List of video games developed by Key
Encyclopedia
Key
is a Japanese visual novel
video game development studio and brand
under the publisher Visual Art's
. The video games developed by Key are initially published by Visual Art's and are originally released for Microsoft Windows
PCs
; consumer ports
are published by Interchannel
and Prototype
. None of Key's games have been released outside Japan. Key released their debut title Kanon
in 1999, followed by their second title Air in 2000. Both Kanon and Air were initially released as adult games
, but Key released their third game Clannad in 2004 with a rating
of approval for all ages. Key's fourth game Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume was also released in 2004 with a rating for all ages, and is described as a "kinetic novel
" by the development team because of its completely linear storyline. Key's fifth game Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life was released in 2005 as an adult game and spin-off
to Clannad; it expanded on the scenario of the heroine Tomoyo Sakagami from Clannad. Key released their sixth visual novel Little Busters!
in 2007 with a rating for all ages. Key's seventh title Little Busters! Ecstasy
was an expanded, adult version of Little Busters! released in 2008. Key's eighth game Kud Wafter
was released in 2010 as an adult game and spin-off to Little Busters! Ecstasy; it expanded on the scenario of the heroine Kudryavka Noumi from Little Busters! and Ecstasy. Key released their ninth game Rewrite
in 2011 with a rating for all ages. Key will release a fan disc
of Rewrite titled Rewrite Harvest festa! in 2012.
As of September 2011, 33 versions of Key's nine released visual novels have been published by Visual Art's. Of the 33, 10 were released with an adult rating, and the remaining 23 had a rating for all ages. Visual Art's has ceased manufacturing 20 versions of Key's nine games. Key released a box set called Key 10th Memorial Box in July 2009 containing six of Key's visual novels with a rating for all ages. The availability of Key 10th Memorial Box was restricted to ordering online via mail order
. Key released "Memorial Editions" of their first five games in April and May 2010 with ratings for all ages.
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
is a Japanese visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
video game development studio and brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
under the publisher Visual Art's
Visual Art's
, formally , is a Japanese publishing company specializing in the publishing and distribution of visual novels for a large list of game developers. Visual Art's has developed the game engines their brands currently use, including the current engine, called Siglus, and older engines RealLive and...
. The video games developed by Key are initially published by Visual Art's and are originally released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PCs
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
; consumer ports
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
are published by Interchannel
Interchannel
Interchannel is a Japanese game developer and publisher. Previously known as NEC Interchannel and before that NEC Avenue, it was originally a subsidiary of NEC before 70 percent of the company was sold to Index Corporation for approximately 3 billion yen in 2004...
and Prototype
Prototype (company)
is a Japanese software company established on March 27, 2006 by Toshio Tabeta, a former producer of Interchannel. While still with Interchannel, Tabeta's team was responsible for mainly developing and publishing versions of visual novels originally published by Visual Art's for consumer platforms...
. None of Key's games have been released outside Japan. Key released their debut title Kanon
Kanon
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key and originally released as an adult game on June 4, 1999, playable on a Microsoft Windows PC. An all ages version for the PC was released in January 2000, and was later ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable...
in 1999, followed by their second title Air in 2000. Both Kanon and Air were initially released as adult games
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
, but Key released their third game Clannad in 2004 with a rating
Video game content rating system
A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of video games into suitability-related groups. Most of these systems are associated with and/or sponsored by a government, and are sometimes part of the local motion picture rating system...
of approval for all ages. Key's fourth game Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume was also released in 2004 with a rating for all ages, and is described as a "kinetic novel
KineticNovel
is a brand of the Japanese software publishing company Visual Art's. Visual novels produced on the KineticNovel label are not done like other traditional visual novels in that no choices are given to the player to advance the story in alternate directions, and there is only one end...
" by the development team because of its completely linear storyline. Key's fifth game Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life was released in 2005 as an adult game and spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
to Clannad; it expanded on the scenario of the heroine Tomoyo Sakagami from Clannad. Key released their sixth visual novel Little Busters!
Little Busters!
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key which was originally released, rated for everyone as a limited edition version, on July 27, 2007 playable on a Windows PC; a regular edition, also rated for everyone, followed on September 28, 2007. Little Busters! is Key's sixth game, along with other...
in 2007 with a rating for all ages. Key's seventh title Little Busters! Ecstasy
Little Busters!
