Native name | 株式会社フロム・ソフトウェア |
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Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha furomu sofutowea |
Company type | Joint venture (kabushiki gaisha) |
Industry | Video games |
Founded | November 1, 1986 |
Founder | Naotoshi Zin |
Headquarters | , Japan |
Key people | |
Products | |
Owner |
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Number of employees | 397 (June 2023) |
Website | FromSoftware |
FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company. It was founded by Naotoshi Zin in Tokyo on November 1, 1986. Initially a developer of business software, the company released their first video game, King's Field , for the PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on games, with them producing two more King's Field games before creating the mecha combat series Armored Core (1997), one of their flagship franchises.
By the 2000s, FromSoftware's releases included the Echo Night , Shadow Tower , Lost Kingdoms , Otogi , and Another Century's Episode series. The company achieved breakout success in the 2010s with Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), the latter being the first entry in a trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslikes. These include FromSoftware's Bloodborne (2015), Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019), and Elden Ring (2022), which are often cited as among the greatest video games of all time.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, creator of the Dark Souls series, has served as FromSoftware's representative director and president since 2014, with Zin remaining as an advisor. Miyazaki directs and designs the majority of the company's games in addition to his executive duties. FromSoftware is owned primarily by Kadokawa Corporation, with minority stakes by Tencent subsidiary Sixjoy Hong Kong and Sony Interactive Entertainment. FromSoftware usually self-publishes in Japan and partners with companies such as Agetec, Sony, and Bandai Namco Entertainment to publish internationally.
FromSoftware was founded in Tokyo by Naotoshi Zin on November 1, 1986, as a developer of business applications. [1] The company released its first game, King's Field , for the PlayStation in 1994. Despite its commercial success in Japan, the game was not released in other regions, although 1995's King's Field II was released in both North America and Europe in 1996. [2] After releasing King's Field III in 1996, FromSoftware went on to release the horror game Echo Night and the 1998 role-playing game Shadow Tower . In 1997, FromSoftware released Armored Core , the first release in their flagship Armored Core series of mecha combat games. [3]
With the launch of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, FromSoftware released the role-playing games Eternal Ring and Evergrace . [3] In 2003, FromSoftware published Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven , a stealth game that combines action and adventure elements. [4] In 2004, FromSoftware bought the rights to the series from Activision. [5] The company also released King's Field IV and Shadow Tower Abyss , in addition to the Lost Kingdoms series for the GameCube. [3] The company also made a few games exclusive to the Xbox around this time, such as Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit , Otogi: Myth of Demons , Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors , Metal Wolf Chaos , and Chromehounds In 2005, FromSoftware would start to produce a series of licensed games based on the various anime properties under the banner Another Century's Episode. [3] The same year, the company hosted the video game industry's first internship that let students experience game development through a game creation kit, Adventure Player, for the PlayStation Portable. [4]
FromSoftware underwent a stock split in 2008 before achieving breakout success in the 2010s, [4] spurred by the release of Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), the latter being the first entry in a trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslikes. [6] These include Dark Souls II (2014), [7] Bloodborne (2015), [8] [9] Dark Souls III (2016), [10] Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019), [11] [12] and Elden Ring (2022), [13] [14] [15] which have all received several awards and are often listed among the greatest video games of all time. [16] [17] [18] [19]
In April 2014, Kadokawa Corporation announced its intention to purchase the company from former shareholder Transcosmos. [20] Following other restructuring, Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki would be promoted to company president the following month and later given the title of representative director. [21] In January 2016, FromSoftware established a studio in Fukuoka that focuses on creating computer-generated imagery (CGI) assets for their games. [22] [23] In August 2022, Sixjoy Hong Kong (a subsidiary of Tencent) and Sony Interactive Entertainment respectively acquired 16.25% and 14.09% of FromSoftware, leaving 69.66% to Kadokawa. [24] A report published by GamesIndustry.biz in November 2022 said that FromSoftware paid their employees at sub-standard rates. [25] The company had 397 employees as of June 2023 [update] . [26]
Tenchu is an action-adventure stealth video game series, originally developed by Japanese developer Acquire, where the player assumes the role of a ninja in 16th-century Japan. The title in Japanese literally translates in English as "Divine Retribution", with 天 (ten) meaning heaven and 誅 (chū) meaning death penalty.
Armored Core: Last Raven is a 2005 mecha-based vehicular combat game developed by FromSoftware. It is part of the Armored Core series and is a direct sequel to Armored Core: Nexus (2004). The game was originally released for the PlayStation 2 and was ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2010. Gameplay remains largely unchanged from the game's predecessors and is centered around piloting a large mech in combat missions for various clients. The game is also notable for being the debut project of future FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Otogi: Myth of Demons, is a 2002 action video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sega. It was released for the Xbox in Japan in December 2002, by Sega in North America in August 2003, and Europe in September 2003. Otogi follows former executioner Raikoh Minamoto as he attempts to purge the demons that have overrun Japan and restore the Great Seal that kept them at bay. It received positive reviews and was followed by a sequel, Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors, in 2003.
