Company:Syn Sophia

From HandWiki
Short description: Japanese video game development studio


syn Sophia, Inc.
syn Sophia
Native name
株式会社シンソフィア
Kabushiki Gaisha Shin Sofia
FormerlyThe Man Breeze (1995–1997)
AKI Corporation (1997–2007)
TypeKabushiki gaisha
IndustryVideo games
GenreVideo game development
FoundedJune 19, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-06-19) in Tokyo, Japan
Headquarters
Musashino, Tokyo
,
Japan
Key people
  • Shuji Yoshida (CEO)
  • Tamura Oya (Director)
Number of employees
70 (2016)
Websitewww.syn-sophia.co.jp

syn Sophia, Inc. (株式会社シンソフィア, Kabushiki Gaisha Shin Sofia), formerly AKI Corporation and The Man Breeze, is an independent video game development studio located in Kichijōji, Tokyo, Japan, founded on June 19, 1995. The company is best known for its popular wrestling games in the late 1990s and early-mid-2000s, starting with the release of Virtual Pro-Wrestling in 1996.

The company's take on World Championship Wrestling proved successful in the late 1990s with the release of several games, culminating in WCW/nWo Revenge for the Nintendo 64. As a result, the World Wrestling Federation ended their twelve-year relationship with Acclaim Entertainment and partnered with THQ/AKI in 1999. The relationship would continue AKI's reputation for quality wrestling games, which ended with the release of WWF No Mercy.[1]

History

The company went public in 1998 and on April 1, 2007 was renamed syn Sophia, Inc.[2] The first game developed under that name was Ganbaru Watashi no Kakei Diary for the Nintendo DS in 2007. However, they used their previous name in some of their future titles until 2008 with the release of Style Savvy for the Nintendo DS. Ready 2 Rumble would be developed under the name AKI Corporation USA.

Games

Developed under The Man Breeze

Year Name Platform Notes
1996 Virtual Pro-Wrestling PlayStation Released only in Japan
1997 WCW vs. the World

Developed under AKI Corporation

Year Name Platform Notes
1997 Tactics Formula Saturn Released only in Japan
WCW vs. nWo Nintendo 64
Virtual Pro Wrestling 64 Released only in Japan
1998 WCW/nWo Revenge
1999 WWF WrestleMania 2000
2000 Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Oudou Keishou Released only in Japan
Animastar Dreamcast
WWF No Mercy Nintendo 64
2001 Animastar GB Game Boy Color Released only in Japan
World Fishing Windows
2003 Def Jam Vendetta PlayStation 2, GameCube
Ultimate Muscle GameCube
2004 Def Jam PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
Galactic Wrestling: Featuring Ultimate Muscle PlayStation 2
2006 Kinnikuman Muscle Generations PlayStation Portable Released only in Japan
Def Jam: Fight for NY: The Takeover
Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix Arcade Released only in Japan
Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix MAX PlayStation 2
Mawashite Tsunageru Touch Panic Nintendo DS
2007 Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix 2 Arcade
SimCity DS Nintendo DS formerly published by Nintendo
2008 SimCity DS 2
Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix 2 Tokumori PlayStation 2 Released only in Japan
2009 Ready 2 Rumble Wii Developed under AKI Corporation USA

Developed under syn Sophia, Inc.

Year Name Platform Publisher
2007 Ganbaru Watashi no Kakei Diary Nintendo DS Nintendo
2008 Style Savvy
2009 Cross Treasures Square Enix
Ganbaru Watashi no Osaifu Ouendan Nintendo DSi Nintendo
2010 Kurohyō PlayStation Portable Sega
Pretty Rhythm: Mini Skirt[3] Arcade Takara Tomy Arts
2011 Pretty Rhythm[4]
2012 Kurohyō 2: Ryū ga Gotoku Ashura Hen PlayStation Portable Sega
Pretty Rhythm: Dear My Future[5] Arcade Takara Tomy Arts
Style Savvy Nintendo 3DS Nintendo
2013 Pretty Rhythm: My Deco Rainbow Wedding Takara Tomy Arts
Pretty Rhythm[6] Arcade
Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live Duo[7]
Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live: Kirakira My Design Nintendo 3DS
2014 Pretty Rhythm: All Star Legend Coord Edition Arcade
The Golden Hour Android, iOS Sammy Coropration
PriPara[8] Arcade Takara Tomy Arts
2015 PriPara & Pretty Rhythm: PriPara de Tsukaeru Oshare Item 1450! Nintendo 3DS
Style Savvy Nintendo
2017 Style Savvy
Idol Time PriPara[9] Arcade Takara Tomy Arts
2018 PriPara: All Idol Perfect Stage! Nintendo Switch
Kiratto Pri☆Chan Arcade
2020 Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai – Xross Blade[10] Square Enix
2021 Waccha PriMagi![11] Takara Tomy Arts
2023 Fashion Dreamer[12] Nintendo Switch Marvelous

