Agetec

Last updated
Agetec Inc.
Type Video game developer and publisher
Industry Video games
Predecessor ASCII Corporation
Founded1998;25 years ago (1998)
Defunct2018;5 years ago (2018)
Headquarters,
Website www.agetec.com

Agetec Inc. ("ASCII Game Entertainment Technology") was an American video game publishing company that was best known for bringing Japanese titles to the United States. The company was formed through ASCII Corporation, spinning off their American distribution subsidiary as an independent corporation in 1998, and became a standalone publisher one year later. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Notable games published by Agetec include R-Type Delta , Armored Core series, and the King's Field series, as well as the "designer series" RPG Maker and Fighter Maker . Other notable games published by Agetec include Magic Pengel and Cookie & Cream , the best selling fishing titles Bass Landing and Fisherman's Bass Club, and Disaster Report and its sequel, Raw Danger! . Most recently they developed Cookie & Cream with FromSoftware and published it in the United States. As of May 2018, many of the Agetec games that were formatted for the Nintendo ports were delisted or removed from the Nintendo eShop in North America.

Games published

YearTitleDeveloperPlatform(s)
1999 R-Type Delta Irem PlayStation
Fighter Maker ASCII Entertainment
Echo Night FromSoftware
Bass Landing ASCII Corporation
Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman UEP Systems
Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within Human Entertainment
Shadow Tower FromSoftware
2000 RPG Maker Kuusoukagaku Corporation
Bust-A-Move 4 Taito Microsoft Windows
Armored Core: Master of Arena FromSoftwarePlayStation
The King of Fighters: Evolution SNK Corporation Dreamcast
Space Marauder Kid Corporation Game Boy Color
Lil' Monster
Virtua Athlete 2000 Climax Entertainment, Sega Hitmaker Dreamcast
Eternal Ring FromSoftwarePlayStation 2
Evergrace
Armored Core 2
2001 Bowling Tamsoft PlayStation
Chess Success
The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle SNK Corporation
Bass Landing 2 Tose
Puzzle Star SweepAxela
Strikers 1945 Psikyo
Metal Slug X SNK Corporation
The Adventures of Cookie & Cream FromSoftware PlayStation 2
The Last Blade 2 SNK CorporationDreamcast
Crossroad CrisisSuccess CorporationPlayStation
Armored Core 2: Another Age FromSoftwarePlayStation 2
Panzer Front ASCII Corporation, SoyuzPlayStation
Putter Golf Amedio
Garou: Mark of the Wolves SNK CorporationDreamcast
2002 Forever Kingdom FromSoftwarePlayStation 2
All-Star Slammin' D-Ball Access PlayStation
King's Field: The Ancient City FromSoftwarePlayStation 2
Fisherman's Bass ClubVingt-et-un Systems Corporation
RC HelicopterTomcat SystemPlayStation
RageballNa.p.s., Team s.n.c.
Armored Core 3 FromSoftwarePlayStation 2
Disaster Report Irem
2003Phix: The AdventureAffectPlayStation
Big League Slugger Baseball Now Production
Street RacquetballHighwaystar
Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color Garakuta Studio, TaitoPlayStation 2
Space Channel 5 United Game Artists
Silent Line: Armored Core FromSoftware
2004Volleyball XcitingArt Co. Ltd
Echo Night: Beyond FromSoftware
Armored Core: Nexus
Kuon
2005 Armored Core: Nine Breaker
RPG Maker 3 Enterbrain
Wild Arms Alter Code: F Media.Vision Entertainment
PoPoLoCrois G-artists, Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation Portable
Armored Core: Formula Front FromSoftware
2006 Armored Core: Last Raven FromSoftwarePlayStation 2
2007 Brain Buster Puzzle Pak Agetec, Nikoli Nintendo DS
Raw Danger! IremPlayStation 2
Cookie & Cream FromSoftwareNintendo DS
Rhythm 'n Notes IE Institute
Success
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns S-NEO, Y'sKPlayStation 2
2008Touch DartsFull Fat ProductionsNintendo DS
DT Carnage Axis EntertainmentPlayStation 2
LOL: Never Party Alone!Route 24 Inc.Nintendo DS
Fading Shadows Ivolgamus PlayStation Portable
Falling Stars PlayStation 2
2009SilverStar ChessSilverStarJapan Wii
SilverStar Reversi
Way of the Samurai 3 Acquire PlayStation 3
2010 Mahjong Solitaire AgetecPlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PS Vita
Paul's Shooting AdventureICM Nintendo DSi
Go Fetch!
Paul's Monster Adventure
2011Treasure Hunter XSilverStarJapan
Rabi Laby
Whack-A-FriendICM
Zimo: Mahjong FanaticAgetec
Roller AngelsStarfish Inc.(ja)
Kung Fu DragonSilverStarJapan
Go Fetch! 2ICM
Magical Whip: Wizards of the Phantasmal ForestSilverStarJapan
DotMan
Break Tactics
2012Quick Fill Q
Paul's Shooting Adventure 2ICM
The Phantom Thief Stina and 30 JewelsSilverStarJapan Nintendo 3DS
Rabi Laby 2Nintendo DSi
Touch Battle Tank: 3DNintendo 3DS
2013Air Battle Hockey 3D
Witch's Cat
Bloody Vampire
Fish On 3D SIMS
2014Touch Battle Tank: 3D 2SilverStarJapan
Rabi Laby 3
2016Touch Battle Ninja

