Key is a Japanese
visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher
VisualArt's and is located in
Kita,
Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel
Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate
storyline, an up-to-date
anime-style drawing style, and a musical score which helped to set the mood for the game. Key's second game
Air released in September 2000 had a similar if not more complex storyline to
Kanon and a more thorough
gameplay. Both
Kanon and
Air were originally produced as
adult games, but Key broke this trend with their third title
Clannad which was released in April 2004 for all ages. Key has worked in the past with
Interchannel and
Prototype for the consumer
port releases of the brand's games. Key collaborated with
P.A. Works and
Aniplex to produce the anime series
Angel Beats! (2010) and
Charlotte (2015). The brand's ninth game
Rewrite was released in June 2011, and a
fan disc for the game titled
Rewrite Harvest festa! was released in July 2012. The first volume in the six-part
Angel Beats! episodic visual novel was released in June 2015. Key will release the
kinetic novel Harmonia in 2016.