Arc System Works Co., Ltd.

Arc System Works was established in May 1988 by Minoru Kidooka as Arc. In 1991, the company changed names to Arc System Works, working under contract with such publishers as Banpresto and Pack-In-Video until around 1995, at which point Arc began publishing its own original titles, starting with Exector and Wizard's Harmony. In 1998, they produced the fighting game Guilty Gear, establishing both a long-running fighting game franchise and their own prowess in the genre. Today they are one of the few companies still producing 2D fighting titles.

As of May 2009, the company employs 88 people and is still headed by founder Minoru Kidooka.