FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese

video game development Video game development (or gamedev) is the process of developing a video game. The effort is undertaken by a developer, ranging from a single person to an international team dispersed across the globe. Development of traditional commercial PC ...

and publishing company based in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in November 1986, the company developed

business software Business software (or a business application) is any software or set of computer programs used by business users to perform various business functions. These business applications are used to increase productivity, measure productivity, and perf ...

before releasing their first video game, ''

King's Field is an action role-playing video game series developed by FromSoftware. Titles in this series have been released for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows, and various mobile phone platforms. '' King's Field ...

'', 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 di ...

in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on video games, with them producing two more ''

'' games before creating the

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 ...

combat series ''

Armored Core is a third-person shooter mecha video game series developed by FromSoftware. The series centers on a silent protagonist who takes on work as a mercenary pilot in the far future, operating large robot combat units known as Armored Cores at the b ...

'' (1997), one of their

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

franchises. By the 2000s, the company's lineup also included the ''

Echo Night ''Echo Night'' is a trilogy of Japanese adventure games developed by FromSoftware. The original '' Echo Night'' was first released in 1998 for the PlayStation. Two sequels were developed; '' Echo Night 2: The Lord of Nightmares'' for the PlaySt ...

'', '' Shadow Tower'', '' Lost Kingdoms'', '' Otogi'', 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 mech from one of nine different anime robot franchises to destroy opposing forces before they steal a prized energy source for ...

'' series. FromSoftware would achieve breakout success in the 2010s, spurred by ''

Demon's Souls is a 2009 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 under the supervision of Japan Studio. It was published in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment in February, in North America by Atlus USA in October, and in PA ...

'' (2009) and ''

Dark Souls is a series of action role-playing games created by Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The series began with the release of '' Dark Souls'' (2011) and has seen two sequels, ''Dark Souls II'' (2014 ...

'' (2011), the latter being the first entry in a

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wo ...

whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the playe ...

s known as

Soulslike A Soulslike (also spelled Souls-like) is a subgenre of action role-playing and action-adventure games known for high levels of difficulty and emphasis on environmental storytelling, typically in a dark fantasy setting. It had its origin in '' ...

s. These include ''

Dark Souls II is a 2014 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Games. An entry in the '' Dark Souls'' series, it was released for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Taking place in the kingdom of Drangleic, the ...

'' (2014), ''

Bloodborne is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. ''Bloodborne'' follows the player's character, a Hunter, through the decrepit Gothic, Victorian-era–inspired c ...

'' (2015), ''

Dark Souls III is a 2016 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. The third and final entry in the ''Dark Souls'' series, it is played in a third-person persp ...

'' (2016), '' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice'' (2019), and ''

Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, it was released for PlayStation 4, Pl ...

'' (2022), which have all received several awards and are often listed among the

greatest video games of all time This is a list of video games that multiple reputable video game journalists or magazines have considered to be among the best of all time. The games listed here are included on at least six separate "best/greatest of all time" lists from diff ...

Hidetaka Miyazaki is a Japanese creative director, designer, scriptwriter, and executive for the video game company FromSoftware. He joined them in 2004 and was a designer for the ''Armored Core'' series before receiving wider recognition for directing the '' ...

, game director and creator of the ''Dark Souls'' series, has served as FromSoftware's

representative director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

since 2014, with Zin remaining as an advisor. Despite his executive role, Miyazaki continues to direct the majority of the company's games. The company is owned primarily by

Kadokawa Corporation , formerly is a Japanese media conglomerate that was created as a result of the merger of the original Kadokawa Corporation and Dwango Co., Ltd. on October 1, 2014. History The holding company known today as Kadokawa Corporation was origin ...

with minority stakes by Sixjoy Hong Kong, a subsidiary of

Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. () is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is also the wo ...

, and

Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

. FromSoftware usually self-publishes in Japan and partners with larger companies to publish internationally, including Agetec, Sony, and

Bandai Namco Entertainment 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 an ...

History

FromSoftware was founded in

by Naotoshi Zin on November 1, 1986, as a software developer of

business application Business software (or a business application) is any software or set of computer programs used by business users to perform various business functions. These business applications are used to increase productivity, measure productivity, and perf ...

s. The company released its first game, ''

'', for the

in 1994. Despite its commercial success in Japan, the game was not released in North America, although ''

King's Field II is an action role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan by FromSoftware in 1995, in North America by ASCII Entertainment and in Europe by Sony Computer Entertainment in 1996. It is the seco ...

'' was released in both regions the following year. After releasing '' King's Field III'', FromSoftware went on to release the horror game ''

'' and the 1998 role-playing game '' Shadow Tower''. In 1997, FromSoftware released ''

'', the first release in their flagship ''

'' series of

combat games. With the launch of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, FromSoftware released the role-playing games '' Eternal Ring'' and ''

Evergrace is a 2000 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 2 (PS2). It was published by Agetec as launch title for the PS2 in North America and was published in PAL territories by Ubisoft and Crave Entertainment. ''IGN'' ga ...

''. In 2003, FromSoftware published '' Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven'', a

stealth game A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow th ...

that combines action and adventure elements. The company also released '' King's Field IV'' and ''

Shadow Tower Abyss is a role-playing video game developed and published by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 2. The game is a sequel to '' Shadow Tower'' and features a number of genre and mechanical elements that can also be found in ''Demon's Souls'' and the '' ...

'', in addition to the '' Lost Kingdoms'' series for the

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the W ...

. The company also made a few games exclusive to the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by th ...

around this time, such as '' Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit'', '' Otogi: Myth of Demons'', '' Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors'', '' Metal Wolf Chaos'', and '' Chromehounds'' In 2005, FromSoftware would start to produce a series of licensed games based on the various

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

properties under the banner ''Another Century's Episode''. In the same year, the company hosted the video game industry's first internship that let students experience game development through a game creation kit, ''Adventure Player'', for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...

. FromSoftware underwent a stock split in 2008 before achieving breakout success in the 2010s, spurred by the release of ''

'' (2009) and ''

'' (2011), the latter being the first entry in a

whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of

s known as

s. These include ''

'' (2014), ''

'' (2015), ''

'', '' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice'' (2019), and ''

'' (2022), which have all received several awards and are often listed among the

. In April 2014,

announced its intention to purchase the company from former shareholder Transcosmos. Following other restructuring, ''Souls'' creator

would be promoted to company president the following month and later given the title of

. In January 2016, FromSoftware established a studio in

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center ...

that focuses on creating

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The image ...

(CGI) assets for their games. In August 2022, Sixjoy Hong Kong (a subsidiary of

) and

respectively acquired 16.25% and 14.09% of FromSoftware, leaving 69.66% to Kadokawa. A report published by GamesIndustry.biz in November 2022 alleged that FromSoftware paid their employees at sub-standard industry rates.

Games

References

External links

* {{authority control Japanese companies established in 1986 Software companies based in Tokyo Kadokawa Corporation subsidiaries Japanese brands Video game companies of Japan Video game companies established in 1986 Video game development companies Video game publishers 2014 mergers and acquisitions Tencent Sony Interactive Entertainment Golden Joystick Award winners