Key (company)

Key
Company type	Brand of Visual Arts
Industry	Computer games
Genre	Eroge; visual novels;
Founded	July 21, 1998 in Osaka, Japan
Founders	Itaru Hinoue; Naoki Hisaya; Jun Maeda; Shinji Orito;
Headquarters	Kita, Osaka, Japan
Area served	Japan
Key people	Jun Maeda; Shinji Orito; Na-Ga;
Products	Kanon; Air; Clannad; Full list;
Website	key.visualarts.gr.jp

Key is a Japanese visual novel studio known for making dramatic and plot-oriented titles. It was formed on July 21, 1998, as a brand under the publisher Visual Arts, and is located in Kita, Osaka.

Key's debut visual novel Kanon (1999) combined an elaborate storyline, up-to-date anime-style art, and a musical score which helped to set the mood for the game. Key's second game, Air (2000), had a similarly complex storyline to Kanon and a more thorough gameplay. Both Kanon and Air were originally produced as adult games, but this trend was broken with Key's third title Clannad (2004), released for all ages. Key has released 18 visual novels to date, the latest being Stella of The End (2022). Key has worked in the past with Interchannel and Prototype for the consumer port releases of the brand's games. Key has collaborated with P.A. Works and Aniplex to produce three original anime series: Angel Beats! (2010), Charlotte (2015), and The Day I Became a God (2020). The crossover anime series Kaginado premiered in 2021. The multimedia project Prima Doll includes an anime series that aired in 2022, and a four-volume visual novel series.

Co-founder Jun Maeda is a prominent figure in the brand, having contributed to the planning, scenario, and music composition in the majority of Key's visual novels. Na-Ga, Key's main artist, mainly worked with background art in earlier games, but with Key's sixth game Little Busters! (2007) was given the position of co-art director with former Key artist Itaru Hinoue. Shinji Orito, Key's main composer and another co-founder, has composed music for the majority of Key's titles.

Key has been an active participant at the Comiket convention since Comiket 57 in 1999, where they sold Kanon-related products; Key's latest appearance at Comiket was at Comiket 99 in 2021. In 2001, Visual Arts created the record label Key Sounds Label to release music albums and singles with music related to Key's visual novels. Between 2007 and 2010, Key produced an Internet radio show called Key Net Radio in regard to the brand.
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