Hitchin, Hertsfordshire, England based publisher Rising Star Games reached the ten year milestone today. Founded as a joint venture between Scandinavian Nintendo distributor Bergsala and Japanese developer Intergrow in 2004, Rising Star has made its name through localizing and publishing Japanese games in the European market. The company opened an office in California and expanded its operations to North America in 2012, bringing much of its library to audiences in the United States and Canada as well.

Rising Star Games has published over 100 titles in its ten year history. Among their recent releases in the Western market are Akai Katana for the Xbox 360, Deadly Premonition for the PS3, and Cloudbuilt for Steam on Windows PCs. Akai Katana is an action adventure game set in an alternate version of Japan’s Taisho period in which the Japanese army has utilized mythical artifacts powered by human sacrifice known as Blood Swords to establish a tyrannical empire spanning most of eastern Asia. The player is put in the role of a rebellious Blood Sword wielder who seeks to spark a revolution against the ruthless imperial army. Deadly Premonition takes place in the small American town of Greenvale which has recently been struck by a series of bizarre killings known as the Red Seed Murders. Players take on the role of special agent Francis York Morgan, an investigator sent to solve the crimes, in the open-world suspense thriller. Cloudbuilt is an action game focused on quick platforming and puzzle solving set in mysterious floating ruins far above the planet’s surface. Rising Star’s library also includes a number of games from well-known franchises and a variety of popular Japanese titles which are nearly unknown in the West.

Managing Director of Rising Star Games Martin Defries commented that, despite the fact that “the industry has seen huge changes in the last decade,” his company remains committed to their goal of bringing quality Japanese titles to a Western audience. Rising Star’s press release also makes mention of an upcoming announcement of some “key titles” to be released in the near future, although no hint has been given as to what those games might be or on what platforms they might launch.

Rising Star Games released a short promotional video in celebration of their tenth anniversary. You can watch it below or on YouTube.