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Koei Tecmo

(Redirected fromTeam Tachyon)

Koei Tecmo Holdings Co., Ltd.[a][2]is a Japanese video game, amusement and animeholding companycreated in2009by the merger ofKoeiandTecmo.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.[3][4]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.

Koei Tecmo Holdings Co., Ltd.
Native name
Chu thức hội xã コーエーテクモホールディングス
Kabushikigaisha Kōē Tekumo Hōrudingusu
FormerlyTecmo Koei Holdings (2009-2014)
Company typePublic
TYO:3635
IndustryVideo games,anime,amusement
Predecessors
Founded1 April 2009;15 years ago(2009-04-01)(as Tecmo Koei Holdings)
HeadquartersMinatomirai,Yokohama,Japan
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsList of Koei Tecmo games
RevenueIncrease¥84.5billion (2023)[citation needed]
Decrease¥28.4billion (2023)[citation needed]
Increase¥33.7billion (2023)[citation needed]
Number of employees
2,531[1]
DivisionsKoei Tecmo Pictures
Kou Shibusawa[ja]
CWS Brains
Koei Tecmo Books
Midas
Omega Force
Ruby Party
Team Ninja
Gust
SubsidiariesKoei Tecmo Games[ja]
Koei Tecmo Wave[ja]
Koei Tecmo American Corporation
Koei Tecmo Europe
Koei Tecmo Taiwan
Koei Tecmo Singapore
Koei Tecmo Tianjin Software
Koei Tecmo Beijing Software
Koei Tecmo Software Vietnam
Koei Tecmo Shanghai Entertainment co.، ltd
Koei Tecmo Net
Koei Tecmo Quality Assurance
Koei Tecmo Liv
Koei Tecmo Music
Koei Tecmo Capital
Websitewww.koeitecmo.co.jp

The company is best known for theirAtelier,Dead or Alive,Dynasty Warriors,Fatal Frame,Monster Rancher,Ninja Gaiden,Nioh,Nobunaga's AmbitionandRomance of the Three Kingdomsfranchises. They are also known for their work on external video game franchises, namely onSquare Enix'sFinal FantasyandNintendo'sFire Emblem.

History

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Independent era

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Koei

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Main article:Koei
Former Koei logo

Koei Co., Ltd.( chu thức hội xã コーエーKabushiki gaishaKōē, formerly quang vinh (Kōei)) was founded in July 1978 by husband-and-wife duoYōichi[ja]andKeiko Erikawa[ja].Yōichi was a student atKeio University,and when his family's ruraldyestuffsbusiness failed he decided to pursue his interest in programming. The company was (and, as Koei Tecmo, still is) located in theHiyoshiarea ofYokohamaalong with Yoichi's alma mater, and the company's name is simply aspoonerismof the school's.

The company initially focused onpersonal computersales and made-to-order businesssoftware.In 1983 it releasedNobunaga's Ambition( tín trường の dã vọngNobunaga no Yabō), a historicalstrategy gameset during theSengoku periodofJapanese history.The game went on to receive numerous awards, and Koei produced several more such games set against the backdrop of world history, includingRomance of the Three Kingdoms,set during theThree Kingdomsperiod ofChinese history,andUncharted Waters( đại hàng hải thời đạiDai Kōkai Jidai;lit.Great Navigation Era), set inPortugalduring theAge of Exploration.

In 1988, Koei established aNorth Americansubsidiary,Koei Corporation,inCalifornia.This subsidiary localized Koei games for export to all territories outside Japan, as well as producing original games and concepts with the leadership of designerStieg Hedlund,likeLiberty or Death,Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye,andGemfire.After Hedlund's departure, this subsidiary ceased game development in 1995, focusing instead on localization, sales and marketing.

ACanadiansubsidiary,Koei Canada, Inc.was established in early 2001, and aEuropeansubsidiary,Koei Limitedwas established in early 2003 inHertfordshire,United Kingdom.In 2004, aLithuaniansubsidiary was formed.[5]

Tecmo

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Main article:Tecmo
Former Tecmo logo

Tecmo, Ltd.[b],formerly known asTehkan Ltd.[c],was founded by Yoshihito Kakihara on July 31, 1967,[6]as a supplier of cleaning equipment.[7]Two years later, in 1969, it started to sellamusement equipment.Tecmo had its headquarters inKudankita,Chiyoda,Tokyo.[8]Tecmo's United States offices were located inTorrance, California.[9]

In March 1981, a U.S. division was inaugurated asU.S. Tehkan, Inc..A month later, in April 1981, Tehkan released in Japan its first arcade video game titledPleiades(which was distributed in America byCenturi). When it was still called Tehkan, the company also released such classic games asBomb JackandTehkan World Cup.On January 8, 1986, Tehkan officially changed its name to Tecmo. In 1989 Tecmo was named as co-defendant in a lawsuit, whenIndianapolis Coltsrunning backEric Dickersonsued theNFLPAover use of his likeness in the gameTecmo Bowl.[10]

