Japanese retailer Parco announces indie game publishing arm

Japanese department store Parco has launched Parco Games, its own indie game publishing label.

As reported by VGC, Parco is best known for its shopping malls in Japan, with its Shibuya, Tokyo branch home to the official Sony, Nintendo, and Capcom stores. The retailer also hosts pop-up shops, with several of its department stores housing Death Stranding 2 Japan pop-up tour events this year.

Parco Games plans to leverage the retailer’s 15 department stores to promote its indie titles, with the publisher planning to exhibit for the first time at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.

The first three titles from the new publisher are atmospheric adventure Nova Antarctica, 2D Metroidvania Constance, and first-person walking sim The Berlin Apartment. All are due to arrive in winter 2025.

“Parco has evolved alongside diverse cultures, alongside various neighborhoods,” the publisher wrote on its website (translated via Google Translate). “Fashion, film, music, literature, and places where people gather. We believe culture is essential for people to live true to themselves.

“Games are also an important part of Japanese culture. That’s why we’re asking ourselves, exploring, and realizing what Parco can do for games.”

“Together with game lovers of all kinds, we explore the possibilities of games and expand the future of games,” the website continues. “We continue to take on new challenges.”

Parco Games is one of several new indie publishers to be announced this year, with other new additions including Lyrical Games , Six One Indie Publishing, The CoLab, and Three Friends.