Acquire (company)


Acquire Corp. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher, mainly known for their Tenchu and Way of the Samurai series.

History

Acquire was founded on December 6, 1994, and in 1998 developed Tenchu: Stealth Assassins for the PlayStation, which turned into a franchise. The developer pushed for a more sandbox approach to the level design, which found its way in other Acquire titles like Way of the Samurai and Shinobido: Way of the Ninja.
In 2011, the company was acquired by GungHo Online Entertainment. The studio co-developed Octopath Traveler with supervision and funding from Square Enix, releasing in 2018. Acquire was chosen as development partner for the game based on their affinity with pixel-art and prior work on the What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? series.
Acquire developed Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story, which released in 2020, following the cancellation of a fifth Way of the Samurai entry.
In 2024, the company was acquired by Kadokawa Corporation.
The studio succeeded AlphaDream, which became defunct on October 1, 2019, as the developer of the Mario & Luigi series, starting with Mario & Luigi: Brothership, which released in 2024.