(formerly Coreland Technology Inc.) was a Japanese video game
developer
Developer may refer to:
Computers
* Software developer, a person or organization who develop programs/applications
* Video game developer, a person or business involved in video game development, the process of designing and creating games
* Web d ...
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 ...
headquartered in
Shinagawa
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies.
, the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per km2. The total are ...
, Tokyo. It had a branch in Hong Kong named Banpresto H.K., which was headquartered in the
New Territories
The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...
. Banpresto was a partly-owned subsidiary of toymaker
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
from 1989 to 2006, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Bandai Namco Holdings
also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...
from 2006 to 2008. In addition to video games, Banpresto produced toys, keyrings, apparel, and plastic models.
Banpresto was founded by Japanese businessman Yasushi Matsuda as Hoei International in April 1977. Its poor reputation led to its name being changed to Coreland Technology in 1982, becoming a contractual developer for companies such as
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 ...
. Coreland was majority-acquired by Bandai in 1989 following severe financial difficulties and renamed Banpresto, becoming Bandai's arcade game division. Banpresto focused primarily on producing games with licensed characters, such as
Ultraman
''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...
and
Gundam
is a Japanese military fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ''Mobile ...
. Its sharing of Bandai's library of popular characters allowed the company to become one of Japan's largest game publishers in the 1990s.
The company's first hit was the
Family Computer
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...
role-playing game (RPG) ''SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Basho'' in 1990. The tactical RPG ''
Super Robot Wars
''Super Robot Wars'', known in Japan as is a series of tactical role-playing video games produced by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Banpresto. Starting out as a spinoff of the ''Compati Hero'' series, the main feature of the franchise is ...
'' became one of Banpresto's biggest hits, spawning an extensive franchise with several sequels, spin-offs, and other forms of media. Banpresto was negatively impacted by the
Japanese recession during the late 1990s, as well as a failed merger between Bandai and Sega in 1997, as it began enduring several financial losses. In 2006, Banpresto became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the entertainment conglomerate
Bandai Namco Holdings
also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...
. It continued producing games until 2008 when it was absorbed by
Namco Bandai Games
is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and ...
, and its toy and arcade divisions were spun-off into an unrelated company that carried the same name.
Banpresto produced several successful video game franchises, including ''
Super Robot Wars
''Super Robot Wars'', known in Japan as is a series of tactical role-playing video games produced by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Banpresto. Starting out as a spinoff of the ''Compati Hero'' series, the main feature of the franchise is ...
'', ''
Compati Hero
is a video game series published in Japan by Banpresto and Bandai Namco Entertainment that began in 1990 and features 16 crossover teams between Ultraman, Kamen Rider (also known as Masked Rider) and Gundam. Characters from other franchises hav ...
'', ''
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
'', ''
Summon Night
is a series of role-playing video games, mixed with elements of a visual novel based dating sim. The series is primarily developed by Flight-Plan, published by Banpresto, and owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The character designs are by Ko ...
'', and ''
Another Century's Episode
is a 2005 third-person shooter video game published by Banpresto in Japan for the PlayStation 2. The player controls a mecha, mech from one of nine different real robot, anime robot franchises to destroy opposing forces before they steal a prized ...
''. It also operated amusement facilities across Japan, including
Hanayashiki
is an amusement park in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo that has operated since 1853. It is operated by Hanayashiki Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. It is claimed to be the oldest amusement park in Japan. One of the unofficial mascots ...
, as well as producing
model kits
Model building is a hobby and career that involves the creation of physical models either from kits or from materials and components acquired by the builder. The kits contain several pieces that need to be assembled in order to make a final mode ...
, stuffed toys, and
UFO catcher
A claw crane, claw machine, toy crane, or skill crane is a type of arcade game known as a merchandiser, commonly found in video arcades, supermarkets, restaurants, movie theaters, shopping malls, and bowling alleys.
Machine components
A claw ...
prizes. Banpresto has been credited for contributing to the rise in popularity of
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
video games and licensed characters for arcades, though the quality of its creative output has been criticized.
History
Origins and acquisition by Bandai (1977–1989)
In April 1977, Japanese businessman Yasushi Matsusa established Hoei Sangyo Co. Ltd. (Hoei International) in
Tanashi, Tokyo
was a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan.
Tanashi means the land without rice. Because of the area's elevation relative to the Tamagawa River, traditional irrigation and rice farming was impossible. Hence, the area w ...
.
His business began as a manufacturer of
arcade cabinet
An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...
s for other companies, as Japan's coin-operated game industry had seen considerable economic growth throughout the decade. In addition to distributing games from other manufacturers across the country, Hoei Sangyo also began production of its own games in-house, the majority being clones of other popular games like ''
Space Invaders
is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter and set ...
''.
