Koei

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Koei Co., Ltd.
Native name
株式会社コーエー
Romanized name
Kabushikigaisha Kōē
Company type Kabushiki gaisha
Subsidiary
Industry Video games
FoundedJuly 25, 1978;46 years ago (1978-07-25)
Founder Yōichi Erikawa
Keiko Erikawa
DefunctApril 1, 2010; 13 years ago
Fate Merged with Tecmo
Successor Koei Tecmo Games
Headquarters Yokohama, Japan
Products List of Koei Tecmo games
Parent Koei Tecmo
Website www.koei.co.jp/koei_home.html

Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its historical simulation games based on the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms , as well as simulation games based on pseudo-historical events.

Contents

The company found mainstream success in a series of loosely historical action games, the flagship titles of which are the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series, also known as the Musō series. Koei also owned a division known as Ruby Party, which focuses on otome games. [1]

On April 1, 2009, Koei merged with Tecmo to create the Tecmo Koei Holdings holding company. After operating as subsidiaries of Tecmo Koei Holdings for exactly a year, Koei merged with Tecmo on April 1, 2010 and combined both companies as one under the name Tecmo Koei Games (with Koei as the actual surviving corporation).

History

Koei was established in July 1978 by Yōichi Erikawa  [ ja ] (also known as Kou Shibusawa  [ ja ]) and Keiko Erikawa  [ ja ]. Yoichi was a student at Keio University, and when his family's rural dyestuffs business failed, he decided to pursue his interest in programming. The company has remained located in the Hiyoshi area of Yokohama.

The company initially focused on personal computer sales and made-to-order business software. In 1982, the company released the erotic title (eroge) Seduction of the Condominium Wife (団地妻の誘惑, Danchi Tsuma no Yūwaku), which was an early role-playing adventure game with color graphics, [2] [3] owing to the eight-color palette of the PC-8001 computer. It became a hit, helping Koei become a major software company. [4] In March the same year Koei released Underground Exploration, the earliest known Japanese RPG. [5] In 1983 it released Nobunaga's Ambition (信長の野望, Nobunaga no Yabō), a historical strategy game set during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. The game went on to receive numerous awards, and Koei produced several more such games set against the backdrop of world history, including Romance of the Three Kingdoms , set during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, and Uncharted Waters (大航海時代, Dai Kōkai Jidai, lit. Great Navigation Era), set in Portugal during the Age of Exploration.

In 1988, Koei established a North American subsidiary, Koei America Corporation, in California. This subsidiary localized Koei games for export to all territories outside Japan, as well as producing original games and concepts with the leadership of designer Stieg Hedlund, like Liberty or Death , Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye , Gemfire and Saiyuki: Journey West . After Hedlund's departure, this subsidiary ceased game development in 1995, focusing instead on localization, sales and marketing.

Though none of Koei's historical simulations achieved mass market success, they acquired a loyal cult following. This following allowed Koei to remain profitable, since they could reliably predict how many copies of their games would sell [6] (especially important during the cartridge era, when a surplus of unsold cartridges on a single game was often enough to bankrupt a company). [7]

A Canadian subsidiary, Koei Canada, Inc. was established in early 2001, and a European subsidiary, Koei Limited was established in early 2003 in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Koei also maintains subsidiaries in mainland China, Korea, Taiwan and Lithuania. Recently, Koei created a Singapore branch for game development such as Sangokushi Online .

Koei's Ruby Party division specializes on games labeled as Neoromance: GxB dating sims, usually with extra side-quests. Out of the three Neoromance series, the best known is Angelique, which has been in production since 1994. Harukanaru Toki no Naka de is a newer Neoromance hit, with many sequels and an anime television series based on it. The newest game in the series, Kin'iro no Corda, is gaining popularity partially because the manga series it was based on, has been recently licensed by Viz for English language publishing. It gaining more popularity though, and an anime television series based on it began airing in October 2006. A sequel was also released on the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. [8]

On September 4, 2008, Koei announced that it was in talks to purchase ailing competitor Tecmo. [9] [10] They agreed in November 2008 to merge on April 1, 2009 to form Tecmo Koei Holdings. [11] On January 26, 2009 the two companies approved the merger, the holding company formed on April 1, 2009 as planned. [12]

Koei changed its name to Tecmo Koei Games on April 1, 2010 by absorbing Tecmo, and again on July 1, 2014, to Koei Tecmo Games. [13] [14] Koei's subsidiaries in the United States, Europe and Korea already had their names changed months before the Japanese parent. [15] The developing operations of the original Koei and Tecmo companies were spun off on March 15, 2010 as new separate subsidiaries under the names of Koei Co., Ltd and Tecmo Co., Ltd respectively, but they were absorbed the following year by Tecmo Koei Games, on April 1, 2011. [13] [16]

Games by Koei

Koei has built a large base of franchises, and has developed on various consoles and computers. Below is a list of game series developed by Koei.

