Originally established as an American division of Natsume Co., Ltd. in 1988, it split from its parent company in 1995 to become an independent publisher.

[1] It is best known for publishing unique, family-oriented niche games, such as Harvest Moon and Reel Fishing.

[3] From the end of the Super NES era up until late 2014, Natsume Inc. was known for publishing the Story of Seasons games in North America under the title of Harvest Moon.

In 2015, the developer of the series, Marvelous AQL, brought the next game in the series, Story of Seasons, to North America with its own US branch, Xseed Games, ending the relationship it had with Natsume.

[2] Natsume Inc. has also operated an eBay shop, selling copies of older games sealed in their original packaging, collected from storage at its offices.