Cavia (company)
| Company type | Subsidiary (after acquisition) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | March 1, 2000 in Tokyo, Japan |
| Defunct | July 2010 |
| Fate | Dissolved and integrated into AQ Interactive |
| Headquarters | Tokyo , Japan |
| Products | Drakengard series, Nier, Resident Evil light gun shooters (Dead Aim, The Umbrella Chronicles, The Darkside Chronicles) |
| Parent | AQ Interactive (from October 2005) |
was a Tokyo-based Japanese video game developer established on March 1, 2000. The company’s name was said to stand for Computer Amusement Visualizer, while also alluding to caviar.
Its investors comprised Amuse Capital, Tokuma Shoten, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, Nippon Television Network Corporation, Tokyo FM Broadcasting, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Hayao Nakayama.
Cavia gained recognition for the Drakengard franchise, the original Nier (a related spin-off), and three Resident Evil light gun shooter titles: Dead Aim, The Umbrella Chronicles, and The Darkside Chronicles.
In October 2005, the company was acquired by AQ Interactive, which oversaw its subsidiaries as well as the marketing and sales of its games. Subsequently, Cavia’s development and planning functions were shifted to a newly formed entity named Cavia Inc.
By July 2010, Cavia was formally dissolved and integrated into AQ Interactive. Its last release was Nier in May 2010. After the company’s closure, prominent personnel including director Yoko Taro contributed to the development of Drakengard 3, a prequel created by Access Games and published by Square Enix.
Following the disbandment, many former Cavia staff pursued freelance opportunities or joined other studios such as Marvelous AQL (which emerged from AQ Interactive’s merger), Comcept, Tango Gameworks, FromSoftware, or returned to Namco. Notably, Yoichi Take departed in 2006 to establish his own studio, .
Games
- Articles with short description
- Tokyo-based software firms
- Japanese enterprises founded in 2000
- Video game developers established in 2000
- Video game companies closed in 2010
- Former Japanese video game companies
- Video game production companies
- Japanese firms dissolved in 2010
- AQ Interactive
- Japanese companies disestablished in 2010