Company:Kemco
 Logo since 1999 | |
| Type | Brand of Kotobuki Solution Co., Ltd |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Kotobuki System Co., Ltd. |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Kure, Hiroshima, Japan |
Number of employees | 140[1] (2019) |
| Website | kemco-games |
Kemco (Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher established in 1984. It is headquartered in Kure, Hiroshima.[2][3]
Its best known franchises are the Kid Klown and Top Gear series, developed by Sheffield-based English developers Gremlin Graphics.[4]
History
Kemco was founded in 1984 as Kotobuki System Co., Ltd. to be the video game subsidiary of the multifaceted corporation Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (established in 1979).[5][6][7] The name represents the initial letters of Kotobuki Engineering Manufacturing Co.[5]
Kemco started by developing video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System.[5][7] Although technically called Kotobuki System until 2004, the company was already using the brand Kemco on its first game Dough Boy in 1985.[8]
From the late 1980s until the early 1990s, Kemco's video games were distributed in North America by Seika Corporation of Torrance, California, under the joint label of Kemco * Seika.[9]
In the 1990s, Kemco developed, ported, and published video games for several platforms including the NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy.[10] The company's first North American subsidiary, Kemco America, operated from October 2, 1991, to January 24, 2000.[11]
In 2001, Kemco USA was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kemco of Japan, especially targeting the American market.[7]
In 2004, Kotobuki's system development division split to become the company Kotobuki Solution Co., Ltd., keeping the Kemco video game brand in the spinoff.[5][3]
Since the 2010s, Kemco has been primarily known for its mobile games.[12] Kemco USA closed in 2007, but products continue to be released in North America through Kemco of Japan.[13][14]
See also
- List of Kemco games
References
- ↑ "会社概要 | 株式会社コトブキソリューション". https://www.ksol.jp/company/.
- ↑ "About - KEMCO". http://www.kemco-games.com/global/about.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "「鉄人28号」が軽快アクションゲームになった！！". http://www.ksol.jp/information20100818.html.
- ↑ "Electronic Entertainment Expo 2003 Exhibitor Profiles" (Press release).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "ケムコって、ファミコン時代のメーカーでしょ？ ざんねん!! ケムコの ぼうけんは モバイルアプリしじょうで つづいていた!!". 30 January 2017. http://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/interview/kemco.
- ↑ "COMPANY HISTORY : COMPANY INFORMATION : KOTOBUKI ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING Co., Ltd.". http://www.kemco.co.jp/eng/com/history.htm.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Kemco Games". 12 August 2003. http://www.kemcogames.com/company.html.
- ↑ "Dough Boy Box Shot for NES - GameFAQs". https://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/578263-dough-boy/images/118775.
- ↑ "Uninvited". http://www.thevgatv.com/resources/NES/Uninvited-NES.pdf.
- ↑ "Kemco Games - IGN". 2 October 2015. http://www.ign.com/companies/kemco.
- ↑ "Washington Company List". https://www.wacompanygo.com/Kemco-America-Inc-601344512/#.WdpkXDtry1s.
- ↑ Sheffield, Brandon (29 June 2010). "Interview: Valcon's Gordon On Why Game Boxes Matter, And 'Odd' Japanese Titles". https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/119724/Interview_Valcons_Gordon_On_Why_Game_Boxes_Matter_And_Odd_Japanese_Titles.php.
- ↑ "Washington Company List". https://www.wacompanygo.com/Kemco-Usa-Inc-602107809/#.Wea023Zry1s.
- ↑ "Contact us - KEMCO". http://www.kemco-games.com/global/contact.html.
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