U.S. Game developer Skymap Games establishes first Japan Office in Sapporo

We are pleased to announce that Skymap Games, LLC, a game development company based in New Hampshire, U.S.A., has established its first Japanese subsidiary, SapWorks G.K. (Godo Kaisha), in September 2025 in Sapporo.

The City of Sapporo is actively promoting the attraction of foreign companies, capitalizing on major opportunities such as the establishment of Rapidus Corporation, which aims for mass production of next-generation semiconductors in Hokkaido, and the designation of Hokkaido and Sapporo as a target region for the Special Zone for Finance and Asset Management. To revitalize the local economy and enhance the international competitiveness of our businesses, we are actively working on development of advanced technology sectors, particularly in IT and creative fields, leveraging the city’s unique strengths.

This key milestone was achieved with the support of the Sapporo Transnational Expansion Partnership (STEP). The City of Sapporo welcomes and will support the future business expansion of Skymap Games given its contribution to the further growth of our IT and creative industries sector.

[Comment from Michael Tedder, Country Manager of SapWorks]

Sapporo is an ideal city for creative work, offering a high quality of life and nature right at our doorstep, yet providing all the necessary infrastructure for game development.

We established SapWorks as Skymap Games’ Japanese subsidiary to create games for players around the world, right here from Sapporo. We also look forward to collaborating with local businesses and developers to further energize Sapporo’s growing game industry.

We received a significant amount of support from the STEP team during the process of founding our new entity. Thanks to their introductions to trustworthy experts, including judicial scriveners and accountants specializing in international tax affairs, we were able to proceed smoothly with the incorporation.