, formerly known as , was 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 ...

founded in 1980. ADK began as a developer of arcade games and is best known for their library of SNK Neo Geo titles, including for its home consoles, produced in partnership with SNK. Most notable among these are their

fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...

s and, in particular, the '' World Heroes'' series and '' Aggressors of Dark Kombat''. The company closed with properties sold to SNK Playmore in 2003.

History

Early years

ADK was founded in July

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

in Ageo, Saitama,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. At the time, it was known as ''Alpha Denshi'' or ''Alpha'' for short. Originally a producer of audio and telecommunications equipment, Alpha first ventured into video games in 1980 with two arcade titles: by Craul Denshi and Tehkan's , a basic Japanese chess game. ''Dorachan'' was recalled shortly after release due to unlicensed usage of the fictional character Doraemon. Despite an inauspicious start, Alpha continued to develop arcade games in 1981. , published by Sanritsu Giken Corp, was one of the earliest arcade

Mahjong Mahjong or mah-jongg (English pronunciation: ) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players (with some three-play ...

titles and helped Alpha to establish themselves in the industry. That same year, Craul Denshi released Alpha's ''Crush Roller'' (''Make Trax''), a maze game similar to ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

''. By 1982, Alpha was able to finance their own independent development of ''Talbot'', another maze game, which they licensed to Volt Electronics for distribution. In 1983, Alpha expanded into sports games with their self-published '' Exciting Soccer'' and two '' Champion Baseball'' titles 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 ...

. Alpha would produce several more games for Sega through the mid 1980s while continuing to publish others on their own.

Partnership with SNK

Alpha Denshi began developing games almost exclusively for SNK hardware in 1987. In 1990, SNK was developing a new unified video game platform for both the home and arcades. Alpha was a close partner in the process and contributed much of the hardware design for what would eventually become the Neo Geo. The 1990 Neo Geo arcade launch lineup included two Alpha titles: '' Magician Lord'' and '' Ninja Combat''. ''Magician Lord'' was also later included as a pack-in game for the 1991 home console, the Neo Geo AES. In 1992, following the revitalization of the

genre by

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...

's ''

Street Fighter II is a fighting game developed by Capcom and originally released for arcades in 1991. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter''. It is Capcom's fourteenth game to use the CP Syst ...

'', Alpha developed '' World Heroes'' with assistance from SNK. It would go on to sell over 200,000 copies that year, and its popularity quickly spawned multiple sequels. In 1993, Alpha Denshi shortened its name to ''ADK'', short for Alpha Denshi ''Kabushiki gaisha'' (Japanese for " share company"). Shortly thereafter, ADK agreed to become an exclusive developer for SNK. In 1994, SNK launched the

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...

-based version of the Neo Geo, the Neo Geo CD. ADK soon began porting their existing library to the new platform. In addition, ADK developed three new exclusive titles for the Neo Geo CD: ''Crossed Swords II'', ''ADK World'' and ''ZinTrick''. In the late 1990s, newer fifth generation consoles with 3D graphics and CD audio were becoming more popular with consumers and an attractive target for video game developers. Still under exclusive contract, ADK was only allowed to develop two

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

ports: ''

World Heroes Perfect is a 1995 fighting arcade game developed and published by ADK with the assistance of SNK. It was originally released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinet on May 25, 1995. It is the fourth and final title of the ''World Heroes'' series. Gamepla ...

'' and '' Twinkle Star Sprites'', both published by SNK. Meanwhile, SNK released the short-lived Neo Geo Pocket and Pocket Color handhelds in 1998 and 1999. ADK developed only eight titles for the platform which was dwarfed in sales by Nintendo's

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

and lasted less than three years. During this same time, the developer ''Miraisoft'' released two Sony PlayStation games with ADK included in the credits. This aroused suspicion at the time because while Miraisoft was officially listed as an "affiliate company" of ADK, ADK was still under exclusive contract with SNK and could not release PlayStation games themselves. While no further link between the two companies was publicly announced, it has been suspected that ADK used the affiliate brand to circumvent SNK's terms. In any event, ADK continued to develop Neo Geo games until 2001 when SNK declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

Final years

ADK was already facing financial difficulty and had reduced its workforce prior to SNK's demise. In 2000, ADK released its last video game title, ''Dynamite Slugger'', and was primarily focused on developing content for Japanese i-mode-based mobile devices. A variety of content was developed spanning informational,

social networking A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

and digital pet sites. However, ADK could not reverse their fortunes and ultimately declared bankruptcy in 2003. By this time, the successor to SNK, SNK Playmore, had already been established and was actively producing video games. Soon after the bankruptcy, SNK Playmore bought up ADK's relinquished intellectual properties, including ADK trademark.

Legacy

To this day, ADK characters are still known to occasionally appear in SNK Playmore games. First, in 2005, SNK released a sequel to ADK's ''Twinkle Star Sprites'', called ''Twinkle Star Sprites - La Petite Princesse'' for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

. In that same year came '' Neo Geo Battle Coliseum'', a console and arcade fighting game featuring several characters from the '' World Heroes'' and '' Aggressors of Dark Kombat'' franchises. In 2008, SNK released a compilation of five classic ADK Neo Geo titles for the PlayStation 2 titled (lit. "ADK Spirits"). In 2019, Jeanne D'Arc, one of the characters from the '' World Heroes'' series has appeared as playable DLC character in '' SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy''.

List of products

The following lists ADK-developed titles by platform of earliest release. Third-party publishers are also noted.

