Company:Natsume
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 Logo of Natsume Inc. (top) and Natsume-Atari (bottom) | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game developer and publisher |
| Founded | October 20, 1987 (Natsume-Atari) May 1988 (Natsume Inc.) |
| Headquarters | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan [1] Burlingame, California, United States [2] |
Key people | Takashi Matsumoto (CEO, Natsume-Atari) Hiro Maekawa (President, Natsume Inc) Taka Maekawa (President, Natsume Inc Japan) |
| Products | Harvest Moon Lufia Pocky and Rocky Rune Factory Reel Fishing River King |
Number of employees | 150 (Natsume-Atari)[1] |
| Website | www www |
Natsume (Japanese: ナツメ) is the name of two video game publishers, Natsume-Atari and Natsume Inc., that were once the same company but are now completely separated.
Natsume Co., Ltd. was founded in Japan on October 20, 1987.[1] It established an American division called Natsume Inc. in 1988. In 1995, Natsume Inc. split from Natsume Co., Ltd. to become an independent company. The name "Natsume" was retained by both companies in their respective countries. In 2013, Natsume Co., Ltd. renamed itself Natsume-Atari following a merger with its subsidiary Atari that year.[3] Also in 2013, Natsume Inc. (the American company) inaugurated a Japanese division called Natsume Inc. Japan with no connection to its former parent company.[4]
Natsume-Atari is based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan and is known for developing licensed titles and mobile games. Natsume Inc. is located in Burlingame, California[2] and is best known for publishing unique, family-oriented niche games, such as Harvest Moon and Reel Fishing.
Products
During the NES and SNES era, Natsume Co Ltd developed numerous titles, often licensed, such as Power Rangers. Natsume Inc published a wide range of titles, including those developed by Natsume Co. Ltd., such as S.C.A.T., Wild Guns and Shadow of the Ninja. Natsume also released the SNES game Pocky & Rocky as well as Lufia II. Natsume Co., Ltd. had also developed the Medarot games up until the end of the GBA era, and Natsume Inc. published some of them outside of Japan.
A sizeable amount of Natsume Co., Ltd.'s products were video games it developed for other publishers. Some of its biggest clients over the years included Imagineer, Bandai, THQ and Taito. Most of Natsume Co., Ltd.'s video games, as a sub-contractor, were original titles, but it occasionally developed some ports as well. Taito, in particular, outsourced the development of three of its Master System ports to Natsume Co., Ltd.: Sagaia, Renegade and Special Criminal Investigation.[5]
From the end of the Super NES era up until late 2014, Natsume Inc. was known for publishing a series of Story of Seasons games in North America. The last game in the series it published was Harvest Moon: A New Beginning for the Nintendo 3DS . In 2015 the developer of the series, Marvelous AQL, brought the next game in the series, Story of Seasons, to North America with its own US branch, Xseed Games, ending the relationship it had with Natsume. Since then, Natsume has released its own games under the Harvest Moon name, starting with Harvest Moon,[6] continuing with Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories and Harvest Moon: Skytree Village.
Natsume has also operated an eBay shop, selling copies of older games sealed in their original packaging, collected from storage at its offices. At auction, the company sold a sealed copy of Pocky & Rocky for over $1,600.[7]
Corporate divisions
Natsume Co., Ltd. was previously the parent company of Natsume Inc., founded in May 1988. Natsume Inc. started publishing video games in 1990.[8] By 1995, Natsume Inc. had broken away into its own company and is separately owned and operated.[9]
In October 2002, Natsume Co., Ltd. founded the pachinko company Atari Inc. (not to be confused with the American game company) in Osaka , which specialized in developing slot and pinball machines.
On May 6, 2005, Natsume Solution began operation in Shinjuku. This division specializes on web site development, providing mobile solutions/services and developing web systems. On March 1, 2006, Natsume Solution was merged with Evolve.
Meanwhile, Natsume Inc. opened up a development studio of its own, named Natsume Inc. Japan.[4]
Natsume Co., Ltd. changed its name to Natsume-Atari in October 2013, and it is not directly connected to Natsume Inc. or its subsidiary Natsume Inc. Japan.[10] Despite their corporate split off, Natsume-Atari and Natsume Inc. have continued to collaborate on a number of occasions.[11][12]
Works
Pre-split Natsume
These are games produced while Natsume Inc., was still operating as a subsidiary of Natsume Co., Ltd. Natsume Inc. would publish only Natsume Co., Ltd.'s games until becoming independent in the mid-90s.