King's Field is a 1994 action role-playing video game developed and published by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. It was FromSoftware's debut video game project after developing business software for eight years, as well as the first game in the King's Field series. In the game, the player navigates a vast underground labyrinth to discover the source of an invasion of monsters. Attacking and using spells are tied to a stamina meter, which is depleted with each action and must refill before the player can act again.
Demon's Souls is a 2009 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 under the supervision of Japan Studio. It was published in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment in February, in North America by Atlus USA in October, and in PAL territories by Namco Bandai Partners in June 2010. The game is referred to as a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's King's Field series.
The Japan Game Awards is the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's awards ceremony, which was created in 1996 as the CESA Awards. While it represents the Japanese video game industry, it is not limited to Japanese video games, but also includes international video games.
Dark Souls is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games. A spiritual successor to FromSoftware's Demon's Souls, the game is the first in the Dark Souls series. The game takes place in the kingdom of Lordran, where players assume the role of a cursed undead character who begins a pilgrimage to discover the fate of their kind. A port for Windows featuring additional content, known as the Prepare to Die Edition, was released in August 2012. It was also released for consoles under the subtitle Artorias of the Abyss in October 2012.
Bloodborne is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Bloodborne follows the player's character, a Hunter, through the decrepit Gothic, Victorian-era–inspired city of Yharnam, whose inhabitants are afflicted with a blood-borne disease which transforms the residents, called Yharnamites, into horrific beasts. Attempting to find the source of the plague, the player's character unravels the city's mysteries while fighting beasts and cosmic beings.
Hidetaka Miyazaki is a Japanese creative director, designer, writer, and president of the video game company FromSoftware. He joined the company in 2004 and was a designer for the Armored Core series before receiving wider recognition for creating the Dark Souls series. Miyazaki was promoted to company president in 2014 and also serves as its representative director. Other similar games he has directed include Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring.
Dark Souls III is a 2016 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. The third and final entry in the Dark Souls series, it is played in a third-person perspective, and players have access to various weapons, armour, magic, and consumables that they can use to fight their enemies. Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the series, returned to direct the game after handing the development duties of Dark Souls II to others.
Dark Souls is a dark fantasy action role-playing game series developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It began with the release of Dark Souls (2011) and has seen two sequels, Dark Souls II (2014) and Dark Souls III (2016). The series was created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and has received critical acclaim, with its high level of difficulty being among its most discussed aspects, while the first Dark Souls is often cited as one of the greatest games of all time. By 2023, the series had shipped over 35 million copies outside of Japan. Other FromSoftware games, including Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring, share several related concepts and led to the creation of the Soulslike subgenre.
Kadokawa Corporation, formerly Kadokawa Dwango Corporation, is a Japanese media conglomerate that was created as a result of the merger of the original Kadokawa Corporation and Dwango Co., Ltd. on October 1, 2014.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by FromSoftware. It was released in Japan by FromSoftware and internationally by Activision for the PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One in March 2019 and for Stadia in October 2020.
Déraciné is a 2018 adventure game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The player takes the role of a fairy in an isolated boarding school who attempts to solve a mystery in virtual reality via the PlayStation VR headset. The game's development was led by Hidetaka Miyazaki, better known for creating the Dark Souls series. Déraciné was met with mixed reception.
Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. It was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin. It was published for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 25 by FromSoftware in Japan and Bandai Namco Entertainment internationally. Players control a customizable player character who is on a quest to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord.
Echo Night is a trilogy of Japanese adventure games developed by FromSoftware. The original Echo Night was first released in 1998 for the PlayStation. Two sequels were developed; Echo Night 2: The Lord of Nightmares for the PlayStation in Japan in 1999, and Echo Night: Beyond for the PlayStation 2 which released worldwide between 2004 and 2006. All the titles feature a protagonist called Richard pursuing a magical artifact and interacting with ghosts. Titles are played from a first-person perspective, and place a focus on puzzles and exploration.
A Soulslike is a subgenre of action role-playing games known for high levels of difficulty and emphasis on environmental storytelling, typically in a dark fantasy setting. It had its origin in Demon's Souls and the Dark Souls series by FromSoftware, the themes and mechanics of which directly inspired several other games. Soulslike games developed by FromSoftware themselves have been specifically referred to as Soulsborne games, a portmanteau of Souls and Bloodborne. The "Soulslike" name has been adopted by a number of critics and developers. However, there have also been questions whether it is a true genre or a collection of shared mechanics.
No Place for Bravery is a 2D top-down action role-playing video game developed by the studio Glitch Factory and published by Ysbryd Games. The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch on September 22, 2022.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is a 2023 mecha-based vehicular combat game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game is the first entry in the Armored Core series since Armored Core: Verdict Day (2013) and was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on August 25th. It received generally positive reviews from critics and is the highest-selling entry in the series, selling over 2.8 million copies by October 2023.
ElviraYuki is a Spanish Twitch streamer, YouTuber and content creator known for playing with her feet on a dance pad, a type of game controller used for dance games.
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