In January 2006, Tecmo president, Junji Nakamura, resigns from the company while Yoshimi Yasuda was named his successor.[11]

In 2006, Founder Yoshihito Kakihara died ofinterstitial pneumonia.[12]

On June 3, 2008, Team Ninja headTomonobu Itagakiresigned from the company and filed a 145 million yen ($1.3 million) lawsuit against Yoshimi Yasuda for "unpaid completion bonuses" and "emotional distress".[13]This was followed by another lawsuit filed on 16 June by two plaintiffs on behalf of Tecmo's 300 employees for unpaid wages amounting to ¥8.3 million.[14]

Merger and reorganization

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On August 20, 2008, Tecmo announced the resignation of president Yoshimi Yasuda, to be replaced by current Chairman of the Board Yasuharu Kakihara as of September 1. On August 28,Square Enixannounced plans for a friendly takeover of Tecmo by purchasing shares at a 30 percent premium with a total bid of¥22.3 billion. They gave Tecmo until September 4 to either accept or reject the proposal.[15][16]Upon hearing this news on August 31, Kenji Matsubara, President and COO of Koei, called a board meeting for the next day, September 1.[17]The board discussed the possibility of a merger with Tecmo, and began discussions with Tecmo that same day. On September 4, 2008, Tecmo officially declined Square Enix's proposal,[18]and later that same day announced plans to merge with Koei.[17][19][20]

To survive and compete in this market, we need to have some sort of scale - it's critical. And that's the trigger of this consolidation. Square Enix had made an offer, and we had started a discussion with Tecmo as well. But Tecmo's founding family and Koei's founders' family have actually had a good relationship for many years, which is why we were able to make a deal in such a short time! We started the discussion on September 1st, and it was agreed two days after! Tecmo's founders and management team understands that while it is nice to stand alone, it is risky, and scale is critical.

— Kenji Matsubara[21]

In November, the companies announced their specific plan of action, to complete the merger on April 1, 2009, forming Tecmo Koei Holdings.[22]Koei stock was to be exchanged for Tecmo Koei stock at a rate of 1:1, and Tecmo stock exchanged at.9:1, giving Koei shareholders, in total, a three-quarter stake in the new company. Though the combined profits in 2007 were 8.5 billion yen, they anticipated that the merged company would net over 16 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2012.[23]Effissimo Capital Management Pte, Tecmo's second-largest shareholder at 17.6%, openly opposed the merger.[24]On January 26, 2009, the shareholders for both Koei and Tecmo reached separate agreements in favor of the merger. Effissimo raised some dissent during the meeting, and implied they may seek to sell their shares.[25]Effissimo's director Takashi Kosaka stated "We have not had sufficient information from the company to make a judgment on the merger, such as the feasibility of their plan to raise shareholder value."[26]On February 12, Kenji Matsubara liquidated KOEI FranceSAS.[27]On February 13, Tecmo announced it had received a repurchase claim (a request for the company to buy stock back) from a major shareholder, 15.64% of the stock (3,890,700 shares) from a shareholder that stood in opposition to the firm's upcoming merger with Koei. While the requesting shareholder was not mentioned,Reutersstated that it was likely Effissimo.[28]

Despite these misgivings, the holding company formed on April 1, 2009, as planned.[29]Kenji Matsubara became CEO of the new company, and former Tecmo CEO Yasuharu Kakihara became board chairman.[30]As of May 26, Tecmo Koei had still not reached an agreement with Effissimo, prompting the investment fund to seek mediation with the Tokyo District Court. While Tecmo Koei favored a stock value in the mid-600 yen range, Effissimo was expected to ask for at least 900, in part due to the rejected Square Enix offer of 920 per share.[31]

On June 23, 2009, Tecmo Koei announced a planned restructure of its international subsidiaries.[32][33]Koei Europe was renamedTecmo Koei Europein 2009 and became the first subsidiary to publish games under the new moniker,[34]starting withNinja Gaiden Sigma 2.[35]In August 2009 Tecmo Koei announced that it was setting up a subsidiary in Hanoi, Vietnam.[36]In January 2010, Tecmo's sole subsidiary, the American Tecmo Inc., and Koei's American branch, Koei Corporation, were moved under a newly formedTecmo Koei America Corporation,itself a direct subsidiary to Tecmo Koei Holdings. Koei's Canadian, Korean, and Taiwanese subsidiaries were re-branded Tecmo Koei, and also moved to direct subsidiaries of the holding company. Later that month theEntertainment Software Association(ESA) announced that Tecmo Koei was now a member.[37]

On April 1, 2010, Tecmo was declared disbanded in Japan.[38][39]Koei absorbed Tecmo the same day to becomeTecmo Koei Games.[40][4]The development divisions of both companies were spun-out into separate subsidiaries of Tecmo Koei Games, created specifically for the planning and development of software.[41][4]Koei Singapore was also re-branded as Tecmo Koei.[42]

