ComuNet, Inc.

Overview

ComuNet, Inc. was a California-based company established in October 2000 by Kazuhiko Sugiyama [4]. The company advertised itself as a seller and producer of interactive DVD games but only remained in business for a few years before it was suspended by the California Franchise Tax Board sometime in 2003 [6].

ComuNet's old website lists four titles in their catalog. All of the games were going to be interactive DVD versions of Japanese PC visual novels, most of which were developed by Nitroplus. These include:

1. Phantom of Inferno
2. Vjedogonia
3. No Reality
4. Hello World

Phantom of Inferno is the only title out of the four to make it to market. Early releases of Phantom of Inferno feature ComuNet's logo on the box art and in-game but Hirameki International Group Inc is credited as the publisher on the back of the box and is the sole company responsible for the title's later re-releases.

According to Hirameki's old online store, Phantom of Inferno was initially released on May 24, 2002 however there are some contradicting sources that claim the game was either released earlier or later [7]. A Hirameki representative stated in a 2006 interview that they didn't publish Phantom of Inferno until 2003 [8]. One online article from 2003 also stated that ComuNet released Inferno sometime around 2001 and that Hirameki later picked up the distribution rights for the game [5]. Additionally, ComuNet released a handful of advertisements for Phantom of Inferno that feature the "AnimePlay" brand name which was also later used by Hirameki. AnimePlay was a registered trademark of ComuNet according to the ads so perhaps Hirameki obtained the brand name from ComuNet, along with the publishing rights for Phantom of Inferno, after they ran out of businesses. It is not completely clear.

External Links

1. Official Website
2. Interactive DVD Summary
3. DVD Catalog
4. Company Information
5. E3: Hirameki International by Insert Credit (Mentions that ComuNet Released Phantom of Inferno in 2001).
6. Company Information (BuzzFirms).
7. Akiba Otaku Product Page
8. Interview with Shinichi Shimura, Tokyo Office Team Leader of Hirameki International by James Jursudakul (Advanced Anime, 2006).