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key which was originally released, rated for everyone as a limited edition version, on July 27, 2007 playable on a Windows PC; a regular edition, also rated for everyone, followed on September 28, 2007. Little Busters! is Key's sixth game, along with other...
was an expanded, adult version of Little Busters! released in 2008. Key's eighth game Kud Wafter
Kud Wafter
is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Key and was released on June 25, 2010 as a DVD playable on a Microsoft Windows PC. The game is Key's eighth similar game in its history. Focusing on the title character Kudryavka Noumi, also known as for short, the gameplay follows a plot line which...
was released in 2010 as an adult game and spin-off to Little Busters! Ecstasy; it expanded on the scenario of the heroine Kudryavka Noumi from Little Busters! and Ecstasy. Key released their ninth game Rewrite
Rewrite (visual novel)
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key that was released on June 24, 2011 as a DVD playable on a Microsoft Windows PC and is rated for all ages. Rewrite is Key's ninth game, along with other titles such as Kanon, Air, and Clannad...
in 2011 with a rating for all ages. Key will release a fan disc
Fan disc
A fan disc is an expanded-content game disc, usually released by a game company after the game's first successful launch. The content adds new images, music, minigames, character information, demos, etc. It usually extends the game's time line by adding in a new shorter game; however, they are not...
of Rewrite titled Rewrite Harvest festa! in 2012.
As of September 2011, 33 versions of Key's nine released visual novels have been published by Visual Art's. Of the 33, 10 were released with an adult rating, and the remaining 23 had a rating for all ages. Visual Art's has ceased manufacturing 20 versions of Key's nine games. Key released a box set called Key 10th Memorial Box in July 2009 containing six of Key's visual novels with a rating for all ages. The availability of Key 10th Memorial Box was restricted to ordering online via mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
. Key released "Memorial Editions" of their first five games in April and May 2010 with ratings for all ages.
Kanon
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 4, 1999 | Adult | ||
| June 4, 1999 | Adult | ||
| January 7, 2000 | All ages | ||
| Kanon Standard Edition | November 26, 2004 | Adult | |
| Kanon Standard Edition | January 28, 2005 | All ages | |
| Kanon | July 31, 2009 | All ages | |
| April 30, 2010 | All ages |
Air
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 8, 2000 | Adult | ||
| July 27, 2001 | Adult | ||
| July 27, 2001 | All ages | ||
| Air Standard Edition | April 8, 2005 | Adult | |
| Air | July 31, 2009 | All ages | |
| May 28, 2010 | All ages |
Clannad
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 28, 2004 | All ages | ||
| Clannad | August 6, 2004 | All ages | |
| Clannad Full Voice | February 29, 2008 | All ages | |
| Clannad | July 31, 2009 | All ages | |
| May 28, 2010 | All ages |
Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 29, 2004 | All ages | ||
| April 28, 2006 | All ages | ||
| July 31, 2009 | All ages | ||
| April 30, 2010 | All ages |
Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 25, 2005 | Adult | ||
| July 31, 2009 | All ages | ||
| April 30, 2010 | All ages |
Little Busters!
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 27, 2007 | All ages | ||
| September 28, 2007 | All ages |
Little Busters! Ecstasy
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 25, 2008 | Adult | ||
| September 26, 2008 | Adult | ||
| July 31, 2009 | All ages |
Kud Wafter
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 25, 2010 | Adult |
Rewrite
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 24, 2011 | All ages | ||
| September 30, 2011 | All ages |
Rewrite Harvest festa!
| Title | Release date | Rating | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rewrite Harvest festa! | 2012 | All ages | |
Consumer ports
| Title | First release date | Publisher(s) | CERO Computer Entertainment Rating Organization The is a Japanese entertainment rating organization based in Tokyo. rating video game content in console games with levels of rating that informs the customer of the nature of the product and for what age group it is suitable... rating(s) |
Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanon | September 14, 2000 | NEC Interchannel Interchannel Interchannel is a Japanese game developer and publisher. Previously known as NEC Interchannel and before that NEC Avenue, it was originally a subsidiary of NEC before 70 percent of the company was sold to Index Corporation for approximately 3 billion yen in 2004... , Prototype Prototype (company) is a Japanese software company established on March 27, 2006 by Toshio Tabeta, a former producer of Interchannel. While still with Interchannel, Tabeta's team was responsible for mainly developing and publishing versions of visual novels originally published by Visual Art's for consumer platforms... |
B | Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... , PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
| Air | September 20, 2001 | NEC Interchannel, Prototype | B (DC/PS2), C (PSP) | Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
| Clannad | February 23, 2006 | Interchannel Interchannel Interchannel is a Japanese game developer and publisher. Previously known as NEC Interchannel and before that NEC Avenue, it was originally a subsidiary of NEC before 70 percent of the company was sold to Index Corporation for approximately 3 billion yen in 2004... , Prototype |
C | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
| Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume | August 24, 2006 | Prototype | A | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
| Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life CS Edition | January 25, 2007 | Prototype | B | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 |
| Little Busters! Converted Edition | December 24, 2009 | Prototype | B | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita |