renamed in 2002, 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 ...
based in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. The company was founded in April 1997 by
Hiroki Kikuta
is a Japanese video game composer and game designer. His major works are ''Secret of Mana'', ''Trials of Mana'', ''Soukaigi'', and ''Koudelka'', for which he also acted as producer and concept designer. He has composed music for seven other game ...
with funding from
SNK
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
; its staff, including Kikuta, were veterans of
Square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length adj ...
. While their first releases were the ''
Dive Alert
''Dive Alert: Becky's Version'' and ''Dive Alert: Matt's Version'' are role-playing video games developed by Sacnoth for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. They were published by SNK in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in North America. Following the exploits of p ...
'' games for the
Neo Geo Pocket Color
The is a 16-bit color handheld video game console manufactured by SNK. It is a successor to SNK's monochrome Neo Geo Pocket handheld which debuted in 1998 in Japan, with the Color being fully backward compatible. The Neo Geo Pocket Color was re ...
(NGPC), the company was founded to produce ''
Koudelka
is a role-playing video game developed by Sacnoth for the PlayStation. The game was published by SNK in Japan in 1999, and by Infogrames internationally in 2000. Set in the haunted Nemeton Monastery in Wales, the plot follows protagonists K ...
'', a
role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
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 ...
. The development of ''Koudelka'' was troubled due to creative differences between Kikuta and the rest of the staff, with Kikuta resigning as CEO following the game's release and being replaced by Jun Mihara. The company also released the NGPC game ''
Faselei!''.
Following ''Koudelka'', the company went on to develop
the first game
''The First Game'' is a painting by Arnold Friberg, and was commissioned in 1968 by Chevrolet Motor Division as one of four paintings to commemorate the then-upcoming centennial celebration of college football in the United States. It depicts ...
in the ''
Shadow Hearts
''Shadow Hearts'' is a series of role-playing video games, consisting of a trilogy of titles for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and their predecessor ''Koudelka'' for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation. The entire series was developed by Sacnoth (la ...
'' series. In 2002,
Aruze acquired Sacnoth and renamed it to Nautilus. Under that name, the company developed two more ''Shadow Hearts'' games. As part of a larger reorganization within Aruze, Nautilus was renamed and exited the video game business in September 2007 before being absorbed into another Aruze subsidiary in February 2009. The work of Sacnoth for the NGPC has been mentioned positively in articles on the console, while the ''Shadow Hearts'' series retains a cult status and is remembered for its setting and gameplay. Multiple former employees joined
Feelplus
Feelplus Inc. (株式会社フィールプラス Kabushiki gaisha Fiirupurasu) was a Japanese video game developer and a subsidiary of AQ Interactive. The studio was conceived by Microsoft Game Studios specifically to aid Mistwalker in video game ...
.
History
1997–2000: First games, ''Koudelka''
![Hiroki Kikuta @ MAGFest 9 (crop)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Hiroki_Kikuta_%40_MAGFest_9_%28crop%29.jpg)
Sacnoth was founded by
Hiroki Kikuta
is a Japanese video game composer and game designer. His major works are ''Secret of Mana'', ''Trials of Mana'', ''Soukaigi'', and ''Koudelka'', for which he also acted as producer and concept designer. He has composed music for seven other game ...
, a former composer for
Square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length adj ...
who worked on ''
Secret of Mana
''Secret of Mana'', originally released in Japan as is a 1993 action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sequel to the 1991 game ''Seiken Densetsu'', rele ...
'', ''
Trials of Mana'' and ''
Soukaigi
''Soukaigi'' is an action role-playing game developed by Yuke's and published by Square for the PlayStation in 1998. It was later re-released digitally for the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. No version of the game was l ...
''.
While at Square, Kikuta wanted to direct his own game but, due to the strict hierarchical structure at the company, could not move beyond his role as a composer.
Searching for a means of expanding his role, he was introduced by a business advisor to the chairman of
SNK
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
. During their talk, Kikuta outlined many perceived pitfalls he saw emerging in the
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
(RPG) genre.
The company was founded on 30 April 1997, with Kikuta as its CEO.
While SNK provided funding for the company, it had little involvement in its products and creative direction, with SNK's Norimasa Hirano describing Sacnoth as an independent developer.
Sacnoth's headquarters were based in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
.
Sacnoth developed their first two projects in parallel: ''
Koudelka
is a role-playing video game developed by Sacnoth for the PlayStation. The game was published by SNK in Japan in 1999, and by Infogrames internationally in 2000. Set in the haunted Nemeton Monastery in Wales, the plot follows protagonists K ...
'' 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 ...
, and the ''
Dive Alert
''Dive Alert: Becky's Version'' and ''Dive Alert: Matt's Version'' are role-playing video games developed by Sacnoth for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. They were published by SNK in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in North America. Following the exploits of p ...
'' duology for the NGPC.
The ''Dive Alert'' games were their first releases in Japan and were promoted as part of the portable's early line-up.
It was also one of the last NGPC games released in North America.
''Koudelka'' was born from Kikuta's wish to create a "
horror RPG", beginning development of the title following the company's foundation.
Kikuta acted as the game's director, producer, writer and composer.
His original plan for the gameplay and combat was to combine mechanics from
simulation
A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of Conceptual model, models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or proc ...
and
adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...
s, breaking away from RPG trends.
The rest of the staff were reluctant to do this, and they instead created a traditional turn-based battle system without his involvement.
