Basic Agreement Signed for Business Alliance to Co-Develop Creator-Origin IP Content

Questry Inc. (Meguro-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Tomonobu Ibe) and foriio Inc. (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hirohito Yamada) have announced the signing of a basic agreement for a business alliance regarding the joint development and production of creator-origin IP content.

This partnership will leverage "foriio," one of Japan's largest creator portfolio platforms with over 300,000 registered creators, alongside Questry's specialized knowledge in finance and business development for the entertainment and content industries. Together, the companies will plan, develop, and produce new IP centered on creators. Under this agreement, they will proceed with discussions to form the first joint development project.

### Background: The Growing Creator Economy and New Trends in IP Co-creation

While the creator economy continues to expand globally, systems for individual creators to generate sustainable revenue from their works and distribute them as IP remain underdeveloped. Excellent expressions and world-building are often consumed as one-off jobs, failing to lead to secondary usage, global expansion, or long-term fan relationships—a significant challenge for creator careers.

In response, foriio has operated a platform aggregating works across various fields (illustration, design, animation, music, 3DCG) with a mission to empower individual creators. Meanwhile, Questry, a next-generation finance startup with the vision "Making Japanese entertainment content number one in the world through the power of finance," has been supporting the industry through animation production, international co-productions, and studio investments.

By complementing each other's strengths, both companies aim to realize an ecosystem where creators are more fairly evaluated and can nurture IP over the long term.

### Overview of the Business Alliance

1. **Objective of the Alliance** To jointly plan, develop, and produce original IP content (illustrations, characters, world-building, short animations, etc.) originating from creators and deliver it to society through domestic and international media and partner companies.

2. **Key Areas of Collaboration** - Joint planning, development, and production of original IP originating from creators. - Design of IP co-creation programs and construction of public call/selection schemes targeting foriio-registered creators. - Support for the formation, operation, and monetization of IP projects using Questry's business development and financial schemes.

3. **Future Schedule** Planning for the first joint development project is expected to begin within 2026. Details regarding the structure, participating creators, and release dates will be announced once decided.