Koei
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Koei Co., Ltd. (コーエー (Kōē), formerly 光栄 (Kōei)) (TYO: 9654 ) is a Japanese video game publisher and developer founded in 1978. The company is best known for its historical simulation games and female-oriented dating sims.
The company has also found success in a series of loosely historical action games, the flagship titles of which are Dynasty Warriors (真・三國無双 (Shin-Sangoku Musō)) and Samurai Warriors (戦国無双 (Sengoku Musō)). The Ruby Party division specializes in games labeled as Neoromance-which are GxB dating sims, usually with extra side-quests. Out of the three Neoromance series, the best known is Angelique, which has been in production since 1994. Harukanaru Toki no Naka De is a newer Neoromance hit, with many sequels and an anime TV series based on it. While there is currently only one game relating to Kiniro no Corda, it has helped win popularity for the manga series it was based on, which was recently licensed by Viz for English language publishing. It is now gaining more popular though and an anime TV series based on it will begin airing in October 2006 [1]. A sequel will also be released on the Sony Playstation 2 in March 2007 [2].
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[edit] History
Koei was established in July 1978 by Yoichi Erikawa and Keiko Erikawa. Mr. Erikawa was a student at Keio University, and when his family's rural dyestuffs business failed he decided to pursue his interest in programming. The company to this day is located in the town of Hiyoshi, Yokohama along with Mr. Erikawa's alma mater, and the company's name is simply a spoonerism of the school's.
Kou Shibusawa and Eiji Fukuzawa, whose names are supposed to have made up the name of the company, do not really exist and are names used by the company to avoid giving credit to individual contributors, effectively acting as alter-egos for Mr. Erikawa.
The company initially focused on personal computer sales and made-to-order business software. In 1983 it released Nobunaga's Ambition (信長の野望 Nobunaga no Yabo), a historical strategy game set during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. The game went on to receive numerous awards, and Koei produced several more such games set against the backdrop of world history, including Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国志 Sangokushi), set during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, and Uncharted Waters (大航海時代 Dai Kōkai Jidai; lit. Great Navigation Era), set in Portugal during the Age of Exploration.
In 1988, Koei established a North American subsidiary, Koei Corporation, in California. This subsidiary localized Koei games for export to all territories outside of Japan, as well as producing original games and concepts with the leadership of designer Stieg Hedlund, like Liberty or Death, Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye, Gemfire and Saiyuki: Journey West . After Hedlund's departure, this subsidiary ceased game development in 1995, focusing instead on localization, sales and marketing.
A Canadian subsidiary, Koei Canada, Inc. was established in early 2001, and a European subsidiary, Koei Limited was established in early 2003 in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Koei also maintains subsidiaries in China, Korea, and Taiwan. Recently, Koei created a Singapore branch for game development such as Sangokushi Online.
[edit] Games Created by Koei
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Koei has built a large base of franchises, and have developed on various consoles and computers. Below is a list of game series developed by Koei.
[edit] Strategy games
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國志 Sangokushi)
- Nobunaga's Ambition (信長の野望 Nobunaga no Yabō)
- Bandit Kings of Ancient China (水滸伝 Suikoden)
- Kessen (Parts 1 and 3 being based in Japan and 2 being loosely based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story.) (決戦)
- Taikou Risshiden (太閤立志伝)
- Aerobiz
- Aerobiz Supersonic
- Genghis Khan
- Genghis Khan II
- Gemfire
- L'Empereur
- Liberty or Death
- PTO: Pacific Theater of Operations
- Operation Europe: Path to Victory
- Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye
- Dynasty Tactics (Sangokushi Senki 三國志戦記)
- Stop That Roach!
[edit] Action games
- Blade Storm: Hundred Years War An action/strategy game based on the Hundred Years' War between England and France. (For the PS3 and Xbox360.)
- Dynasty Warriors 1 - 5 (as well as expansions 'Xtreme Legends' for 3 - 5, 'Empires' for 4 & 5, plus a Gameboy Advance and two PSP games) (真・三國無双 Shin-Sangoku Musō; spin-off of Romance of the Three Kingdoms)
- Ni-Oh (PS3 game, movie tie-in)
- Samurai Warriors 1 & 2 (as well as an Xtreme Legends expansion to 1, an Empires expansion to 2, a PSP game, 'State of War' and the upcoming Sengoku Action for the Wii.) (戦国無双 Sengoku Musō)
- WinBack
- Mystic Heroes
- Crimson Sea (initially released for Xbox in 2002, whereas its sequel was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004)
- Template:Warship Gunner
- Gundam Musou For the PS3, it is based on the mechanics of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, only using the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise as its base.
- Musou Orochi For the PS2, it is the first Koei crossover title, featuring characters from the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors games.
- Destrega A unique 1 vs 1 fighter produced for the PlayStation system.
[edit] Neoromance games
- Angelique (アンジェリーク)
- Harukanaru Toki no Naka De (遙かなる時空の中で , translates to From a Faraway Time)
- Kiniro no Corda (金色のコルダ, translates to Golden Corda)
[edit] RPGs
- Brandish
- Inindo: Way of the Ninja
- Uncharted Waters (大航海時代 Dai Kōkai Jidai; lit. Great Navigation Era)
- Saiyuki: Journey West (西遊記 Saiyuki)
- Sangokushi Eiketsuden, Sangokushi Koumeiden, Sangokushi Sousouden (as Tactical RPG)
- Dynasty Warriors:Way Of The Swords (Release date is TBA as of 2006)
- Opoona An upcoming title for Wii.
[edit] Sports games
[edit] Music games
[edit] Games published by Koei in Europe
[edit] External links
- Koei Co., Ltd. (Japan) website
- Koei Co., Ltd. (Korea) website
- Koei Co., Ltd. (Taiwan) website
- Koei Co., (United States) website
- Koei Ltd. (Europe) website
- Koei Ltd. (France) website
- Koei Canada, Inc. website
- Koei Gamecity (China) Entertainment website
- Koei Gamecity (Japan) Entertainment website
- Koei Gamecity (Korea) Entertainment website
- Koei Gamecity (Taiwan) Entertainment website
