Nihon Bussan Co. Ltd.[a]was a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered inKita,Osaka.[1]In the past they had also manufactured and sold yachts.[2]
 | |
Native name | Nhật Bản vật sản kabushiki gaisha |
|---|---|
Romanizedname | Nihon BussanKabushiki gaisha |
| Company type | Public |
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | October 1970 |
| Founder | Sueharu Torii |
| Defunct | December 15, 2015 |
| Fate | Closed, properties sold toHamster Corporation |
| Headquarters | , Japan |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
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| Products |
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Number of employees | 30 |
The main video game brand of the company wasNichibutsu( ngày vật, ニチブツ), with adult video games (mainly stripmahjongarcade games) coming under theSphinx(スフィンクス) brand.[3]The company used a horned owl for its official logo.[4]
In March 2014, Nihon Bussan sold its video game library toHamster Corporationdue to the decision of original founder Sueharu Torii to retire. The company was disbanded on December 15, 2015.[5]
History
edit
The company's founder Sueharu Torii established Nihon Bussan in October 1970 inKita-ku, Osaka.They begin their activities by mainly sellingarcade machines.In 1972, the company was incorporated as Nihon Bussan Co., Ltd with a capital of 3 million yen.[6]
In 1976, Nihon Bussan made its debut as a manufacturer to theAmusement Machine Showand opened a Tokyo office in 1978.[6]1978 also saw Nihon Bussan entering thearcade gamemarket, when they debuted with a clone of the gameBreakoutcalledTable Attacker.[7]The same year, Nihon Bussan settled withTaitoby paying a license fee to launch a clone ofSpace InvaderstitledMoon Base.[8]Also in 1979, a business alliance was formed withNamcofor a clone ofGalaxiancalledMoon Alien.Originally intended as a limited release, Nihon Bussan violated the manufacturing agreement by producing the title in more units than the agreement called for and ended up paying Namco the excess of the license fee.[9]Nihon Bussan continued to release successful titles such asMoon CrestaandCrazy Climber.[10]
In 1983, the company developedJangou Nightwhich features the industry's first undressing elements and established the genre of stripmahjonggames.[11]In 1984, Nihon Bussan developedTube Panic,the industry's first board game equipped with a rotation feature.[12]From the mid-1980s, Nihon Bussan releasedTerra CrestaandCosmo Police Galivanthat made use ofYamaha YM3812FM sound.[13]
Nihon Bussan entered the home video game market in 1983 by developing a console of their own, theMy Vision,and in 1986 released their first NES title,MagMax,followed by theMSXin 1989; the same year also saw the release of the company's last mainstream arcade game,Sky Robo(Tatakae! Big Fighterin Japan) before switching to exclusively produce strip mahjong titles for that market; in 1992, the company leftJAMMAafter the arcade industry began showing concerns about increasingly risque material in their strip mahjong games.[14]In 1990, Nihon Bussan released console-first titles for thePC Enginesuch asF1 Circuswhich became a major hit. During the height of the F1 Circus series, Nihon Bussan sponsoredTeam Lotusfrom 1991 to 1993; the sponsorship agreement allowed Lotus to appear as the only licensed team in theF1 Circustitles until Nichibutsu obtained a complete license fromFormula One Constructors Association.
Nihon Bussan began releasing games for theMega Drivein 1991,SNESin 1992,SonyPlayStationin 1995 and for theSegaSaturnin 1996. Some of the titles were mahjong titles, with their PC Engine gameSexy Idol Mahjongfeaturing strip elements from their arcade titles.
In March 2009, the company partnered withD4 Enterpriseto reprint and distribute Nihon Bussan retro games for its Project EGG service.[15]
In March 2014, Nihon Bussan sold the rights of all video games toHamster Corporation.[16]Hamster had approached founder Sueharu Torii for a licensing agreement of Nihon Bussan's games. Torii opted instead to sell outright the company's video game library and to retire.
Timeline
edit- 1979 – The company's headquarters is relocated to Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka. Their capital increases to 24 million yen. Nichibutsu U.S.A. Co., Ltd. is established inTorrance, California,US.
