Silicon Studio is a Japanese

computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...

technology company A technology company (or tech company) is an electronics-based technological company, including, for example, business relating to digital electronics, software, and internet-related services, such as e-commerce services. Details According to ''Fo ...

and

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 ...

. As a technology company, Silicon Studio has produced several products in the

3D computer graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...

field, including

middleware Middleware is a type of computer software that provides services to software applications beyond those available from the operating system. It can be described as "software glue". Middleware makes it easier for software developers to implement co ...

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

, such as a post-processing visual effects library called YEBIS, as well as general

real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...

graphics engine Rendering or image synthesis is the process of generating a physically-based rendering, photorealistic or Non-photorealistic rendering, non-photorealistic image from a 2D model, 2D or 3D model by means of a computer program. The resulting im ...

s and game development engines, such as OROCHI and Mizuchi, a physically based rendering engine. As a

, Silicon Studio has worked on different titles for several gaming platforms, most notably, the

action-adventure game The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a story ...

'' 3D Dot Game Heroes'' on the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

, the two

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 ...

s ''

Bravely Default ''Bravely Default'', known in Japan as ''Bravely Default: Flying Fairy'', is a role-playing video game developed by Silicon Studio for the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. ''Bravely Default'' was originally released in 2012, while an expanded edi ...

'' and '' Bravely Second: End Layer'' on the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

, and ''Fantasica'' on the

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

and Android mobile platforms.

History

Silicon Studio was established in 2000. It was founded by Teruyasu Sekimoto, who was formerly the senior vice president of

Silicon Graphics Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and soft ...

(SGI). Specializing from the start in rendering technology, research and development methods, post-processing visual effects, game content development, and online game solutions, Silicon Studio created four main studios to achieve the highest productivity in these areas. The research team at Silicon Studio developed several techniques related to fields in visual effects shown at the Computer Entertainment Developers Conference, such as post effect processing and

global illumination Global illumination (GI), or indirect illumination, is a group of algorithms used in 3D computer graphics that are meant to add more realistic lighting to 3D scenes. Such algorithms take into account not only the light that comes directly from ...

. While traditionally a provider of middleware solutions for Japanese game developers, Silicon Studio has grown as an international company with a greater focus on the visibility of their products abroad. Silicon Studio has partnerships with a number of companies, including French company Allegorithmic, Canadian company

Audiokinetic Audiokinetic Inc. is a Canadian software company based in Montreal, Quebec that develops audio software for the video game industry. Its main product is Wwise audio authoring software. On January 8, 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced ...

, British company

Stainless Games Stainless Games is an independent British video game developer based in Newport, Isle of Wight, that is best known for the creation of the ''Carmageddon'' franchise. History Originally named Stainless Software, the company was founded in Au ...

, Italian companies such as

Kunos Simulazioni Kunos Simulazioni s.r.l. is an Italian software development studio that specializes in creating driving simulations. The company is headquartered at the ACI Vallelunga Circuit near Rome and was established in 2005 with the goal of developing soft ...

and

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

, American companies such as

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

and

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

, and Japanese companies such as

Bandai Namco 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 ...

DeNA Dena (in Luri and fa, ) is the name for a sub-range within the Zagros Mountains, Iran. Mount Dena, with length and average width, is situated on the boundary of the Isfahan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Provin ...

Dimps is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka, Japan, with an additional office in Tokyo. It is best known for developing games in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Street Fighter'' franchises. The company was founded on Mar ...

FromSoftware FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company based in Tokyo. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in November 1986, the company developed business software before releasing their first video game, ''King's Field (video game) ...

Idea Factory is a Japanese video game developer and publisher founded by former Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 ...

Koei Tecmo is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo Game ...

, Marvelous,

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 ...

, and

Sony Computer 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 ...

. Silicon Studio has also partnered with the following companies:

Vivante Vivante Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with an R&D center in Shanghai, China. The company was founded in 2004 as GiQuila and focused on the portable gaming market. The company's first prod ...

, OTOY,

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...

, and Matchlock. In February 2015, Silicon Studio was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market.

Video games

Games developed by Silicon Studio:

Middleware

Bishamon – Bishamon is a particle effect authoring tool and runtime library that works for many gaming platforms. It is developed by a partner company and is integrated with the Orochi3 game development engine. Motion Portrait – Motion Portrait is a technology tool that can automatically animate a portrait. It supports both regular camera photos or non-realistic character drawings.

