is a Japanese toy and

computer games A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...

company founded in 1958 which is best known for manufacturing

Barcode Battler The is a handheld game console released by Epoch Co. in March 1991. The console at retail was supplied with a number of cards, each of which had a barcode. Upon starting the game, the player must swipe a barcode representing a player. The game ...

and ''

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

'' video games, and the Sylvanian Families series of toys. Its current Representative President is Michihiro Maeda. They also made Japan's first successful programmable console video game system, the Cassette Vision, in 1981.

History

Founded in May 1958 by Maeda Taketora and three others in Tokyo with ¥1 million, Maeda Taketora is made president, eleven months later, it had increased its capital to ¥2.5 million. Epoch participated in the first Japanese international toy trade fair in 1962. It moved to its headquarters to its current location in Tokyo in 1963. After 20 years of its founding in 1978, Epoch had increased to ¥200 million - 200 times the original startup cost. It also had a United States office, which sold imported English versions of its products. In September 2001 it founded an international branch. It is most famous for its ''

'' and Sylvanian Families toy and video game productions.

Video game consoles

TV Tennis Electrotennis The TV Tennis Electrotennis (Japanese: ''テレビテニス'', Hepburn romanzination: ''Terebitenisu'', meaning ''Television Tennis'', commonly abbreviated as TV Tennis or Electrotennis) is a dedicated first-generation home video game console ...

(September 12, 1975) * TV Game System 10 (1977) * TV Baseball (1978) * Cassette TV Game (1979) * TV Vader (1980) * Cassette Vision (July 30, 1981) * Cassette Vision Jr. (1983) *

Super Cassette Vision The is a home video game console made by Epoch Co. and released in Japan on July 17, 1984, and in Europe, specifically France, later in 1984. A successor to the Cassette Vision, it competed with Nintendo's Family Computer and Sega's SG-100 ...

(July 17, 1984) * Epoch Game Pocket Computer (1984, first programmable

handheld game console A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the cons ...

) * SCV Lady’s Set (1985) *

(March 1991)

LCD handheld electronic games

Epoch also created many

LCD A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but in ...

handheld electronic game Handheld electronic games are very small, portable devices for playing interactive electronic games, often miniaturized versions of video games. The controls, display and speakers are all part of a single unit. Rather than a general-purpose ...

s. Some of these were made in cooperation with ITMC, Gama-Mangold, Tomy and other companies.

Computer games produced

Doraemon Games

*''Doraemon: Giga Zombie no Gyakushuu'' *''Doraemon'' *''Doraemon 2'' *''Doraemon 3'' *''Doraemon 4'' *''Doraemon: Nobita to Fukkatsu no Hoshi'' *''Doraemon 2: SOS! Otogi no Kuni'' *''Doraemon'' *''Doraemon Kart'' *''Doraemon no GameBoy de Asobou yo DX10'' *''Doraemon 2'' *''Doraemon Kart 2'' *''Doraemon: Aruke Aruke Labyrinth'' *''Doraemon Memories: Nobita no Omoide Daibouken'' *'' Doraemon: Nobita to 3-tsu no Seirei Ishi'' (N64) *''Doraemon 2: Nobita to Hikari no Shinden'' (N64) *''Doraemon 3: Nobita no Machi SOS!'' (N64) *''Doraemon 3: Makai no Dungeon'' *''Doraemon no Study Boy: Kuku Game'' *''Doraemon no Study Boy: Gakushuu Kanji Game'' *''Doraemon Kimi to Pet no Monogatari'' *''Doraemon Board Game'' *''Doraemon no Quiz Boy 2'' *''Doraemon no Study Boy: Kanji Yomikaki Master''

Sylvanian Families Games

* (

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 ...

) * (Game Boy Color) * (Game Boy Color) * (Game Boy Color) * ( Game Boy Advance) * (Game Boy Advance) * (Game Boy Advance)

Licensed Games

*''Chibi Maruko-chan: Harikiri 365-Nichi no Maki'' *''Lupin III: Densetsu no Hihō o Oe!'' *'' The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes'' *''Donald Duck no Mahō no Bōshi'' *''St Andrews: Eikō to Rekishi no Old Course'' *''

Alice no Paint Adventure is a Super Famicom adventure video game based on the 1951 Walt Disney motion picture '' Alice in Wonderland''. Gameplay There is a story mode, a painting mode, and midway-style games. Story mode comes in interactive mode (with passwords) or as ...

'' *''Chibi Maruko-Chan: Go-Chōnai Minna de Game da yo!''

Other games

*''Famicom Yakyuuban'' *''Kiteretsu Daihyakka'' *''Cyraid'' *'' Dragon Slayer I'' *''Parasol Henbee'' *''Dai Meiro: Meikyu no Tatsujin'' *''Dragon Slayer'' (Game Boy) *''Dragon Slayer Gaiden'' (Game Boy) *''Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes'' (Super Famicom) *''Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II'' (Super Famicom) *''Panel no Ninja Kesamaru'' *''

Lord Monarch is a real-time strategy war game by Nihon Falcom. The game is considered to be part of the ''Dragon Slayer'' series. It was originally released in 1991 for the NEC PC-9801, ported 1992 to the Super Famicom and 1994 to the Mega Drive. In 1997, it ...

'' *''Metal Jack'' *''Barcode Battler Senki'' *''Hatayama Hatch no Pro Yakyuu News! Jitsumei Han'' *''Oha Star Yamachan & Reimondo'' *''Hole in One Golf'' *''Meisha Retsuden: Greatest 70's'' *''J.League Excite Stage '94'' *''J.League Excite Stage '95'' *''J.League Excite Stage '96'' *''J-League Excite Stage GB'' *''J-League Excite Stage Tactics'' *''International Soccer Excite Stage 2000'' *''R-Type DX'' *''Ling Rise'' *''Pocket Pro Yakyuu'' *''Macross 7: Ginga no Heart o Furuwasero!!'' *''

Gauntlet Legends ''Gauntlet Legends'' is an arcade game released in 1998 by Atari Games and Midway Games. It is a fantasy themed hack and slash styled dungeon crawl game, a sequel to 1985's popular '' Gauntlet'' and 1986's '' Gauntlet II'' and marks the fin ...

'' *''DaiaDroids World'' *''Kidou Tenshi Angelic Layer'' *'' The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Barcode Battler II)'' *'' Magi Nation'' *''Daia Droid Daisakusen''

References

External links

Epoch's official website

* http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/company/12782.html

{{Authority control Video game companies of Japan Electronics companies established in 1958 Toy companies of Japan 1958 establishments in Japan Japanese brands