Action

History simulation

Strategy

Executive Series

Neo-romance

RPGs

Sports

Music

Rekoeition

Adventure

Erotic

Games published by Koei in Europe

Related Research Articles

<i>Romance of the Three Kingdoms</i> (video game series) Video game series

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a series of turn-based tactical role-playing simulation grand strategy wargames produced by Koei. Originating from Japan in 1985, fourteen installments of the game have been published in Japan, Taiwan, China, South Korea and North America to date. While the game's title as it was released in English refers to the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義) by Luo Guanzhong, the title as it was released in Japan and Chinese regions refers to the 3rd century historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms (三國志) by Chen Shou.

<i>Dynasty Warriors</i> Video game series

Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based upon the Chinese novel of the same name, which is a romanticised retelling of the Chinese Three Kingdoms period.

<i>Samurai Warriors 2</i> 2006 video game

Samurai Warriors 2 is a sequel to the original Samurai Warriors, created by Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, and ported to Microsoft Windows in 2008. Like the Dynasty Warriors series, an Empires expansion was released as well, and an Xtreme Legends expansion followed on in August 2007, in Japan. The game, alongside its two expansions, Xtreme Legends and Empires also receive a HD-enhanced port for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita under the name Sengoku Musō 2 with Mōshōden & Empires: HD Version.

<i>Berserk and the Band of the Hawk</i> 2016 video game

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, known in Japan as Berserk Musou, is a Musō game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Microsoft Windows. It is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors video game series and Kentaro Miura's Berserk manga series. Berserk and the Band of the Hawk was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, as well as PlayStation 3 in Japan on October 27, 2016, and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita in February 2017.

<i>Warriors Orochi</i> 2007 video game

Warriors Orochi is a hack and slash video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, developed by Koei and Omega Force. It is a crossover of two of Koei's popular video game series, Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors and the first title in the Warriors Orochi series.

<i>Warriors Orochi 2</i> 2008 video game

Warriors Orochi 2, known in Japan as Musō Orochi: Rebirth of the Demon Lord, is a 2008 video game developed by Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to Warriors Orochi, a crossover video game of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. The game was released in September for North America and Europe. A version for the Xbox 360 was released on September 4 in Japan. A PlayStation Portable version has been released in Japan, North America and Europe.

<i>Koihime Musō</i> Japanese video game, manga and anime series

Koihime Musō: Doki Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi is a series of Japanese adult visual novels and strategy video games primarily developed and published by BaseSon for the Windows and is based on the classic 14th century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. The first game was developed by BaseSon, and was first released on January 26, 2007, for Windows as two DVD-ROMs, followed by a re-release on April 11, 2008, containing an extra CD-ROM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koei Tecmo</span> Japanese entertainment holding company

Koei Tecmo Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship video game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo Games that was founded in 1978 as Koei. Known as Tecmo Koei until the names were reversed in 2014, the company had occasionally used the "Koei" and "Tecmo" brand names on new video games until 2016 for marketing purposes.

<i>Musou Orochi Z</i> 2009 video game

Warriors Orochi Z is a 2009 hack and slash video game developed by Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows. Z is the third installment of the Warriors Orochi series, a crossover video game of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. Musou Orochi Z was intended to be a combination of the first two games with more characters and stages on an updated gaming platform. The game was released in Japan for the PS3 on March 12, 2009, and released for the Windows on November 27. Koei had planned to release the game as Warriors Orochi Z in North America and Europe, but those plans have since been cancelled.

<i>Dynasty Warriors 7</i> 2011 video game

Dynasty Warriors 7 is a hack and slash video game and the seventh official installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. It is developed by Omega Force and published by Tecmo Koei. The story is based on the 14th-century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The game was unveiled at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show. On 26 October, it was revealed at the Koei Press Conference to have improved graphics and gameplay, with the support of stereoscopic 3D. Tecmo Koei released it in North American on 29 March 2011, in Europe on 8 April 2011 and in Australia on 14 April 2011, after news that it has been delayed and was released on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Tecmo Koei Japan had released Dynasty Warriors 7 with Xtreme Legends, along with downloadable content up to October 2011 released on PlayStation 3 version, on Microsoft Windows. It was later released worldwide in December 2018 via Steam as Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition.

<i>Warriors Orochi 3</i> 2011 video game

Warriors Orochi 3, originally released as Musō Orochi 2 in Japan, is a 2011 hack and slash video game developed by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This is the fourth installment of the crossover series Warriors Orochi, a combination of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. This installment serves as a sequel to Warriors Orochi 2. The game was released in Japan in 2011, and in Europe and North America in 2012.

<i>Dynasty Warriors 8</i> 2013 video game

Dynasty Warriors 8 is a hack and slash video game and the eighth official installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. It is developed by Omega Force and published by Tecmo Koei. The story is based on the 14th-century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Having more than 82 characters featured in the game, the game largely based its system on Dynasty Warriors 7 and focused on adding more content for replayability while also making several tweaks to the combat system.