Early arcade games

* ''Dorachan'' (

, Craul Denshi) * ''Shogi'' (

, Tehkan) * ''Janputer'' (

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, Sanritsu Giken) * '' Jump Bug'' (

, contracted by Hoei Sangyo, published by

) * '' Crush Roller'' / ''

Make Trax , released as ''Make Trax'' in North America, is a 1981 puzzle-maze game developed by Alpha Denshi and released for arcades by Kural Samno Electric in Japan. It was licensed in Europe to Exidy, who released it under its original title ''Crush R ...

'' (

, Craul Denshi) * ''Talbot'' (

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

) * '' Exciting Soccer'' (

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

) * '' Champion Baseball'' (

) * ''Champion Baseball II'' (

) * ''Bull Fighter'' (

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

) * ''Equites'' (

) * ''Exciting Soccer II'' (

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

) * ''High Voltage'' (

) * ''Perfect Janputer'' (

) * ''The Koukou Yakyū'' (lit. "The High School Baseball") (

) * ''Splendor Blast'' (

) * ''Super Stingray'' (

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

) * ''Kyros No Yakata'' / ''Kyros'' (

) * ''

Time Soldiers ''Time Soldiers'', known in Japan as , is a 1987 run-and-gun shooter arcade video game developed by Alpha Denshi and published by SNK, while later distributed in North America by Romstar. A Master System version was also produced, as well as vers ...

'' / ''

Battle Field A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troo ...

'' (

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

, SNK) * '' Sky Soldiers'' (

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

, SNK) * ''

Gang Wars is a 1989 2D beat 'em up arcade game developed by Alpha Denshi and published by SNK. Plot The setting takes place in New York City, following martial artists Mike and Jackie, who heard an evil gang led by the antagonist, Jaguar, are terrorizin ...

'' (

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, SNK) * ''Sky Adventure'' (

, SNK) * ''Super Champion Baseball'' (

, SNK) ormally titled as ''Kaettekita Champion Baseball''

NES

* ''STED: Iseki Wakusei no Yabou'' (

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

K Amusement Leasing K, or k, is the eleventh letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''kay'' (pronounced ), plural ''kays''. The letter K u ...

/ KAC)

Neo Geo

* '' Magician Lord'' (

, SNK) * '' Ninja Combat'' (

, SNK) * '' Sun Shine'' / ''Block Paradise'' (

, unreleased) * '' Blue's Journey'' / ''

Raguy ''Blue's Journey'' is a side-scrolling platform game released by Alpha Denshi in 1990 on SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade system and their AES home system. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD in 1994. It was rereleased on the Wii's Virtual Console in Eur ...

'' (

, SNK) * '' Thrash Rally'' (

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, SNK, ''Rally Chase'' on NGCD) * '' Crossed Swords'' (

, SNK) * '' Fun Fun Bros'' (

, unreleased) * ''

Mystic Wand is an unreleased 1991 puzzle-platform game that was in development and planned to be published by ADK (company), Alpha Denshi for both the Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo AES (home) Video game#Platforms, platf ...

'' (

, unreleased) * '' Ninja Commando'' (

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, SNK) * '' World Heroes'' (

, assisted by and published with SNK) * '' World Heroes 2'' (

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, assisted by and published with SNK) * '' Aggressors of Dark Kombat'' (

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, SNK) * '' World Heroes 2 Jet'' (

, SNK) * '' Shōgi no Tatsujin: Master of Syougi'' (

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, SNK) * ''

'' (

, SNK) * '' Ninja Master's: Haō Ninpō Chō'' (

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, SNK) * '' Over Top'' (

) * '' Twinkle Star Sprites'' (

, SNK) * ''Dance RhythMIX'' (

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, unreleased)

Neo Geo CD

All released Neo Geo titles were also ported to Neo Geo CD. * ''

Crossed Swords II is a hack and slash action role-playing video game developed and published by ADK exclusively for the Neo Geo CD in Japan on May 2, 1995. The sequel to the original '' Crossed Swords'', It is one of the few exclusive titles to be released for ...

'' (

) * ''ADK World'' (

) * ''ZinTrick'' (

, SNK)

Hyper Neo Geo 64

* ''Beast Busters: Second Nightmare'' (

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, SNK)

PlayStation

* ''Treasure Gear'' (

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, as Miraisoft) * ''Star Monja'' (

, as Miraisoft, published by GMF)

Neo Geo Pocket

* ''Melon Chan no Seichō Nikki'' ("Melon-chan's Growth Diary") (

, SNK) * ''Shōgi no Tatsujin: Master of Syougi'' (

, SNK)

Neo Geo Pocket Color

* '' Crush Roller'' (

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, SNK) * ''Dokodemo Mahjong'' (

, SNK) * ''Neo Poke Pro Yakyū'' (

, SNK) * ''Party Mail'' (

, SNK) * ''Shōgi no Tatsujin: Master of Syougi Color'' (

, SNK) * ''Dynamite Slugger'' (

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, SNK), a baseball video game with twelve international teams to pick from.

References

External links

The History of ADK
t Jap-Sai.com * *
ADK
Game Developer Research Institute {{DEFAULTSORT:Adk (Company) SNK SNK Playmore ADK (company) games Video game development companies Video game companies established in 1980 Video game companies disestablished in 2003 Companies that have filed for bankruptcy in Japan Defunct video game companies of Japan Companies based in Saitama Prefecture Japanese companies established in 1980 Japanese companies disestablished in 2003