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Happy Elements
May 8, 2026 at 09:04 AM
Applied Title Case to body headings
Happy Elements is a game development and publishing company established in June 2009 in Beijing, China. The company is the parent corporation behind both Silver Studio (developer of Silver Palace) and Elementa (global publisher). Their corporate tagline is "Make the world happy through games." The co-founder and CEO is Haining Wang, and the company is headquartered in Beijing's Haidian District.
Happy Elements was founded in June 2009 in Beijing. The company initially focused on social and casual mobile games for the Chinese market. Over time, the company expanded both its game portfolio and its geographic reach, establishing offices in multiple Chinese cities and eventually branching into international markets through subsidiary companies.
In 2010, Happy Elements established Happy Elements K.K. in Japan, which would go on to become one of the company's most productive divisions. The Japanese subsidiary operates with a notable degree of independence from the Chinese headquarters, developing and publishing its own titles for the Japanese and global markets from its base in Kyoto.
Happy Elements maintains a broad operational footprint across Asia:
Location | Details |
|---|---|
Beijing, China | (Corporate headquarters, Haidian District) |
Shanghai, China | (Home of Silver Studio) |
Shenzhen, China | (Additional development office) |
Kyoto, Japan | (Happy Elements K.K. headquarters, Cacalia Studio) |
Tokyo, Japan | (Grimoire Co., Ltd. and Elementa Japan office) |
Singapore | (Elementa global headquarters) |
Happy Elements operates through several specialized subsidiaries and studios, each with its own focus area:
Studio | Details |
|---|---|
Happy Elements K.K. | (Japan, est. 2010): The Japanese arm of the company, headquartered in Kyoto. It operates independently from the Chinese HQ and has developed some of the company's most successful titles. |
Cacalia Studio | (Kyoto): A studio within Happy Elements K.K. that created and continues to develop Ensemble Stars!, the company's biggest franchise. Established specifically for original IP development. |
Grimoire Co., Ltd. | (Tokyo, est. 2014): Originally founded as a subsidiary of Drecom Co., Ltd. in March 2014. Happy Elements acquired Grimoire in October 2016 for approximately 230 million yen. This adds to the company's Tokyo presence. |
Elementa | (Singapore, est. 2021): The global publishing subsidiary that handles international distribution. See the dedicated Elementa article for details. |
Silver Studio | (Shanghai): The development team building Silver Palace. See the dedicated Silver Studio article for details. |
Happy Elements and its subsidiaries have produced several commercially successful titles across mobile platforms:
Game | Details |
|---|---|
Ensemble Stars! | and Ensemble Stars!! Music: Developed by Cacalia Studio in Kyoto, this idol-themed franchise is Happy Elements' most well-known property. The original Ensemble Stars! launched in 2015 and built a massive following in Japan and internationally. Ensemble Stars!! Music, the rhythm game sequel, expanded the franchise further. |
Merc Storia | A mobile RPG with a watercolor art style, developed by the Japanese division. It received an anime adaptation, indicating the strength of its IP. |
Last Period | Another mobile RPG from the Japanese team, which also received its own anime adaptation. |
Anipop | A casual puzzle game that was one of Happy Elements' early successes in the Chinese mobile market. |
The connection between Happy Elements and Silver Palace follows a clear corporate chain:
Happy Elements (parent company, headquartered in Beijing)
Elementa (global publishing subsidiary, headquartered in Singapore)
Silver Studio (development studio, based in Shanghai)
Silver Palace marks a departure from Happy Elements' traditional focus on mobile-first titles and idol/RPG franchises. The move into an open-world action RPG built on Unreal Engine 5 for PC, mobile, and console platforms signals the company's ambition to compete in the AAA free-to-play space alongside titles from miHoYo, Kuro Games, and other Chinese developers.
Happy Elements occupies a notable position in the Chinese and Japanese gaming industries. The company's dual-market approach, with semi-independent operations in both China and Japan, has allowed it to build successful IPs on both sides. The Ensemble Stars! franchise alone generates substantial revenue and has a dedicated global fanbase. With Silver Palace, the company is making its first major push into the competitive open-world action RPG market.