Kikuta resigned as Sacnoth's CEO following the release of ''Koudelka'' in 1999, later founding the music label Norstrilia.
Kikuta was replaced as CEO by Jun Mihara.
The last game developed by Sacnoth under SNK was ''
Faselei!'', a tactical RPG released in 1999 for the NGPC.
During this period, SNK ran into financial troubles and was bought out by
Aruze in January 2000.
''Faselei!'' was one of the last games produced for the NGPC, as Aruze pulled the console from sale in June 2000.
2001–2009: ''Shadow Hearts''
Following ''Koudelka'', ''
Shadow Hearts
''Shadow Hearts'' is a series of role-playing video games, consisting of a trilogy of titles for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and their predecessor ''Koudelka'' for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation. The entire series was developed by Sacnoth (la ...
'' began development 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 ...
, directed and written by ''Koudelka''
art director
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...
Matsuzo Machida (credited as Matsuzo Itakura).
Mihara acted as the game's producer.
Using the setting of ''Koudelka'', Machida created a traditional RPG that blended
Lovecraftian horror
Lovecraftian horror, sometimes used interchangeably with "cosmic horror", is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named a ...
with alternative history.
Released in 2001, ''Shadow Hearts'' was the first RPG published by Aruze.
''Shadow Hearts'' was the last game developed by Sacnoth under that name.
In November 2002, Sacnoth was acquired by Aruze and renamed Nautilus, carrying over its original staff.
The responsibilities of Nautilus were divided between developing further ''Shadow Hearts'' titles and supporting the production of Aruze's
pachinko
is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-st ...
machines.
The company's first title under the Nautilus name was ''
Shadow Hearts: Covenant'', a sequel to ''Shadow Hearts'' featuring many of the same staff.
Using feedback from the first ''Shadow Hearts'', Machida added more comedic elements.
''Covenant'' was released in Japan in 2004.
The team also created a director's cut of the game.
After the release of ''Covenant'', ''
Shadow Hearts: From the New World'' entered into production. The game was completed on a very tight schedule and focused on refining the battle system of ''Covenant'' instead of adding new elements.
''From the New World'' is a
spin-off featuring new characters to reach a wider audience.
The game was released in Japan in 2005, coming to Western countries through third-party publishers over the next two years.
Plans to continue the ''Shadow Hearts'' series were never realized.
By February 2007, Nautilus had become absent from Aruze's financial statements, prompting rumours that the company had been
dissolved.
The studio was renamed Aruze Global Trading on September 21, 2007, during large-scale structural changes within Aruze.
Under its new name, Aruze Global Trading was not involved in game development.
The company was merged into another Aruze subsidiary, Aruze Marketing Japan, on February 1 2009. Aruze Marketing Japan was itself merged into Aruze in June of that year.
Several of Sacnoth staff eventually joined
Feelplus
Feelplus Inc. (株式会社フィールプラス Kabushiki gaisha Fiirupurasu) was a Japanese video game developer and a subsidiary of AQ Interactive. The studio was conceived by Microsoft Game Studios specifically to aid Mistwalker in video game ...
, which helped develop games like ''
Lost Odyssey
is a Japanese role-playing video game developed by Feelplus and planned by Mistwalker for the Xbox 360. It was published by Microsoft Game Studios in 2007 in Japan and 2008 in western territories. The story follows Kaim, one of a select group of ...
'' and ''
Ninety-Nine Nights II
, stylized as ''N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights'', is a role-playing video game with hack and slash game mechanics set in a high fantasy game universe, where a demon army is rising with one million troops. It is a sequel to ''Ninety-Nine Nights'' and wa ...
''.
Legacy
Sacnoth is noted as being one of a group of video game companies—alongside
Monolith Soft
trading as Monolith Soft, is a Japanese video game development studio originally owned by Namco (later Bandai Namco) until being bought out by Nintendo in 2007. The company was founded in 1999 by Tetsuya Takahashi with the support and coopera ...
,
Love-de-Lic
was a Japanese video game developer founded in 1995 by Kenichi Nishi. Its staff included many former employees of Square. After producing three games, the company disbanded in 2000. Many staff members joined other small and independent game compa ...
and
Mistwalker
is an independent video game development studio. The company was founded in July 2004 by Hironobu Sakaguchi, best known for his work at Square including creating the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The company has created both game franchises such as ' ...
—founded by Square staff who had worked on notable titles produced during the 1990s. Writing in a feature for ''
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
'', Todd Ciolek noted the positive responses to the studio's work on ''Shadow Hearts'', though felt ''Koudelka'' was inferior compared to their other work.
In an article on the NGPC for ''
USgamer
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
'', Jeremy Parish noted Sacnoth as one of the best developers to work with the console due to their work on ''Dive Alert'' and ''Faselei!''.
''Faselei!'' has been remembered or ranked as one of the best NGPC games of all time, and become a collector's item.
The ''Shadow Hearts'' series has also seen a positive reception over time and maintained a cult following, with many noting its gameplay design and combination of alternate history and Lovecraftian horror in its setting.
Games developed
Notes
References
External links
* (archived in 2000)
{{Authority control
1997 establishments in Japan
2000 mergers and acquisitions
2007 disestablishments in Japan
Defunct video game companies of Japan
SNK
Software companies based in Tokyo
Video game companies disestablished in 2009
Video game companies established in 1997
Video game development companies