Nintendo Entertainment System
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Touhou Kenbun Roku[13] | Natsume | Japan only |
| 1989 | Idol Hakkenden | Towa Chiki | Japan only |
| Dungeon Magic | Natsume/Taito | ||
| Abadox: The Deadly Inner War | Natsume/Milton Bradley | ||
| 1990 | Power Blade | Taito | Co-developed with Taito |
| Dragon Fighter | Towa Chiki/SOFEL | ||
| S.C.A.T. | Natsume/Infogrames | ||
| Shadow of the Ninja | Natsume/Taito | ||
| 1991 | Chōjin Sentai Jetman | Angel | Japan only |
| Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance | Pony Canyon | ||
| Shatterhand | Angel/Jaleco | ||
| Chaos World | Natsume | Japan only | |
| 1992 | The Jetsons | Taito/Mattel | |
| Mitsume ga Tōru | Tomy | Japan only | |
| Power Blade 2 | Taito | Co-developed with Taito |
MSX
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Mitsume ga Tooru: The Three-Eyed One Comes Here | Natsumi | Japan only |
Game Boy
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Amazing Penguin | Natsume | |
| 1991 | Spanky's Quest | Taito | |
| Tail 'Gator | VAP/Natsume | ||
| Ninja Gaiden Shadow | Tecmo |
Super NES
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Spanky's Quest | Natsume | |
| 1992 | Pocky & Rocky | ||
| 1993 | Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling | Masaya | Japan only |
| Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling Dash: Sekai Saikyō Tag | Updated version; Japan only | ||
| Ghost Sweeper Mikami: Joreishi wa Nice Body | Banalex | Japan only | |
| 1994 | Pocky & Rocky 2 | Natsume/Ocean Software | |
| Wild Guns | Natsume/Titus Software | ||
| Natsume Champsionship Wrestling | Natsume | Heavily based on Zen-Nippon Wrestling Dash | |
| The Ninja Warriors | Taito/Titus | ||
| Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Bandai |
Master System
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Sagaia | Taito | Europe and Brazil only; based on the Sega Genesis port |
| Special Criminal Investigation | Europe and Brazil only | ||
| 1993 | Renegade | Europe, Brazil and Australia only |
Natsume-Atari / Natsume Co., Ltd.
Natsume-Atari, formerly Natsume Co., Ltd, has mostly acted as a developer since splitting from Natsume Inc. - although it has also published some games, notably in the Medarot series.
Super NES
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Ninja Warriors | Taito/Titus | |
| Wild Guns | Natsume/Titus | ||
| Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Bandai | ||
| 1995 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie | ||
| Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | |||
| 1996 | Shin Kidō Senki Gundam Wing | Japan only | |
| Power Rangers Zeo | |||
| 1997 | Gekisō Sentai Carranger: Zenkai! Racer Senshi | Japan only |
Game Boy
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Medarot: Kuwagata Version | Imagineer | |
| Medarot: Kabuto Version | |||
| 1998 | Medarot: Parts Collection | ||
| 1999 | Medarot: Parts Collection 2 |
Game Boy Color
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Croc 2 | THQ | |
| WWF WrestleMania 2000 | THQ/Asmik Ace | ||
| Hole in One Golf | Natsume | ||
| 2000 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | Activision | |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | |||
| Power Rangers Lightspeed Recue | THQ | ||
| Dragon Dance[14] | Natsume | ||
| Keitai Denjū Telefang | Smilesoft | Japan only | |
| 2001 | Action Man | THQ | |
| Power Rangers Time Force | |||
| The Land Before Time[15] | Natsume |
Game Boy Advance
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder | Activision O2 | |
| WWF Road to WrestleMania | THQ | ||
| 2002 | Medabots AX | Natsume | |
| Medabots | Imagineer | ||
| Keitai Denjū Telefang II | Smilesoft | Japan only | |
| WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 | THQ | ||
| Power Rangers Wild Force | |||
| 2003 | Power Rangers Ninja Storm | ||
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrath of the Darkhul King | |||
| 2004 | Gundam SEED: Battle Assault | Bandai | |
| WWE Survivor Series | THQ | ||
| Power Rangers: Dino Thunder | |||
| 2005 | Power Rangers S.P.D. |
GameCube
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Medabots Infinity | Natsume |
Nintendo DS
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Fullmetal Alchemist | Bandai/Destineer/Empire Interactive | |
| 2006 | Nicktoons | THQ | |
| Kirby | Nintendo | Co-developed with Flagship and HAL Laboratory | |
| 2007 | Nicktoons | THQ | |
| 2008 | SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons | Play THQ | |
| 2009 | Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | D3 Publisher |
Xbox 360
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Omega Five | Hudson Soft |
Natsume Inc.
These are games published by Natsume Inc. and/or developed by its subsidiary in Japan after becoming independent from Natsume Co., Ltd.
Most of these games were only published by Natsume in North America, although some reached Europe under the Natsume name through distribution deals with European companies, and some digital releases were self-published by Natsume in Europe.