- 1980 – Nichibutsu U.K. Ltd. is established inWest Midlands,England, United Kingdom. Nichibutsu Kyushu Co., Ltd. is established in Hakataekiminami, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka.
- 1981 – Nichibutsu Europe GmbH is established inRödermark,Offenbach,Hesse,Germany. The Nihon Bussan Co., Ltd. factory opens in Sayama, Kumiyama, Kuse, Kyoto.
- 1983 – Tokyo office is moved to Nihonbashihoridome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Nichibutsu Sapporo Co., Ltd. is established in Nakanoshima, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido. Nichibutsu Sendai Co., Ltd. is established in Uesugi, Sendai, Miyagi. Nichibutsu Hiroshima Co., Ltd. is established in Higashikasumichou, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima. Nichibutsu also releases their only console,My Vision.
- 1984 – Capital increases to 36 million yen.
- 1985 – Capital increases to 50 million yen.
- 1989 – Nihon Bussan's last mainstream arcade game,Sky Robo/Tatakae! Big Fighter,is released.
- 1991 – The company's Tokyo office is moved to Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
- 1992 – Nihon Bussan withdraws from theJapan Amusement Machinery Manufacturers Associationover a dispute regarding the risque content in their mahjong games.[14]
- 2001 – Nihon Bussan's last home video game,Virtual Kyoutei 21,is released.
- 2005 – Nihon Bussan's last arcade game (overall),Koi Suru Cosplay Akihabarais released.
- 2007 – The company ends development of video games,[17]while continuing to oversee the rights to their games.[18]
- 2009 – Nihon Bussan joinsD4 Enterprise'sProject EGG, a retro game republishing/distribution service.
- 2014 – Nihon Bussan sells the rights to their games toHamster Corporationand closes the company.
List of Nihon Bussan games
editPaddle games
edit- 1978Table Attacker
- 1978Table Attacker Guard
- 1978Table Attacker Special
- 1978Table Attacker Black
- 1979Attacker Ace
- 1978Table Bonpa
- 1979Bonpa
Shooters
editMoon Baseseries
editOriginally clones ofSpace Invaders.
- 1978Moon Base
- 1978Moon Base Spector
- 1978Moon Base Zeta
- 1979Super Moon Base
Terra Crestaseries
edit- 1980Moon Cresta
- 1985Terra Cresta
- 1986UFO Robo Dangar
- 1992Terra Cresta II: Mandler's Counterattack
- 1997Terra Cresta 3D
This series was followed bySol Crestain 2022, developed by another company.
Other shooter games
edit- 1980Moon Alien(clone ofGalaxian)
- 1980Moon Alien 2
- 1980Moon Alpha
- 1980Moon Raker
- 1980Moon Quasar
- 1981Moon Shuttle
- 1984Seicross
- 1984Tube Panic
- 1985MagMax
- 1986Soldier Girl Amazon(a.k.a.Sei Senshi Amatelass)
- 1986Ninja Emaki(a.k.a.Youma Ninpou Cho)
- 1987Sky Fox(a.k.a.Exerizer)
- 1987Terra Force
- 1987Legion
- 1988Formation Armed F
- 1989Sky Robo(a.k.a.Tatakae! Big Fighter)
Action games
edit- 1980Crazy Climber
- 1981Frisky Tom
- 1982Wiping(also known as "Rug Rats" )
- 1983Dacholer(Kick Boy)[19]
- 1983Skelagon(SF-X)[19]
- 1984Roller Jammer[20]
- 1984Dynamic Ski
- 1985Cop01
- 1985Galivan(also known as "Cosmo Police Galivan" )
- 1986Mighty Guy
- 1987Booby Kids(a.k.a.Kid no HORE HORE Dai Sakusen)
- 1987Samurai Assassin(a.k.a.Kozure Ōkami)
- 1988Crazy Climber 2
- 1990Die Hard(PC Engine version developed for Pack-In-Video Co. Ltd.)
- 1993Galivan 2(also known as "Cosmo Police Galivan 2: Arrow of Justice" )
- 1996Expert(PlayStation 1. Japanese Title: エキスパート)
Quiz games
edit- 1987Hihoo!