As Tecmo Koei

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The continued operating loss prompted Kenji Matsubara, the former president and CEO of both Tecmo Koei Holdings and Tecmo Koei Games label, to render his resignation in November 2010. Yoichi Erikawa, co-founder of Koei, took over the four positions vacated by Matsubara.[43]

On February 8, 2011, Tecmo Koei Holdings announced that the new individual developers Tecmo and Koei that were formed in March 2010 would be merged into Tecmo Koei Games in April 2011, though the company would continue to create games in the future under the Tecmo and Koei brands.[41][4]

As Koei Tecmo

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On July 1, 2014, the company and its related subsidiaries were renamed from Tecmo Koei toKoei Tecmo.[44][45]

On February 18, 2016, Koei Tecmo announced a second reorganization of the company, to support the expansion of the company. Brand names Team Tachyon, Koei and Tecmo, amongst others, were dropped.[46]

Current subsidiaries/divisions

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Gust

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Main article:Gust (company)

Gust Co. Ltd. was founded in 1993 and is known for developing RPGs like its long-runningAtelierseries, and other series includingSurge Concerto,Nights of Azure,andBLUE REFLECTION.Koei Tecmo bought Gust Co. Ltd. in 2011 and absorbed it in 2014.[47]

Kou Shibusawa

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On February 18, 2016, as part of the companies reconstruction, Koei Tecmo announced the establishment ofKou Shibusawa[ja],named after thestage nameof Koei's founder.[46]It has handled the historically-based titles such asNobunaga's Ambitionseries,Romance of the Three Kingdomsseries,Uncharted Watersseries andNiohseries,[48][49]as well as horse racing simulationWinning Postseries.[50]The division also worked as lead developer withIntelligent SystemsonFire Emblem: Three Houses.[51]

Midas

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"midas" is a new division aiming to produce titles for smartphones and to create new IPs.

Omega Force

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Main article:Omega Force

Omega Force (ω-Force) is a division of Koei known for developinghack and slash games,monster-hunting action games, among other genres. Omega Force are most well known for itsDynasty Warriorsseries, including spin-offs such asSamurai Warriors,Warriors Orochi,amongst others. As well as non-Warriorstitles such asDragon Quest Heroes,WinBack,Attack on TitanandToukiden.

Ruby Party

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Main article:Ruby Party

Ruby Party specializes in games labeled as Neoromance:otome gamevisual novelsanddating sims,usually with extra side-quests. Out of the three Neoromance series, the best known isAngeliqueseries, which has been in production since 1994. The first game ofAngeliqueseries was the firstotome game(visual novel and dating sims for women) in the world.[52]

Team Ninja

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Main article:Team Ninja

Team Ninja (stylised as Team NINJA) is a video game development studio of Tecmo founded in 1995 who developsmasocore games,fast-pacedaction games,fighting games,among other genres. It was formerly led byTomonobu Itagakiand is best known for theDead or Alive,Ninja Gaiden,andNiohseries.

International offices

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Koei Tecmo also operates various international branches and offices, such as Koei Tecmo Europe inHertfordshire,England,Koei Tecmo America inBurlingame, California,Koei Tecmo Taiwan inTaipei,Koei Tecmo Vietnam inHanoi,Koei Tecmo Singapore, as well was two offices inChina,located inTianjinandBeijing.

Former subsidiaries

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Team Tachyon

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Team Tachyon is a Japanesevideo game developmentdepartment of Koei Tecmo founded in 2007. Similar to Team Ninja, the group was formed to develop high-profile games, some of which relate to Tecmo Koei's classic franchises. The company says that they chose the name, "Team Tachyon", because atachyonis a particle that exceeds the speed of light.[53]Key members include Tecmo producers Keisuke Kikuchi (Rygar,Fatal Frame) and Kohei Shibata.[54]

So far, Team Tachyon has aided in the development of the 2008Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipsegame for theWii,2008WiigameRygar: The Battle of Argus,[55]has releasedUndead Knightsfor thePlayStation Portable,andQuantum Theoryfor thePlayStation 3and theXbox 360,released in 2010.

As of February 18, 2016, Team Tachyon was absorbed intoTeam Ninja,with some staff now moved to Gust.[46]

Koei Tecmo Canada

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Founded in 2001 asKoei Canada,Koei Tecmo Canada was the North American development arm of the company based inToronto.It started out as a CG studio for Koei games but expanded into video game development in 2005, developingFatal Inertia,Prey the Stars,andWarriors: Legends of Troy.The studio was closed at the end of March 2013.

Notable franchises

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Further information:List of Koei Tecmo games

Notes

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  1. ^Japanese:Chu thức hội xã コーエーテクモホールディングス,Hepburn:Kabushikigaisha Kōē Tekumo Hōrudingusu
  2. ^テクモ,Tekumo
  3. ^テーカン,Tēkan

References

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