Super NES
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Lufia II | Neverland | North America only |
| 1996 | Casper | Imagineering | |
| Harvest Moon | Amccus | North America only |
Sega Saturn
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Highway 2000 | Genki | |
| Virtual Casino | Digital Factory |
Nintendo 64
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Harvest Moon 64 | Victor Interactive Software |
PlayStation
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Reel Fishing | Victor Interactive Software | |
| 1998 | Lode Runner | Presage Software | |
| Puzzle Bobble 4 | Taito | North America only | |
| 1999 | Harvest Moon | Victor Interactive Software | North America and Europe |
| 2000 | Reel Fishing II | ||
| Turnabout | Artdink | North America only | |
| 2001 | Skydiving Extreme | Metro Corporation | |
| BursTrick: Wake Boarding!! | |||
| 2002 | Gekioh Shooting King | Warashi | |
| 2003 | Blockids | Athena |
PlayStation 2
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Metropolismania | Indi | North America and Europe |
| Harvest Moon | Victor Interactive Software | North America only | |
| 2002 | Chulip | Punchline | |
| 2003 | Harvest Moon | Marvelous Entertainment | |
| Reel Fishing III | Victor Interactive Software | North America and Europe | |
| 2004 | Finny the Fish & the Seven Waters | SCEI | North America only |
| 2005 | River King: A Wonderful Journey | Marvelous Entertainment | |
| 2006 | Ruff Trigger | Playstos Entertainment | |
| Innocent Life | ArtePiazza | North America only; Special Edition launched in 2007 | |
| Metropolismania 2 | Indi | North America and Europe | |
| Captain Tsubasa | Namco Bandai Games |
Game Boy
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Casper | Bonsai Entertainment | |
| 1997 | Harvest Moon GB | Victor Interactive Software | North America only |
| Legend of the River King | North America and Europe |
Game Boy Color
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Hole in One Golf | Natsume | |
| Legend of the River King | Victor Interactive Software | North America and Europe | |
| Legend of the River King 2 | |||
| Harvest Moon 2 GBC | North America and Europe | ||
| 2000 | Harvest Moon 3 GBC | North America only | |
| 2001 | Lufia | Neveland/Natsume |
Game Boy Advance
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Car Battler Joe | Ancient | North America only |
| Pocky & Rocky with Becky | Altron | ||
| 2002 | Medabots | Natsume | |
| Medabots AX: Metabee/Rokusho Version | |||
| 2003 | CIMA | Neverland | North America |
| Harvest Moon | Marvelous Entertainment | North America and Europe | |
| Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town | |||
| — | Wizardry Summoner | Media Rings Corporations | Unreleased |
GameCube
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Harvest Moon | Marvelous Entertainment | |
| Medabots Infinity | Natsume | ||
| 2005 | Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life | Marvelous Entertainment | Updated version |
| Harvest Moon |
Nintendo DS
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Harvest Moon DS | Marvelous Entertainment | |
| Harvest Moon DS Cute | Updated version | ||
| 2006 | Rune Factory | Neverland | North America only |
| Freedom Wings | Taito | ||
| 2007 | Hi Hamtaro! Little Hamsters Big Adventure | AlphaDream/Marvelous Entertainment | |
| Harvest Moon DS | Marvelous Entertainment | ||
| River King: Mystic Valley | |||
| Puzzle de Harvest Moon | Platinum-Egg Inc. | ||
| 2008 | Harvest Moon DS | Marvelous Entertainment | North America only |
| Harvest Moon DS | |||
| Princess Debut | Cave | ||
| Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon | Neverland | ||
| 2009 | Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon | ||
| Harvest Moon | Platinum-Egg Inc. | ||
| 2010 | Harvest Moon | Marvelous Entertainment | |
| Lufia | Neverland/Square Enix | ||
| Witch's Wish | Yuke's |
iPhone and iPod Touch
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Harvest Moon | Platinum-Egg Inc. | |
| 2010 | Cheer we Go | Natsume | |
| 2012 | Gabrielle's Monster Match | Santa Entertainment | |
| 2013 | Reel Fishing Pocket | Natsume | |
| Gabrielle's Zombie Attack | |||
| 2014 | Gabrielle's Sweet Defense | Nikukyu Co Ltd | |
| 2019 | Ninja Climb | Lit A.F. Games |
PlayStation Portable
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Reel Fishing: The Great Outdoors | Natsume | |
| Harvest Moon | Victor Interactive Software | North America and Europe | |
| 2006 | Innocent Life | ArtePiazza | North America only |
| 2008 | Adventures to Go[16] | Global A Entertainment | |
| 2009 | Harvest Moon | Marvelous Entertainment | North America only |
| 2010 | Carnage Heart EXA | ArtDink | |