- 1987Hihoo!2
- 1991Quiz DE Date
- 1991Miracle Q
- 1991Kotaemon kachi
- 1991TECHNO・DOOL
Puzzle games
edit- 1988Oh! Pyepee
- 1988Tougenkyou
- 1989Pairs
- 1995Puzzle'n Desu!
Mahjong games
edit- 1983Jangō Lady
- 1984Night Gal(Japan's top-grossingtable arcade cabinetofOctober 1984[21][22]and December 1984)[23][24]
- 1986Second Love
- 1990Mahjong Triple Wars
- 1991Mahjong Vanilla Syndrome
- 1994Sailor Wars
Other games
edit- 1987Artelius
- 1990F1 Circus
- 1995Kouryaku Casino Bar
Notes
edit- ^Japanese:Nhật Bản vật sản kabushiki gaisha,Hepburn:Kabushiki gaisha
References
edit- ^"Nichibutsu Fact BookArchived2010-02-21 at theWayback Machine."Nihon Bussan. Retrieved on February 19, 2010.
- ^"Yacht impressions page".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-02-18.Retrieved2014-11-18.
- ^Sphinx also released the game in the name of Nihon Bussan and it is listed on the home page.Mahjong Hanafuda product listArchived2013-07-04 at theWayback Machine
- ^At Famitsu released in 1990, Nichibutsu mark is described as designed the owl, which is called the God of happiness motif.
- ^"Notice Regarding Company Dissolution"(in Japanese). Civil Legal Association. December 2015. Archived fromthe originalon December 6, 2020.RetrievedDecember 5,2020.
- ^ab"The Arcade Flyer Archive - Video Game Flyers: Frontier Spirit of Amusement, Nichibutsu".
- ^Shooting Game SideVolume 11, page 31 (February 7, 2015; Japanese)
- ^Game MachineMarch 1, 2001 issue (Japanese)
- ^Game MachineJune 15, 2001 issue (Japanese)
- ^Business Japan – Volume 29, Page 125 Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha – 1984 "The wider this trend expands, the deeper these game machines lead the people into the world of dreams and fantasy. Nichibutsu, Japan's unique game machine manufacturer which started earlier than other similar makers the full utilization of the most advanced technology, is determined to come out with products which the people want to play with."
- ^"Goodbye to Nichibutsu" interview with company president Sueharu Torii (November 6, 1992 issue of Famitsu)
- ^Shooting Game SideVolume 10 (September 26, 2014, Japanese)Archived2014-10-20 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Project EGG – participating companies list".Amusement-Center(in Japanese). Archived fromthe originalon 2013-03-18.Retrieved2014-11-18.
- ^ab[ chim sẻ ゲーム の thẩm tra に không mãn を kỳ した Nhật Bản vật sản の lui sẽ で nghị luận”,Game Machineissue 420 (1992), p. 3 (Japanese)]
- ^D4 enterpriseProject EGG/Value-Press press release
- ^NEWS RELEASE.
- ^Game MachineNo. 15 (April 2014, Japanese)
- ^Moon Cresta, Crazy Climber, the last update of the trademark rights of the family Mahjong has become in 2007.Industrial Property Digital Library – trademark search
- ^abLewin, Gene (January 15, 1984)."Gene's Judgements: Critiquing AMOA Show Conversions, Dedicated Games".Play Meter.Vol. 10, no. 2. pp. 60–2, 78.
- ^Sharpe, Roger C. (July 15, 1985)."Critic's Corner"(PDF).Play Meter.Vol. 11, no. 13. pp. 25–31.
- ^"Best Hit Games 25"(PDF).Game Machine(in Japanese). No. 246.Amusement Press, Inc.15 October 1984. p. 31.
- ^"Best Hit Games 25"(PDF).Game Machine(in Japanese). No. 247. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 November 1984. p. 31.
- ^"Best Hit Games 25"(PDF).Game Machine(in Japanese). No. 250. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1984. p. 29.
- ^"Best Hit Games 25"(PDF).Game Machine(in Japanese). No. 251. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 January 1985. p. 37.
External links
edit
- Official website(in Japanese)(archives)