Matsusa's business established a relationship with Esco Trading, a company formed by
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 ...
president
Hayao Nakayama
is a Japanese businessman and was the former President and CEO of Sega Enterprises, Ltd from 1983 to 1999.
Early life and career
Nakayama was born into a family of doctors, and was expected to pursue medicine as a career. However, Nakayama de ...
, which gave the latter the rights to distribute Hoei Sangyo's video games to other parts of Japan. Hoei Sangyo released its first original video game in 1981, ''
Jump Bug
is a 1981 scrolling shooter platform game developed by Alpha Denshi under contract for Hoei Corporation. It was distributed in arcades by Sega in Japan and Europe, and by Rock-Ola in North America. It was the first platform game to include hor ...
'', an early side-scrolling platform game released outside Japan by
Rock-Ola
The Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation is an American developer and manufacturer of juke boxes and related machinery. It was founded in 1927 by Coin-Op pioneer David Cullen Rockola to manufacture slot machines, scales, and pinball machines. The ...
.
![Logo_Bandai](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Logo_Bandai.svg)
Hoei Sangyo was reorganized into Coreland Technology Inc. in June 1982, where it became a contractor company that developed games for other games.
One of its first projects was ''
Pengo'', which was released the same year by
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 ...
. ''Pengo'' was successful arcades and lead to several sequels and home conversions. Coreland also designed games such as ''
4-D Warriors'' and ''
I'm Sorry'' for Sega, and ''
Black Panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
'' for
Konami
, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
.
In the late 1980s, Coreland established a partnership with toy company
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
, known for its
model kits
Model building is a hobby and career that involves the creation of physical models either from kits or from materials and components acquired by the builder. The kits contain several pieces that need to be assembled in order to make a final mode ...
and action figures based on popular characters like ''
Mobile Suit Gundam
, also known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is an anime television series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting ...
''.
At the time, Bandai was suffering from numerous financial difficulties as a result of the slumping Japanese toy market affecting the demand for its products. Coreland's positive track record was the primary reason for the partnership, as Bandai hoped it would allow itself to secure a stronghold in the coin-op industry.
However, Coreland was undergoing its own financial constraints, having accumulated more than 1.5 billion in debt due to poor sales. As contractual agreements prevented Bandai from backing out of its deal, it chose to majority-acquire the company in February 1989.
Coreland was reorganized again into Banpresto; the name came from a portmanteu of "Bandai" and "presto", a word used to describe magic. Yukumasa Sugiara, a member of Bandai's board of directors, became the company's president.
''Super Robot Wars'' and expansion (1989–1996)
Banpresto underwent significant changes as a result of Bandai's acquisition of the company. With Banpresto becoming Bandai's arcade game division, Banpresto was given the exclusive rights to use Bandai-owned characters for video arcade games and
children's rides. It was also allowed to produce games for home video game consoles, such as the successful Nintendo
Family Computer
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...
(Famicom); Banpresto received strict orders to not release any games that could compete with those from Bandai.
One of the company's first projects was ''
SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Basho'', a crossover for the Famicom featuring "super-deformed" interpretations of Gundam, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider. It is often credited as the first video game to cross over characters from other forms of media. ''Heisei Hero Basho'' was developed by Banpresto staff as a congratulatory gift to Sugiura shortly after assuming role of company president.
Beginning April 1990, the company supplied video arcades with prizes for
UFO catchers and
merchandiser
A merchandiser is an arcade gaming device, which features a machine that contains a display of merchandise, which can be won by playing the game.
In the trade, such games are described as "skill with prize" (SWP) games, and are a hybrid of games ...
machines, such as those designed after ''Ultraman'' and ''Kamen Rider'' characters. Over 70 million were sold in the year 1990 and contributed to Banpresto's 30 million capital increase.
![Game-Boy-FL](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Game-Boy-FL.jpg)
In April 1991, Banpresto introduced ''Super Robot Wars'', a
tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing games (abbreviated TRPGs), also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as (both abbreviated SRPGs), are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical (turn-bas ...
for the
Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
.
Developed by external studio
WinkySoft
was a Japanese video game developing company. They have made video games for console systems primarily for the Japanese video game market, as well as a handful of arcade games. On December 1, 2015, Winkysoft filed for bankruptcy.
Notable game ...
, it was a spiritual successor to its ''
Compati Hero
is a video game series published in Japan by Banpresto and Bandai Namco Entertainment that began in 1990 and features 16 crossover teams between Ultraman, Kamen Rider (also known as Masked Rider) and Gundam. Characters from other franchises hav ...
'' series of games, crossing over popular
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
licenses like ''
Getter Robo
is a Japanese mecha media franchise created by Ken Ishikawa and Go Nagai. An anime television series produced by Toei Animation was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974, to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes. The manga was seriali ...
'' and ''
Mazinger-Z''.
''Super Robot Wars'' was a commercial success, attributed to its release during the popularity of mecha anime in the early half of the decade.