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sega Pico</span> Educational video game console

The Sega Pico, also known as Kids Computer Pico, is an educational video game console by Sega Toys. The Pico was released in June 1993 in Japan and November 1994 in North America and Europe, later reaching China in 2002.

<i>Yoshis Cookie</i> 1992 video game

Yoshi's Cookie is a 1992 tile-matching puzzle video game developed by Tose and published by Nintendo for the NES and Game Boy platforms in 1992. A Super NES version was released the following year, developed and published by Bullet-Proof Software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SNK</span> Japanese video game company

SNK Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform, and electronics. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku Corporation was founded in 1978 by Eikichi Kawasaki. In 1981, the name was informally shortened to SNK Corporation, which became the company's official name in 1986.

Enix Corporation was a Japanese multimedia publisher who handled and oversaw video games, manga, guidebooks, and merchandise. It was founded in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima as Eidansha Boshu Service Center, initially as a tabloid publisher and later attempting to branch into real estate management. Beginning in 1982, Enix began publishing video games. Three notable early collaborators were designers Yuji Horii and Koichi Nakamura, and composer Koichi Sugiyama. Horii, Nakamura and Sugiyama would all work on the 1986 role playing video game (RPG) Dragon Quest for the Family Computer; one of the earliest successful RPGs for consoles, it spawned a franchise of the same name which remains Enix's best-known product.

1983 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Mario Bros. and Pole Position II, along with new titles such as Astron Belt, Champion Baseball, Dragon's Lair, Elevator Action, Spy Hunter and Track & Field. Major events include the video game crash of 1983 in North America, and the third generation of video game consoles beginning with the launch of Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) and Sega's SG-1000 in Japan. The year's highest-grossing video game was Namco's arcade game Pole Position, while the year's best-selling home system was Nintendo's Game & Watch for the third time since 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASCII Corporation</span> Publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan

ASCII Corporation, Ltd. was a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Group Holdings in 2004, and merged with another Kadokawa subsidiary MediaWorks on April 1, 2008, becoming ASCII Media Works. The company published Monthly ASCII as the main publication. ASCII is best known for creating the Derby Stallion video game series, the MSX computer, and the RPG Maker line of programming software.

1994 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Final Fantasy VI, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Virtua Fighter 2 and Doom II, along with new titles such as Daytona USA, Ace Driver, Alpine Racer and Tekken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titus Interactive</span> Defunct French video game publisher

Titus Interactive SA, known as Titus France SA until March 1999, was a French software publisher that produced and published video games for various platforms. Its head office was located in Parc de l'Esplanade in Lagny sur Marne in Greater Paris. At one time, it was instead located in Montfermeil, also in Greater Paris.

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.

Fighter Maker(格闘ツクール, Kakutō Tsukūru) is a series of games for PlayStation consoles and Microsoft Windows. It features a robust character creation system, letting players even create animations. There are two versions of the games, Fighter Maker and 2D Fighter Maker.

<i>Simple</i> (video game series) Video game series

The Simple series is a line of budget-priced video games published by Japanese company D3 Publisher, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Entertainment. Games in the series have been developed by several different companies, including Sandlot, Success, Irem, and Taito. It was introduced in 1998 for the PlayStation, and has been released for platforms such as the PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and mobile phones. The number in a series name indicates the price point of the games in the series; for instance, a "Simple 2000" series game would cost 2000 yen.

