Tokai Communications

Last updated
Tokai Communications
Type Operating subsidiary
(JASDAQ:  2306)
Industry Telecommunications
FoundedMarch 18, 1977;46 years ago (1977-03-18) [1] [2]
HeadquartersTOKAI Building,
Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture [1]
,
Japan
Revenue¥41,586 million (2016) [1]
Total equity ¥12,148 million (as of April 1, 2017) [1]
Number of employees
1,197 (as of April 1, 2019) [1]
Parent Tokai Holdings Corporation [3]
Website www.tokai-com.co.jp

Tokai Communications Corporation Inc (known as Vic Tokai Corporation until 2011) is a telecommunications company in Japan providing DSL services and network solutions. Its headquarters are in the Tokai Building (TOKAIビル, Tōkai Biru) in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture. [1] In North America, it is best known for its video games during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. In the US, they published games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Boy, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Nintendo 64, the Sega Genesis, the Sega CD, the Sega Saturn, and the PlayStation.

Contents

History

Vic Tokai was founded on March 18, 1977(46 years ago) as Yaizu Cable Vision Co, a CATV service provider. The following year, in 1978, it adopted the name of Vic Tokai. [4] The "Vic" in Vic Tokai's name stood for Valuable Information & Communication. [5] The "Tokai" part is the name of its then parent company, Tokai Corporation, a Japanese natural gas utility founded in 1950.

Vic Tokai began selling data processing services and computer hardware in April 1982, a sector that until then was handled by parent Tokai Corporation. In 1983, it began developing online and graphics applications for office computers. [4]

In April 1987, parent company Tokai corporation handed its remaining computer-related branches, such as electronic calculation and operational sections, to Vic Tokai, thus making the latter company able to handle data processing operations independently. Vic Tokai expanded in 1988 when it acquired another telecommunication company. The company also launched its first system consulting software the same year. [4]

The 1990s saw a number of new products by Vic Tokai available to the Japanese market. In 1993, Vic Tokai introduced the first version of its long running (and still existing) lineup of network solution products called "TOP-VENUS". Later, Vic Tokai released its own Electronic Data Interchange package known as JFT (Java File Transfer) in 1996. Then in 1998 Vic Tokai developed its "Knowledge Stage" lineup, which is dedicated to helping companies develop their Intranet. [4]

In April 2000, Vic Tokai merged with another CATV company that provides Internet connection services. As a result, Vic Tokai itself immediately became an Internet service provider, and a year later, in April 2001, it entered the ADSL market. Vic Tokai would soon establish a partnership with Japanese peer-to-peer Internet exchange company JPIX. [4]

As the company continued to grow, Vic Tokai earned its place in the market listing of the JASDAQ as of June 2002. [4]

By March 2005, Vic Tokai had completed the build-out of its own high-capacity optical fiber network infrastructure between Tokyo and Nagoya to improve network support for its Internet service customers and enterprises. Vic Tokai continued its expansion in October 2005 when it merged again, this time with Tokai Broadband Communications, enabling Vic Tokai to enter the mobile broadband industry. [4]

On April 1, 2011, Vic Tokai and (then) parent company Tokai Corporation jointly created Tokai Holdings Corporation, a new shell entity to oversee the operation of both companies (as well as other subsidiaries). [3] [6] In October of that year, Vic Tokai was renamed Tokai Communications following its absorption of Tokai Corporation's information and telecommunications business. [7]

In April 2012, the CATV operations of Tokai Communications were spun off into a new company called Tokai Cable Network. [7]

Video games

Vic Tokai was, from 1984 to 1997, a video game developer that manufactured arcade, console and PC games, as well as published games from developers like Kronos Digital Entertainment. The now defunct Vic Tokai Inc division in Torrance, California was tasked with localizing games in North America.

All of Vic Tokai's internally developed video games were created with Sunseibu Entertainment, a sister company from the Tokai Group. [8] Sunseibu also had some involvement with the Aicom-developed Vic tokai game The Mafat Conspiracy . [8]

The Vic Tokai/Sunseibu duo started in 1984 by developing arcade games for Sega. [8] Vic Tokai/Sunseibu expanded in the home market by developing video games for Nintendo consoles (published by Vic Tokai) and for Sega consoles (published by Sega themselves). [8] In the early 1990s, Vic Tokai, which by then had always self-published video games only for Nintendo consoles, became a Sega licensee for the first time. [9]