YEBIS

Development for YEBIS originally began some time around 2004. Notable video games that utilize YEBIS include: Software that support YEBIS include: *Substance Designer 4.3 *Substance Painter *

Luminous Studio , originally called , is a multi-platform game engine developed and used internally by Square Enix and later on by Luminous Productions. The engine was developed for and targeted at eighth-generation hardware and DirectX 11-compatible platforms, ...

* Modo * OTOY real-time

path tracing Path tracing is a computer graphics Monte Carlo method of rendering images of three-dimensional scenes such that the global illumination is faithful to reality. Fundamentally, the algorithm is integrating over all the illuminance arriving to ...

engine YEBIS 2 YEBIS 2 is a post-processing

solution that allows developers to create high-quality lens-simulation optical effects. In June 2013, Silicon Studio announced that their next post-processing middleware solution, YEBIS 2, would be available for game developers on the

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

and Xbox One development network. At the E3 Expo 2013, Square Enix’s tech demo Agni’s Philosophy was shown using YEBIS 2 post-processing effects. In August 2013, the YEBIS 2 tech demo "Rigid Gems" was featured in

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

’s official unveiling of the

Nexus 7 Nexus 7 is a series of Android-based mini tablet computers co-developed by Google, and may refer to: * Nexus 7 (2012), the first generation * Nexus 7 (2013) The second-generation Nexus 7, also commonly referred to as the Nexus 7 (2013), ...

mobile tablet. YEBIS has also been used for the

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

launch title, ''

Fighter Within ''Fighter Within'' is a Kinect-based fighting game developed by Belgian studio Daoka and published by Ubisoft. It was released on November 22, 2013 as an exclusive launch title for the Xbox One and a sequel to ''Fighters Uncaged'' (2010). It was ...

''. In May 2014, Silicon Studio announced that their YEBIS 2 middleware was being utilized in the '' MotoGP 14'' video racing game, developed by Milestone for PlayStation 4. YEBIS 2 is also utilized by

engine, and the

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 player h ...

Final Fantasy XV is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The fifteenth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016, Microsoft Windows in 2018, and as a launch title ...

'' which runs on the Luminous Studio engine. In 2014, Allegorithmic announced that it had integrated YEBIS 2 with

such as Substance Designer 4.3 and Substance Painter, which are supported by The Foundry's Modo software. OTOY has also been using YEBIS for their real-time

engine on PC. In 2015, Geomerics announced that it has integrated YEBIS 3 with the Forge

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

tool for the Enlighten 3 software.

Engines

OROCHI3 – Orochi3 is an all-in-one game development engine. It supports PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3,

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...

, Xbox 360 and PC. It was used by

Bandai Namco Entertainment is a Japanese multinational video game video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in ...

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 ...

Rise of Incarnates ''Rise of Incarnates'' was a multiplayer free-to-play fighting video game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Announced early 2014 and presented at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the game featured two-on-two gameplay. ...

''. An earlier version of Orochi was also used by Square Enix's

third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

Gunslinger Stratos is a series of third-person hero shooter video games, developed by Byking and Taito, and published by Square Enix. It debuted in arcades on July 12, 2012, with the scenario provided by Norimitsu Kaihō (from Nitroplus) based on a concept by ...

'' in 2012. Mizuchi A new real-time graphics engine that debuted in 2014, compatible with the PC and PlayStation 4 platforms. It is called Mizuchi, with the full title, ''Mizuchi: The Cutting-Edge Real-Time Rendering Engine''. It is intended to be used for various different applications, including

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 a ...

, films, architectural and automobile visualization, and academic research. In September 2014, a tech demo running on the engine, called "Museum", was revealed. It received a positive reception for the high visual quality of its real-time graphics. In December 2014, Silicon Studio announced the Mizuchi engine will be compatible with the PC at 60

frames per second A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

and the PlayStation 4 at 30 frames per second.

Stride

Stride Stride or STRIDE may refer to: Computing * STRIDE (security), spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, elevation of privilege * Stride (software), a successor to the cloud-based HipChat, a corporate cloud-based ...

, formerly known as Xenko and before that as Paradox, is a game development framework and C#

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...

with an asset pipeline and a cross-platform runtime supporting iOS, Android, Windows UWP,

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

, and PlayStation 4. It was made

free and open-source software Free and open-source software (FOSS) is a term used to refer to groups of software consisting of both free software and open-source software where anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source ...

in October 2014. Xenko beta version 1.8x was then released finally out of beta in February 2017. In April 2020, engine was renamed to Stride.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Japanese companies established in 2000 3D computer graphics Free and open-source software Software companies based in Tokyo Software companies established in 2000 Video game companies established in 2000 Video game companies of Japan Video game development companies