Drecom Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yuki Naito) is pleased to announce that "Wizardry Variants Daphne", the latest new title of the Wizardry series that uses the Wizardry IP that the company own, has decided to accept a 500 million yen investment from Development Bank of Japan (DBJ; Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Seiji Bunker; hereafter "DBJ"). The 500 million yen raised will be used to invest in the "Wizardry Variants Daphne" game project.

"Wizardry Variants Daphne" is identified as part of a government-affiliated financial institution's efforts to promote investment in the content industry

"Wizardry Variants Daphne," a game title developed by Drecom, has been accepted for investment by DBJ, a government-affiliated financial institution, as part of its investment program to promote IP utilization in the content industry.
In recent years, as the mobile game market has shifted from a growth phase to a mature phase, competition has intensified due to the entry of foreign companies into the domestic market, and the quality level required for new titles has risen, resulting in longer development periods and larger development scales. In addition, the content industry as a whole is facing intensifying international competition for investment in the creation, nurturing, and monetization of leading IP, which is placing an increasing burden on the Company in terms of both funding and risk.

DBJ has been actively supporting Japanese companies in their efforts to strengthen their international competitiveness by investing in intangible assets in a broad sense, such as patents and brands, in addition to IP in the content industry. The two parties have reached an agreement to invest in "Wizardry Variants Daphne" as the objectives as described above are in line with each other.

"Wizardry Variants Daphne" was well received in user testing conducted last year. We are currently in final development for release in October 2024.

An initiative that reduces risk for the company  and allows the company to continue to invest in content

This investment scheme is based on an investment scheme in which returns are linked to the earnings of individual projects in the game business. This approach enables us to reduce risk in the highly volatile business of entertainment content development and to continue to take on challenges.

■Procurement Overview
（１）Procured from: Development Bank of Japan Inc. (DBJ)
（２）Procured Fund: 500 million yen (upper limit)
（３）Procured Method: The Company will establish a profit-sharing right for the said game project "Wizardry Variants Daphne" to be distributed by the company in the future on behalf of DBJ, and will receive 500 million yen from DBJ as payment for the profit-sharing right.
（４）Method of profit sharing: The Company will pay DBJ a portion of the cash flow generated from the game project "Wizardry Variants Daphne" as a profit sharing payment.
（５）Security: Unsecured

An opportunity to promote challenges in the Japanese content industry

Following are comments from both parties regarding this agreement.

Comment from Drecom Co., Ltd. President and CEO: Yuki Naito
We are very encouraged to have reached an agreement with DBJ on this financing. Recently, the Japanese content industry has been gaining momentum, and the government's "Intellectual Property Promotion Plan 2024" and "New Cool Japan Strategy" have identified the promotion of the content industry as an important strategy. In the midst of such social trends, investment initiatives such as this one can be of great assistance in the development of content. We hope that this initiative will serve as a positive precedent for the future of entertainment content, and that it will serve as a catalyst for the diversification of investment and the promotion of challenging initiatives in the content industry in Japan.

Comment from Development Bank of Japan
As the importance of investment in intangible assets is increasing to strengthen Japan's industrial competitiveness, the content industry is expected to grow through aggressive investment in the acquisition and utilization of IP (Intellectual Property). This investment is aimed at utilizing the IP "Wizardry" to expand business both domestically and internationally, and we have decided to support Drecom's efforts to transform itself into an "IP-based entertainment content company". We will continue to support Drecom's efforts to promote investment in the content industry through the provision of risk money.

About Wizardry Variants Daphne

"Wizardry Variants Daphne" is a 3D dungeon RPG for smartphones, a completely new addition to the "Wizardry" series. The game system follows the play cycle of the traditional 3D dungeon RPGs, with players progressing deeper into dungeons called Abyss, by repeatedly getting stronger, resupplying in towns, and battling and collecting items in dungeons. Battles with enemies proceed in a command battle system, and a formation of up to six characters, including the player, can enjoy highly strategic battles that make full use of spells and skills.

◆Official Website:  https://wizardry.info/daphne/en/
◆Official X (former Twitter) Account (Japanese): https://x.com/Wizardry_Daphne 
◆Official X (former Twitter) Account (English): https://x.com/Wiz_Daphne_en
◆Official  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdls9RA6g1y4-fbJYSu1P0A

■[App Overview]
Title: Wizardry Variants Daphne 
Genre: 3D Dungeon RPG
Supported Platforms: iOS/Android *Steam version is in preparation
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Development/Distribution/Operation: Drecom Co., Ltd.
Distribution: Worldwide (Japan and internationally)
Languages: Japanese/English *At launch
Copyright Notice: ©Drecom Co., Ltd.

About Wizardry

Wizardry is a computer RPG released in the United States in 1981. Core elements such as party management, maze exploration, monster battles, and character progression had a great influence on RPGs that followed, and it is considered one of the originators of RPGs. It is a timeless masterpiece that still boasts strong following around the world more than 40 years after its initial launch, with numerous follow-up titles released to this day. In 2020, we acquired the copyrights to Wizardry 6, Wizardry 7, Wizardry 8, and Wizardry Gold, as well as the domestic and international trademark rights to Wizardry from the Wizardry series.

◆Wizardry Portal Website: https://wizardry.info/ 
◆Official X (former Twitter) Account: https://x.com/wizardry_series 

■About Development Bank of Japan
DBJ is a financial institution that conducts business by utilizing new financial technology, based on operations such as investments, loans, and debt guarantees, with the aim of performing investment and financing functions related to long-term business funds, facilitating the supply of funds to customers requiring long-term business funds, and contributing to the advancement of financial functions by using methods that integrate investments and loans and other advanced financial methods. The purpose of this financial institution is to contribute to the facilitation of the supply of funds to customers who require long-term business funds and to the advancement of financial functions by using investment, financing, debt guarantees, and other advanced financial techniques.

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