Shochiku Ventures Co., Ltd., the corporate venture capital arm of the Shochiku Group, announced today the two finalists of its inaugural accelerator program, ‘Shochiku Game Accelerator 2025 designed to identify and foster development tools for new gaming experiences in Japan and aboard. Out of 200 submissions, Cloud Gaming company Blacknut Cloud Gaming and AI tools startup Ememe Co., Ltd. have been selected as finalists. In addition to the $50,000 of funding, both finalists will also receive a Japanese cultural tour, introductions to relevant publishers, platforms, and developers in Japan, as well as invitations to meet with major publishers, media, and investors in Japan. Both companies will also be invited to a demo of their proof of concepts in September 24th at a special event that will be hosted with support from Xsolla.
Since the program’s launch in March 2025, approximately 200 companies applied, and after a rigorous selection process spanning approximately six months, two partner companies have been selected. Going forward, Shochiku Group will conduct proof-of-concept experiments aimed at long-term business collaboration and plan to hold a demo day in Tokyo on September 24. The event is proudly supported by Xsolla, a global leader in providing payment solutions for the gaming industry.
The two selected companies aiming to launch new services that enhance the gaming experience in Japan and expand globally:
Blacknut Cloud Gaming is a global leader in cloud gaming offering B2B solutions— through partnerships with ISPs, device manufacturers, OTT platforms, and media companies— and Direct-to-Consumer offerings. With a curated catalog of over 500 premium games, Blacknut delivers a seamless gaming experience across a wide range of devices, including PCs, mobile phones, set-top boxes, and smart TVs. The service is currently live across Europe, Asia, MENA, and the Americas. Founded in 2016 by CEO Olivier Avaro, Blacknut is headquartered in Rennes, France, with additional offices in Paris, Seoul, and San Francisco.
Ememe Co., Ltd. is a startup that uses “Text-to-Motion” technology to automatically generate 3D motion and animation for characters. By simply inputting text, the system generates cutscenes with camera work and natural movements based on physical laws, significantly reducing costs for game and video production. Led by MIT graduates and researchers from the University of Tokyo, the company is developing infrastructure for next-generation content creation.
As a result, the selected two companies in the ‘Generative AI’ and ‘Cloud Gaming’ categories will conduct proof-of-concept experiments by the end of the fiscal year. The innovations will be integrated into future Shochiku games.
The Shochiku Game Division invests in game companies and publishes games worldwide, primarily for PC and home consoles. Recently, PC title MiSide achieved over 100,000 Steam reviews within two months of release and continues to receive overwhelmingly positive reviews. Selected companies will have the opportunity to conduct proof of concept using Shochiku’s games.
“Shochiku Game Accelerator 2025” is an accelerator program that supports the launch of new services that update the gaming experience in Japan and their global expansion.