It became one of the company's most-successful games, spawning a multi-million-selling franchise with several sequels, remakes, and other forms of media.
''Super Robot Wars'' is considered important and influential for the genre, and contributed to the early success of the ''
SD Gundam
is a media franchise that spawned from the ''Gundam'' franchise. SD Gundam takes the mecha (and characters) from Gundam and expresses them in super deformed and anthropomorphic style.
Overview
SD Gundam originated from a contributed illustr ...
'' media franchise.
As of 2016, the ''Super Robot Wars'' series has sold over 16 million games across all available platforms. Banpresto also began producing children's rides, using the likenesses of characters such as
Anpanman
is a Japanese children's superhero picture book series written by Takashi Yanase, running from 1973 until the author’s death in 2013. The series has been adapted into an anime entitled , which is one of the most popular anime series among ...
,
Super Mario
(also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every m ...
, and
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in the British ''Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the series, a ...
.
By 1992, Banpresto was worth 1.4 billion yen.
The company began expanding its operations as a result, starting with the establishment of Sanotawa, a sales and distribution network subsidiary, in February. Banpresto found additional success in arcades with the release of Ugougo Luga, a stuffed toy that sold over 2.6 million by the end of the year. The company continued to develop and publish video games for home consoles. Among its most successful releases was ''Super Puyo Puyo'', a
Super Famicom
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
conversion of
Compile
In computing, a compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that ...
's ''
Puyo Puyo
''Puyo Puyo'' (ぷよぷよ), previously known as ''Puyo Pop'' outside Japan, is a series of Tile-matching video game, tile-matching video games created by Compile (software company), Compile. Sega has owned the franchise since 1998, with games ...
'' series that sold over one million copies. In February 1994, Banpresto established Banpre Kikaku, Ltd. in
Kita, Osaka, which became its primary video game development division. As Banpresto was largely a publisher of games by other studios, the move allowed it to experiment with original game concepts and handle development of video games in-house. In addition, Banpre Kikaku also served as a second office, and assisted in its parent company's sales programs and product distribution. Unifive, a producer of merchandiser games, became a wholly-owned subsidiary in March as part of the company's continuing expansion in the arcade industry. Banpresto began to spread its operations throughout other parts of Asia; Banpresto H.K. was founded in Hong Kong in June to import and distribute Banpresto-developed goods across the country.
Restructuring and continuing expansion (1996–2005)
![Bandai-museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Bandai-museum.jpg)
In January 1996, Banpresto assisted in the founding of the
Computer Entertainment Software Association (CESA), an organization funded by other game companies to allow for firm communications between each other. The company continued to publish games by external companies, including
Gazelle
A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, ''Eudorcas'' and ''Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third f ...
's ''
Air Gallet'' and
Fill-in-Cafe's ''
Panzer Bandit
is a video game developed by Fill-in-Cafe and published by Banpresto for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation in 1997 and for PlayStation Network in 2011, exclusively in Japan.
Gameplay
''Panzer Bandit'' is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game th ...
''.
Bandai Namco takeover and dissolution (2005—2008)
In September 2005, Bandai merged with fellow game company Namco to establish a new entertainment conglomerate,
Namco Bandai Holdings
also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...
. Namco and Bandai's video game operations were merged and transferred to a new subsidiary,
Namco Bandai Games
is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and ...
, in March 2006.
Banpresto became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings upon the formation of Namco Bandai Games, however the merge had little effect on the company itself.
The company reported considerable financial success following the merge in April, as its net income forecast exceeded the expected 1.6 billion to 2.1 billion.
The company continued to produce games based on licensed properties, notably ''
Crayon Shin-Chan'', as well as selling arcade game equipment and maintaining its video arcade chains.
In November 2007, Namco Bandai Holdings announced that Banpresto's video game development would be merged with Namco Bandai Games, with the latter assuming control of all Banpresto-owned franchises.
The merge took place on April 1, 2008, with Banpresto being reorganized as a producer of toys and prize machines for Japan.
Pleasure Cast and Hanayashiki subsequently became subsidiaries of
Namco
was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...
,
while Banpresoft became a wholly-owned division of Namco Bandai Games. Until February 2014, Namco Bandai Games continued using the Banpresto label on several of its games to signify the brand's legacy.
The Banpresto name continued to be used as the name of a Bandai Namco division until 2019, when it was absorbed into the then-recently formed Bandai Spirits division of Bandai, relegating it into a brand of high-end figures based on licensed products.
Games
Hoei/Coreland
Banpresto
See also
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Bandai Namco Holdings
Japanese companies established in 1977
Amusement companies of Japan
Companies disestablished in 2008
Entertainment companies of Japan
Former Bandai Namco Holdings subsidiaries
Japanese brands
Publishing companies established in 1977
Toy companies of Japan
Video game companies established in 1977
Video game development companies
Video game publishers