Nippon Ichi Software
Vanillaware was established by George Kamitani along with a small group to develop "Odin Sphere", a successor to Kamitani's 1996 video game "Princess Crown". While development on "Odin Sphere" was ongoing, Nippon Ichi Software heard that the "Princess Crown" team had formed their own studio. Interested in working with them, the then-president of Nippon Ichi Software, Sohei Shinkawa, contacted Vanillaware. Shinkawa later said he "fell in love" with Kamitani's artwork, prompting the initial inquiries. This was part of a transition within Nippon Ichi Software of being willing to work with external studios while acting as publisher, as their earlier policy had focused exclusively on in-house development. In a press release, the game was described as a co-production between Vanillaware and Nippon Ichi Software.