also maintained a presence on older systems like the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3. The quality of their library is generally solid but varies widely. Their average IGDB rating sits at 71.8 out of 100 across 79 rated titles. The data shows that 24 games are considered great, while 44 fall into the good category. There are nine mixed titles and two poor ones. Top-rated entries include Persona 4 Golden with a score of 90.1, Mad Rat Dead at 90, and La-Mulana at 89.1. More recent releases like Kemono Heroes have also scored well at 85. Upcoming projects scheduled for late 2026 include various editions of R-Type Tactics I & II Cosmos. While they have won awards for their work in the US market, their portfolio is defined by a steady stream of specific genre titles rather than a wide variety of mainstream hits.

135
Total Games
71.8
Avg Rating
2006
First Release
2026
Latest Release

Genre Breakdown

Role-playing (RPG)
31%
Adventure
23%
Strategy
12%
Turn-based strategy (TBS)
12%
Puzzle
6%

Platform Spread

Nintendo Switch
75
PlayStation 4
66
PC (Microsoft Windows)
57
PlayStation 5
36
PlayStation Vita
29

Release Timeline

2000s
9
2010s
71
2020s
55

Rating Distribution

24
80-100
44
60-79
9
40-59
2
0-39
htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary game cover
Rating 5.6

htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary

2014·PC, Vita
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth game cover
Rating 83

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

2014·3DS
Stranger of Sword City game cover
Rating 6.9

Stranger of Sword City

2014·PC, X360, XONE +1
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation game cover
Rating 6.5

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation

2014·PS4, PC, Switch +1
Battle Princess of Arcadias game cover
Rating 7.0

Battle Princess of Arcadias

2013·PS3
Fairy Fencer F game cover
Rating 7.6

Fairy Fencer F

2013·PS3, PC
The Witch and the Hundred Knight game cover
Rating 7.1

The Witch and the Hundred Knight

2013·PS3
Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection game cover
Rating 3.8

Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection

2013·Vita
Mugen Souls Z game cover
Rating 5.2

Mugen Souls Z

2013·PS3, PC, Switch
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory: Limited Edition game cover

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory: Limited Edition

2013·PS3
Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal game cover
Rating 7.8

Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal

2013·PC, Vita, PSP
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory game cover
Rating 7.3

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory

2013·PS3
Demon Gaze game cover
Rating 6.8

Demon Gaze

2013·Vita
Time and Eternity game cover
Rating 5.4

Time and Eternity

2012·PS3
Clan of Champions game cover
Rating 6.3

Clan of Champions

2012·PS3, PC, Linux
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair game cover
Rating 84

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

2012·PC, Switch, Linux +4
La-Mulana game cover
Rating 80

La-Mulana

2012·PS4, PC, XONE +4
Persona 4 Golden game cover
Rating 89

Persona 4 Golden

2012·Vita
Mugen Souls game cover
Rating 6.0

Mugen Souls

2012·PS3, PC, Switch
Cave Story 3D game cover
Rating 8.6

Cave Story 3D

2011·3DS
Cladun X2 game cover
Rating 8.0

Cladun X2

2011·PC, Vita, PSP
Bleach: Soul Resurrección game cover
Rating 6.2

Bleach: Soul Resurrección

2011·PS3
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland game cover
Rating 8.7

Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland

2011·PS3
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten game cover
Rating 8.1

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten

2011·PS3, Vita
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc game cover
Rating 6.5

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

2010·PC, Linux, Mac +4
Hyperdimension Neptunia game cover
Rating 5.9

Hyperdimension Neptunia

2010·PS3
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland game cover
Rating 7.3

Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland

2010·PS3
Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! game cover

Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!

2010·Switch, PSP
Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman game cover
Rating 81

Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman

2010·PC, Switch, PSP
Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel game cover
Rating 7.5

Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel

2010·PS3
A Witch's Tale game cover
Rating 5.0

A Witch's Tale

2009·NDS
Viral Survival game cover

Viral Survival

2009·Wii
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days game cover
Rating 82

Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days

2009·PSP
Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island game cover
Rating 6.4

Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island

2009·NDS
Cross Edge game cover

Cross Edge

2008·PS3
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis - Premium Edition game cover

Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis - Premium Edition

2008·PS2
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? game cover

What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord?

2007·PSP
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis game cover
Rating 7.6

Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis

2007·PS2, PSP
Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness game cover
Rating 8.5

Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness

2006·PSP