Unreleased games

A version of WWF No Mercy for the Game Boy Color was in the works and planned for release alongside the Nintendo 64 version. The game was originally planned to utilize the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak accessory to unlock special content in each version of the game. This feature was later scrapped, however, with the extra content in each version instead being unlocked via gameplay. After further developmental woes, the game was shifted to Natsume, developers of the previous WWF game for Game Boy Color, before finally being canceled in late December 2000. Screenshots of this game at one point existed, but the websites which had them up were forced to remove them following the game's cancellation.[citation needed]

A sequel to WWF No Mercy was in the early stages of development when it was shelved in early 2001 as Nintendo began to phase out the Nintendo 64 console. However, Sanders Keel, producer of various AKI wrestling titles, mentioned in a podcast with Pro Wrestling X producer Dave Wishnowski that the AKI-THQ relationship had deteriorated when AKI requested to no longer develop for the Nintendo systems following the release of the Nintendo 64, proving the No Mercy sequel as a rumor.[citation needed]

A sequel to Electronic Arts' WCW Mayhem titled WCW 2000 and later, WCW Mayhem 2 was going to be developed by AKI and was planned for a PlayStation 2 release. There were even some screenshots featured in Issue #33 (May 2000) of the Official PlayStation Magazine. However, it was also shelved in 2001 after the World Wrestling Federation purchased World Championship Wrestling. The engine of this game would later be recycled for Def Jam Vendetta.

A puzzle video game spinoff of the Dreamcast game Animastar, titled Animastar Puzzle, was announced in early 2000 but was later cancelled, presumably due to the sudden demise of the Dreamcast console.

Mikke! was an action game announced for the Nintendo DS console in early 2008. It was later cancelled for unknown reasons.

In 2019, Game Informer journalist Imran Khan reported on numerous games that were cancelled mid-development for the Nintendo 3DS due to the commercial failure of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. Among those named was an entry into the Style Savvy series.[13]

References

  1. ↑ McLaughlin, Rus IGN Presents the History of Wrestling Games IGN (November 12, 2008). Retrieved on 2-03-11.
  2. ↑ syn Sophia Inc
  3. ↑ "プリティーリズム・ミニスカート" (in ja). Syn Sophia. http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/prettyrhythm_mini_skirt/. 
  4. ↑ "プリティーリズム・オーロラドリーム" (in ja). Syn Sophia. http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/prettyrhythm_aurora_dream/. 
  5. ↑ "プリティーリズム・ディアマイフューチャー" (in ja). Syn Sophia. http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/prettyrhythm_dear_my_future/. 
  6. ↑ "プリティーリズム・レインボーライブ" (in ja). Syn Sophia. http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/prettyrhythm_rl/. 
  7. ↑ "プリティーリズム・レインボーライブデュオ" (in ja). Syn Sophia. http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/prettyrhythm_rl_duo/. 
  8. ↑ "プリパラ" (in ja). Syn Sophia. http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/pripara/. 
  9. ↑ "アイドルタイムプリパラ" (in ja). Syn Sophia. http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/idoltimepripara/. 
  10. ↑ "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai – Xross Blade software page". http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/xrossblade/. 
  11. ↑ "Waccha Primagi! software page". http://www.syn-sophia.co.jp/product/waccha_primagi/. 
  12. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (2023-02-08). "Nintendo Direct February 2023: Everything Announced Including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-direct-february-2023-everything-announced-including-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom. 
  13. ↑ "Fire Emblem remake and 3DS games could be coming to Switch" (in en). 2019-11-03. https://www.vg247.com/fire-emblem-remake-3ds-games-switch. 

External links



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