is a Japanese toy and

computer games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

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 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. First serialized in 1969, the manga's chapters were collected in 45 volumes published by Shogakukan from 1974 to 1996. The story revolves around an earless robotic ...

'' video games, Aquabeads, and the

Sylvanian Families (known as ''Calico Critters'' in the US) is a line of collectible anthropomorphic animal Action figure, figurines made of flocked plastic. They were created by the Japanese gaming company Epoch (company), Epoch in 1985 and distributed worldwide ...

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 acquired International Playthings of the United States in 2008. It is most famous for its ''

'' and

toy and video game productions.

Video game consoles

* TV Tennis Electrotennis (September 12, 1975) * TV Game System 10 (1977) * TV Baseball (1978) * TV Block(1979) * 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-1000 li ...

(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 con ...

) * 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 to display information. Liquid crystals do not em ...

handheld electronic game Handheld electronic games are interactive electronic games, often miniaturized versions of video games, that are played on portable handheld devices, known as handheld game consoles, whose controls, display and speakers are all part of a singl ...

s. Some of these were made in cooperation with ITMC, Gama-Mangold,

Tomy (trade name, trading as Takara Tomy in Asia and Tomy elsewhere) is a Japanese toy company. It was established in 1924 by Eiichirō Tomiyama as , became known for creating popular toys like the B-29 friction toy and luck-based game Pop-up Pi ...

and other companies.

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 (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...

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

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

) * (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 1995 adventure game based on the 1951 animated film ''Alice in Wonderland (1951 film), Alice in Wonderland''. Gameplay There is a narrative, story mode, a painting mode, and Midway (fair), midway-style games. Story mode comes in interactiv ...

'' *''Chibi Maruko-Chan: Go-Chōnai Minna de Game da yo!'' *''Dragon Ball: The Great Unexplored Dragon Region''

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, ...

'' *''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'' *''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

Epoch Co., Ltd.
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

Epoch
at

GameFAQs GameFAQs is a video gaming website that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active Internet forum, message board forum. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by Fandom (website), Fandom, Inc. since October ...

Epoch Handheld Games - Handheld Museum
{{Authority control Video game companies of Japan Electronics companies established in 1958 Electronics companies of Japan Toy companies of Japan Japanese companies established in 1958 Japanese brands Software companies based in Tokyo Sylvanian Families Taitō