| 2012 | Mystic Chronicles | Kemco |
Wii
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Harvest Moon | Marvelous Entertainment | North America only |
| 2008 | Harvest Moon | ||
| 2009 | Reel Fishing Angler's Dream | Natsume | |
| Reel Fishing Challenge | |||
| Harvest Moon | h.a.n.d. | ||
| Moki Moki[17] | Natsume | ||
| Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition[18] | |||
| 2010 | Reel Fishing Challenge II | ||
| 2011 | Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove: Monster Mix[19] | ||
| 2012 | Reel Fishing: Ocean Challenge |
PlayStation 3
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Afrika | Rhino Studios | North America only |
| 2011 | Rune Factory | Neverland |
Nintendo 3DS
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Reel Fishing Paradise 3D | Natsume | North America only |
| Harvest Moon | Marvelous Entertainment | ||
| Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D[20] | Natsume | ||
| 2012 | Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning | Marvelous AQL | North America only |
| 2013 | Yumi's Odd Odyssey | Studio Sainenzen | |
| Hometown Story | Hyde Inc/Toybox Inc | ||
| 2014 | Harvest Moon | Tabot Inc. | |
| Gotcha Racing | Arc System Works | ||
| 2015 | Brave Tank Hero | ||
| 2016 | Harvest Moon: Skytree Village[21] | Natsume |
PlayStation 4
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Godzilla | Natsume/Bandai Namco | |
| 2019 | Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure | Natsume/Tachyon Inc | |
| Harvest Moon: Mad Dash | Appci Inc |
Nintendo Switch
| Year | Title | Developer | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Harvest Moon: Mad Dash | Appci Inc | |
| Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure | Natsume/Tachyon Inc | ||
| 2020 | Cosmic Defenders | Fiery Squirrel |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 INC., NATSUME ATARI (December 18, 2017). "ゲーム遊技機開発のナツメアタリ株式会社｜ナツメアタリ株式会社". https://www.natsumeatari.co.jp/company/profile/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "[ Natsume ]". http://www.natsume.com/support_main.html.
- ↑ INC., NATSUME ATARI (December 18, 2017). "ゲーム遊技機開発のナツメアタリ株式会社｜ナツメアタリ株式会社". https://www.natsumeatari.co.jp/company/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "NATSUME INC. ANNOUNCES NEW OFFICE OPENING IN JAPAN". http://natsume.com/news/news_pdffiles/pid_121_June042013NatsumeJapanoffice.pdf.
- ↑ "サービス終了のお知らせ". http://www.geocities.jp/natsume_game/.
- ↑ "Harvest Moon And Beyond, What's Next For Natsume?". March 18, 2015. http://www.siliconera.com/2015/03/18/harvest-moon-beyond-whats-next-natsume/.
- ↑ "Classic game publisher cleans out its closet, makes thousands on eBay". Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/01/classic-game-publisher-cleans-out-its-closet-makes-thousands-on-ebay/.
- ↑ "Natsume - Serious Fun!". March 3, 2005. http://www.natsume.com/welcome_frameset.html.
- ↑ "Fragments of Silicon - Live & Recorded Episodes". http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=130336&cmd=tc.
- ↑ "WIKIPEDIA: BAD SOURCE OF INFO". https://ceecee-natsume.tumblr.com/post/114896253427/wikipedia-bad-source-of-info.
- ↑ "[Industry Interviews] Taka Maekawa from Natsume Inc". November 22, 2017. http://theswitcheffect.net/2017/11/industry-interviews-taka-maekawa-natsume-inc/.
- ↑ http://www.natsume.com/news/news_pdffiles/pid_204_May122016_WGReloaded_Announced.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ↑ "Touhou Kenbun Roku - The Cutting Room Floor". http://tcrf.net/Touhou_Kenbun_Roku.
- ↑ "Dragon Dance" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/dragon-dance.
- ↑ "The Land Before Time" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/the-land-before-time.
- ↑ "Adventures to Go" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/adventures-to-go.
- ↑ "Moki Moki" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/moki-moki.
- ↑ "Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/animal-kingdom-wildlife-expedition.
- ↑ "Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove: Monster Mix" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/gabrielles-ghostly-groove.
- ↑ "Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site" (in en-us). https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/gabrielles-ghostly-groove-3d/.
- ↑ "Harvest Moon: Skytree Village for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site" (in en-us). https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/harvest-moon-skytree-village-3ds/.
External links
- Natsume-Atari homepage (Japanese)
- Natsume Co., Ltd. homepage (Japanese, old)
- Official Natsume Inc. website
- Natsume Solution/evolve co., ltd. homepage (Japanese)
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