, commonly referred to as ArcSys, is a Japanese
video game developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...
and
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
located in
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
. Founded by Minoru Kidooka in 1988, the company is known for arcade 2D fighting game franchises, including ''
Guilty Gear
is a series of fighting games by Arc System Works, created and designed by artist Daisuke Ishiwatari. The first game was published in 1998, and has spawned several sequels. It has also adapted to other media such as manga and drama CD. ''Gu ...
'' and ''
BlazBlue
''BlazBlue'' is a fighting video game series developed and published in Japan by Arc System Works, and later localized in North America by Aksys Games and in Europe by Zen United. An anime adaptation aired in Autumn 2013. The series has sold 1. ...
'', as well as other license-based fighting games for ''
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
'', ''
Persona 4
released outside of Japan as ''Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4'', is a 2008 role-playing video game by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the ''Persona'' series, itself a part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, and was ...
'' and others.
History
The company was founded in January 1988 and incorporated as Arc Co., Ltd. in May.
The company spent early years as a contract developer for
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
,
Sammy
Sammy is a nickname, frequently for people named Samuel, and also an English spelling of the Arabic name Sami.
People Music
*Sammy Adams (born 1987), American rapper and songwriter
*Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), American songwriter
*Sammy Davis Jr. ( ...
and
Banpresto
(formerly Coreland Technology Inc.) was a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It had a branch in Hong Kong named Banpresto H.K., which was headquartered in the New Territories. Banpresto was a partly-own ...
. It consisted at the time of around eight developers; most of whom had previously worked at Sega including founder Minoru Kidooka. It was renamed Arc System Works in 1991.
In 1992 they developed a game for the Famicom called ''Pizza Pop!''. The company produced a series of ''
Sailor Moon'' video games for publisher Angel including ''
Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Jōgai Rantō!? Shuyaku Sōdatsusen'' which was the first fighting game they produced''.''
They published their first title in 1995 which was ''Exector'' for the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
.
On June 11, 2015, the company acquired all intellectual properties of
Technōs Japan
was a Japanese video game Video game developer, developer, best known for the ''Double Dragon'' and ''Kunio-kun (series), Kunio-kun'' Media franchise, franchises (the latter including ''Renegade (video game), Renegade'', ''Super Dodge Ball'' and ...
, such as ''
Double Dragon
is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals.
The origina ...
'' and ''
Kunio-Kun
The series (typically localized as ''River City'') is a video game series started by Technōs Japan. The series is now handled by Arc System Works who purchased all of the intellectual property rights from Technōs' successor, Million Corp. The ...
'', from Million Co., Ltd. Even prior to its acquisition of Million's library, the company had been the publisher of Technōs' video games for
Virtual Console
A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
in Japan. Following the transaction, the company took the publishing duties from
Aksys Games
Aksys Games Localization, Inc. is a video game publisher that specializes in translating and localizing Japanese video games for English-speaking markets. It was founded by Akibo Shieh in 2006. Some of its clients include Bandai Namco Games, X ...
for Virtual Console releases in North America, though some Technōs games were already published by Arc System Works.
On February 6, 2017, the company acquired the rights to the ''
Jake Hunter'', ''
Theresia'', ''Nazo no Jikenbo'', and ''Koneko no Ie'' series from publisher
WorkJam
WorkJam Co., Ltd. (株式会社ワークジャム ''Work Jam Co., Ltd.'') was a Japanese video game and software development company. Its main headquarters were located in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
WorkJam was founded by Yutaka Kaminaga on Dec ...
. On November 2, 2017, the company announced the establishment of a
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
n branch in
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...
, known as Arc System Works America, Inc.
Games developed
Games published
See also
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Amusement companies of Japan
Companies based in Yokohama
Video game companies established in 1988
Video game companies of Japan
Video game development companies
Video game publishers
Japanese companies established in 1988