<i>Kuon</i> 2004 video game

Kuon is a 2004 survival horror video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 2. Published by FromSoftware in Japan, it was released in North America by Agetec, and in Europe by Nobilis and Indie Games Productions in 2006. The narrative takes place in Japan's Heian period, and follows the actions of three protagonists during an outbreak of monsters at Fujiwara Manor in Kyoto; Utsuki, daughter of the onmyōji Ashiya Doman, Doman's apprentice Sakuya, and the veteran onmyōji Abe no Seimei. Gameplay has the different characters exploring the grounds and buildings of Fujiwara Manor, solving puzzles and fighting off hostile monsters.

<i>Valis III</i> 1990 video game

Valis III is a 1990 action-platform video game originally developed by Laser Soft, published by Telenet Japan and NEC for the TurboGrafx-CD. A Sega Genesis version was released in 1992. It is the third entry in the Valis series. It stars Yuko Asou, a Japanese teenage schoolgirl chosen as the Valis warrior and wielder of the mystical Valis sword after the events of Valis II. King Glames, wielder of the sword Leethus, leads denizens of the dark world to conquer both Vecanti and Earth, seeking refuge for his people amid the destruction of their planet. Together with the demon warrior-maiden Cham and her sister Valna, Yuko must prevent Glames from destroying both worlds. Through the journey, the player explores and searches for items and power-ups while fighting enemies and defeating bosses.

RPG Maker, known in Japan as RPG Tsukūru, is a series of programs for the development of role-playing video games (RPGs) with story-driven elements, created by the Japanese group ASCII, succeeded by Enterbrain. The Japanese name, Tsukūru, is a pun mixing the Japanese word tsukuru (作る), means "make" or "create", with tsūru (ツール), the Japanese transcription of the English word "tool".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilman Louie</span> American video game designer and venture capitalist (born 1960)

Gilman Louie is an American technology venture capitalist who got his start as a video game designer and then co-founded and ran the CIA venture capital fund In-Q-Tel. With his company Nexa Corporation he designed and developed multiple computer games such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon flight simulator series. His company later merged with Spectrum Holobyte where he was CEO until its acquisition by Hasbro, after which he became Chief Creative Officer and General Manager of its Games.com group. He has served on a number of boards of directors, including Wizards of the Coast, Niantic, Total Entertainment Network, FASA Interactive, Wickr, Aerospike, the Chinese American International School, Markle Foundation, and Digital Promise. He is chairman of the Federation of American Scientists and Vricon. He is a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.

<i>The Adventures of Cookie & Cream</i> 2000 video game

The Adventures of Cookie & Cream, known as Kuri Kuri Mix in Japan and Europe, is an action-adventure video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 2 released in 2000. In 2007, it was ported to the Nintendo DS as Cookie & Cream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video game console emulator</span> Program that reproduces video game consoles behavior

A video game console emulator is a type of emulator that allows a computing device to emulate a video game console's hardware and play its games on the emulating platform. More often than not, emulators carry additional features that surpass limitations of the original hardware, such as broader controller compatibility, timescale control, easier access to memory modifications, and unlocking of gameplay features. Emulators are also a useful tool in the development process of homebrew demos and the creation of new games for older, discontinued, or rare consoles.

There have been a variety of Sesame Street video games released for video game platforms. Most of the Sesame Street video games were published and developed by NewKidCo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video games in the United States</span> Overview of the video game system in America

Video gaming in the United States is one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the country. The American video game industry is the largest video game industry in the world. According to a 2020 study released by the Entertainment Software Association, the yearly economic output of the American video game industry in 2019 was $90.3 billion, supporting over 429,000 American jobs. With an average yearly salary of about $121,000, the latter figure includes over 143,000 individuals who are directly employed by the video game business. Additionally, activities connected to the video game business generate $12.6 billion in federal, state, and local taxes each year. World Economic Forum estimates that by 2025 the American gaming industry will reach $42.3 billion while worldwide gaming industry will possibly reach US$270 billion. The United States is one of the nations with the largest influence in the video game industry, with video games representing a significant part of its economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maximum Games</span> Video game publisher and distributor

Maximum Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Walnut Creek, California. Originally founded in 2009 as a publisher of family-oriented titles for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii, the company shifted to publishing games of all genres for all ages across all platforms shortly after inception.

References

  1. "Let's Talk About Agetec's: Racing". jalopnik.com. 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  2. "Agetec confirms Kuon for North America". gamespot.com. 2004-05-21. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  3. "The History of From Software". ign.com. 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2022-02-19.