âge (アージュ, Āju) is a division of Avex Pictures as of July 10, 2017, a Japanese developer and publisher of adult video games and visual novels. âge was formerly known as Relic and developed video games for consoles. It gained fame following the release of its 2001 adult visual novel Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. It was founded by Hirohiko Yoshida, Baka Prince Persia, Nanpuureima, Spin Drill, and Carnelian. âge games are published under the brands Âge, Mirage, and Φâge.
In 2011, âge created its own parent company "ixtl" as a rights management company for âge's content, particularly the Muv-Luv franchise. The company was jointly held by CEO Takashi Nakanishi, Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, and Good Smile Company. In 2017, Avex Pictures acquired ixtl (and thus âge), and later changed the company's name to "aNCHOR".