<i>Samurai Warriors 4</i> 2014 video game

Samurai Warriors 4 is a 2014 hack and slash game by Koei Tecmo for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita, and the sequel to Samurai Warriors 3. Unlike past Samurai Warriors games, this one only has Japanese voice overs.

<i>Arslan: The Warriors of Legend</i> 2015 video game

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is a hack and slash video game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo. It is a crossover between Hiromu Arakawa's manga adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan and Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series.

<i>Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada</i> 2016 video game

Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada, known in Japan as Sengoku Musou ~Sanada Maru~, is a hack and slash game by Koei Tecmo through their development subsidiary, Omega Force. It is a spin-off of Samurai Warriors 4, part of the Samurai Warriors series, which in turn is a spin-off of the long-running Dynasty Warriors series, both of which are also hack and slash games. It was released on November 23, 2016 in Japan to coincide with the airing of the climax episode of the ongoing NHK TV taiga drama Sanada Maru. It was released in North America and Europe in 2017.

<i>Warriors All-Stars</i> 2017 video game

Warriors All-Stars, is a hack and slash video game by Koei Tecmo. It is a crossover based on the long-running Warriors series, featuring an array of cast taken from various titles owned by the company, similar to the Warriors Orochi series. It was released on March 30, 2017 in Japan for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. The Microsoft Windows version was released on August 29, 2017 in the US and on September 1, 2017 in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omega Force</span> Japanese video game developer

Omega Force is a Japanese video game developer and a division of Koei Tecmo, founded in 1996 by Akihiro Suzuki and Kenichi Ogasawara, and is best known for the Dynasty Warriors video games.

<i>Warriors Orochi 4</i> 2018 video game

Warriors Orochi 4, released as Musou Orochi 3 in Japan, is a 2018 hack and slash video game developed by Koei Tecmo and Omega Force for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment of the crossover series Warriors Orochi, a combination of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. The game was released in Japan on September 27, 2018, and in North America and Europe in October.

<i>Samurai Warriors 5</i> 2021 video game

Samurai Warriors 5 is a hack and slash game by Koei Tecmo, and a reboot of the Samurai Warriors series, part of the long-running Warriors series of hack and slash games published by Koei Tecmo. As a "fresh re-imagining" of the franchise, the game features an all-new storyline, revamped character designs, and a new visual presentation. It was released in Japan in June 2021 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, with a worldwide release in July for those platforms and PC via Steam. A version for Amazon Luna was made available on June 30, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Entertainment | Introduction to our Business".
  2. ↑ "Danchizuma no Yuuwaku". Legendra. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Danchi-zuma no Yuuwaku". GameSpot . Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  4. ↑ Pesimo, Rudyard Contretas (2007). "'Asianizing' Animation in Asia: Digital Content Identity Construction Within the Animation Landscapes of Japan and Thailand" (PDF). Reflections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity—The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows. The Nippon Foundation. pp. 124–160. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 4, 2011.
  5. ↑ "1982-1987 – The Birth of Japanese RPGs, re-told in 15 Games". gamasutra.com. October 10, 2016.
  6. ↑ "NG Alphas: Sangoku Musou". Next Generation . No. 25. Imagine Media. January 1997. p. 89.
  7. ↑ "1996: The Year of the Videogame". Next Generation . No. 13. Imagine Media. January 1996. p. 71.
  8. ↑ "金色のコルダ２". Koei. February 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007.
  9. ↑ Thorsen, Tor (September 4, 2008). "Tecmo, Koei in merger talks". GameSpot. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  10. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (September 4, 2008). "Report: Tecmo And Koei In Talks To Merge". Kotaku. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Tecmo and Koei to Merge in April 2009". Shacknews. November 18, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Koei Tecmo Reveals Its New Company Logo (Looks Familiar)". Kotaku. April 1, 2009.
  13. 1 2 "Official report of Tecmo Koei Holdings for the dissolution of Tecmo and Koei development studios" (PDF). Tecmo Koei Holdings. February 7, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 30, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  14. ↑ "商号の変更及び定款の一部変更に関するお知らせ" (PDF) (in Japanese). Koei Tecmo. May 26, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Tecmo Koei Company History". Tecmo Koei Holdings. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Tecmo Koei Games Co., Ltd. Announces Merger between Subsidiary and Sub-subsidiaries; Announces Business Transition between Subsidiaries". Reuters . February 7, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2012.[ dead link ]
  17. ↑ "Tamashii no Mon: Dante no Shinkyoku yori - IGDB" . Retrieved July 6, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Bandit Kings of Ancient China – MobyGames" . Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Genghis Khan – MobyGames" . Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Grey Wolf – MobyGames". Archived from the original on February 27, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  21. ↑ Dembo, Arinn; Aye, 'Tis a Bonny Land Indeed: Koei explores the Emerald Isle's Myth and Magic in CELTIC TALES, p. 214. Computer Gaming World, Issue 134, September 1995
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