TitleDateDeveloperPlatform(s)Region(s)
Aerostar 1991Vic Tokai Game Boy Worldwide
Aigiina no Yogen: From the Legend of Balubalouk 1986Vic Tokai Nintendo Entertainment System, Commodore 64 Worldwide
Aigina's Prophecy 1986Vic Tokai Nintendo Entertainment System Japan
All-Pro Basketball (Zenbei!! Pro Basketball in Japan)1989 Aicom Nintendo Entertainment System North America, Japan
Battle Mania (Trouble Shooter in North America)1991, 1992Vic Tokai Mega Drive/Genesis Japan, North America
Battle Mania Daiginjou 1993Vic Tokai Mega Drive/Genesis Japan
Block Gal 1987Vic Tokai Arcade Japan
Bump 'n' Jump 1988 Data East and SAS Sakata Nintendo Entertainment System North America
Chester Field: Ankoku Shin e no Chosen 1987Vic Tokai Nintendo Entertainment System, Commodore 64 Worldwide
Clash at Demonhead 1989, 1990Vic Tokai Nintendo Entertainment System Japan, North America
Conflict 1989, 1990Vic Tokai Nintendo Entertainment System Japan, North America
Columns 3 1993 Sega Sega Genesis North America
Criticom 1995–1997 Kronos Digital Entertainment PlayStation, Sega Saturn Worldwide
Daedalian Opus (Bouken! Puzzle Road in Japan)1990Vic Tokai Game Boy North America, Japan
Dark Rift (Space Dynamites in Japan)1997 Kronos Digital Entertainment Nintendo 64, PC Worldwide
Dark Seed 1994 Cyberdreams Mega CD/Sega CD Cancelled
Decap Attack 1991Vic Tokai Sega Mega Drive/Genesis North America, Europe
Diggers 2: Extractors 1995 Nova Spring Super NES North America
Flink 1994 Psygnosis Mega CD/Sega CD North America
The Gene Machine 1996Divide By Zero DOS North America
Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode 1988Vic Tokai Nintendo Entertainment System Japan, North America
Imperium (Kidou Soukou Dion in Japan)1992 Jorudan Super NES North America, Japan
Kick Off 3: European Challenge 1994 Anco Software Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Europe
Kid Kool (Kakefu Kun no Jump Tengoku in Japan)1988, 1990Vic Tokai Nintendo Entertainment System North America, Japan
King Salmon: The Big Catch 1992Hot-B and Sage's Creation Mega Drive\Genesis North America
The Krion Conquest (Magical Kids Doropie in Japan)1990, 1991Vic Tokai Nintendo Entertainment System North America, Japan
Laplace no Ma 1995 Hummingbird Soft Super NES Japan
Lock On (Super Air Diver in Japan)1993 Copya Systems Super NES North America
Lucle 1994Vic Tokai Game Boy Europe, Japan
The Mafat Conspiracy (Golgo 13 The Riddle of Icarus in Japan)1990 Aicom Nintendo Entertainment System North America, Japan
Mansion of Hidden Souls 1993 System Sacom Mega CD/Sega CD, Sega Saturn North America
Psycho Fox 1989Vic Tokai Master System North America, Europe
S.O.S. 1994 Human Entertainment Super NES North America
The Scroll 1995Vic Tokai DOS Worldwide
Secret Ties (Master Thief Sugar in Japan)1991 (unreleased) Graphic Research Nintendo Entertainment System North America, Japan
Shien's Revenge 1994 Almanic Super NES North America
Shinseiki Odysselya 1993Vic Tokai Super NES Japan
Shinseiki Odysselya 2 1995Vic Tokai Super NES Japan
Shinobi Legions 1995 Sega Sega Saturn North America
SilverLoad 1996 Millennium Interactive PlayStation, DOS North America
Socket: Time Dominator 1993, 1994Vic Tokai Mega Drive/Genesis North America, Japan
Super Conflict 1993Vic Tokai Super NES North America
Time Slip 1993 The Sales Curve Super NES North America
Top Gear 2 1994 Gremlin Interactive Mega Drive/Genesis North America
Totsuzen! Machoman 1988 Aicom Nintendo Entertainment System Japan
Whip Rush 1990Vic Tokai Mega Drive/Genesis Worldwide

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Company profile. Archived 2012-12-07 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on November 30, 2017.
  2. ↑ "株式会社ビック東海 [VIC TOKAI]｜会社概要". 19 July 2006. Archived from the original on 19 July 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. 1 2 Stock Quote News. [ dead link ] Retrieved on November 14, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "株式会社ビック東海 [VIC TOKAI]｜沿革". 25 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ↑ "Š"Ž®‰ïŽÐVIC TOKAI". 9 February 2006. Archived from the original on 9 February 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ↑ "VIC TOKAI CORP, Form CB/A, Filing Date Dec 20, 2010". secdatabase.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Tokai Corporation Company profile Archived 2012-10-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on November 14, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Archived copy". www.tokai.or.jp. Archived from the original on 4 January 2002. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ Group, Career Communications (24 April 1992). "Hispanic Engineer & IT". Career Communications Group. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018– via Google Books.
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