Company:FromSoftware

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Short description: Japanese video game company
FromSoftware, Inc.
Native name
株式会社フロム・ソフトウェア
Kabushiki gaisha furomu sofutowea
TypeJoint venture (kabushiki gaisha)
IndustryVideo games
FoundedNovember 1, 1986; 38 years ago (1986-11-01)
FounderNaotoshi Zin
Headquarters
Tokyo
,
Japan
Key people
  • Hidetaka Miyazaki
  • (Representative Director and President)
Products
Owner
Number of employees
397 (June 2023)
WebsiteFromSoftware

FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company. It was founded by Naotoshi Zin in Tokyo on November 1, 1986. Initially a developer of business software, the company released their first video game, King's Field, for the PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on games, with them producing two more King's Field games before creating the mecha combat series Armored Core (1997), one of their flagship franchises.

By the 2000s, FromSoftware's releases included the Echo Night, Shadow Tower, Lost Kingdoms, Otogi, and Another Century's Episode series. The company achieved breakout success in the 2010s with Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), the latter being the first entry in a trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslikes. These include FromSoftware's Bloodborne (2015), Sekiro (2019), and Elden Ring (2022), which are often cited as among the greatest video games of all time.

Hidetaka Miyazaki, creator of the Dark Souls series, has served as FromSoftware's representative director and president since 2014, with Zin remaining as an advisor. Despite his executive duties, Miyazaki directs and designs the majority of the company's games. FromSoftware is owned primarily by Kadokawa Corporation, with minority stakes by Tencent subsidiary Sixjoy Hong Kong and Sony Interactive Entertainment. FromSoftware usually self-publishes in Japan and partners with companies such as Agetec, Sony, and Bandai Namco Entertainment to publish internationally.

History

Hidetaka Miyazaki, company president and director of several of their games

FromSoftware was founded in Tokyo by Naotoshi Zin on November 1, 1986, as a developer of business applications.[1] The company released its first game, King's Field, for the PlayStation in 1994. Despite its commercial success in Japan, the game was not released in other regions, although 1995's King's Field II was released in both North America and Europe in 1996.[2] After releasing King's Field III in 1996, FromSoftware went on to release the horror game Echo Night and the 1998 role-playing game Shadow Tower. In 1997, FromSoftware released Armored Core, the first release in their flagship Armored Core series of mecha combat games.[3]

With the launch of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, FromSoftware released the role-playing games Eternal Ring and Evergrace.[3] In 2003, FromSoftware published Tenchu, a stealth game that combines action and adventure elements.[4] The company also released King's Field IV and Shadow Tower Abyss, in addition to the Lost Kingdoms series for the GameCube.[3] The company also made a few games exclusive to the Xbox around this time, such as Murakumo, Otogi, Otogi 2, Metal Wolf Chaos, and Chromehounds In 2005, FromSoftware would start to produce a series of licensed games based on the various anime properties under the banner Another Century's Episode.[3] The same year, the company hosted the video game industry's first internship that let students experience game development through a game creation kit, Adventure Player, for the PlayStation Portable.[4]

FromSoftware underwent a stock split in 2008 before achieving breakout success in the 2010s,[4] spurred by the release of Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), the latter being the first entry in a trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslikes.[5] These include Dark Souls II (2014),[6] Bloodborne (2015),[7][8] Dark Souls III (2016),[9] Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019),[10][11] and Elden Ring (2022),[12][13][14] which have all received several awards and are often listed among the greatest video games of all time.[15][16][17][18]

In April 2014, Kadokawa Corporation announced its intention to purchase the company from former shareholder Transcosmos.[19] Following other restructuring, Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki would be promoted to company president the following month and later given the title of representative director.[20] In January 2016, FromSoftware established a studio in Fukuoka that focuses on creating computer-generated imagery (CGI) assets for their games.[21][22] In August 2022, Sixjoy Hong Kong (a subsidiary of Tencent) and Sony Interactive Entertainment respectively acquired 16.25% and 14.09% of FromSoftware, leaving 69.66% to Kadokawa.[23] A report published by GamesIndustry.biz in November 2022 said that FromSoftware paid their employees at sub-standard rates.[24] The company had 397 employees (As of June 2023).[25]

Games

List of games developed by FromSoftware
Year Title System International publisher
1994 King's Field PlayStation N/A
1995 King's Field II PlayStation
1996 King's Field III PlayStation ASCII Entertainment
1997 Armored Core PlayStation Sony Computer Entertainment
Armored Core PlayStation ASCII Entertainment
1998 Shadow Tower PlayStation Agetec
Echo Night PlayStation Agetec
1999 Armored Core PlayStation Agetec
Spriggan: Lunar Verse PlayStation N/A
Frame Gride Dreamcast N/A
Echo Night 2 PlayStation N/A
2000 Eternal Ring PlayStation 2
Evergrace PlayStation 2
  • NA: Agetec
  • EU: Ubisoft
Armored Core 2 PlayStation 2
  • NA: Agetec
  • EU: Ubisoft
The Adventures of Cookie & Cream PlayStation 2
2001 Armored Core 2 PlayStation 2
Forever Kingdom PlayStation 2 Agetec
King's Field IV PlayStation 2
  • NA: Agetec
  • EU: Metro3D
2002 Armored Core 3 PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
  • NA: Agetec
  • EU: Metro3D
Lost Kingdoms GameCube Activision
Murakumo Xbox Ubisoft
Otogi Xbox Sega
2003 Silent Line PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable Agetec
Thousand Land Xbox N/A
Lost Kingdoms II GameCube Activision
Shadow Tower Abyss PlayStation 2 N/A
Otogi 2 Xbox Sega
2004 Echo Night PlayStation 2
  • NA: Agetec
  • EU: Indie Games Productions
Armored Core PlayStation 2 Agetec
Kuon PlayStation 2
  • NA: Agetec
  • EU: Indie Games Productions
Armored Core PlayStation 2
Armored Core PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
  • NA: Agetec
  • EU: 505 Games
Metal Wolf Chaos Xbox, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One Devolver Digital
2005 Yoshitsune Eiyūden PlayStation 2 N/A
Another Century's Episode PlayStation 2 Banpresto
Armored Core PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
  • NA: Agetec
  • EU: 505 Games
2006 Enchanted Arms Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Ubisoft
Another Century's Episode 2 PlayStation 2 Banpresto
Chromehounds Xbox 360 Sega
King's Field: Additional I PlayStation Portable N/A
King's Field: Additional II PlayStation Portable N/A
Armored Core 4 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  • NA: Sega
  • EU: 505 Games
2007 Nanpure VOW Nintendo DS N/A
Iraroji VOW Nintendo DS N/A
Another Century's Episode 3: The Final PlayStation 2 Banpresto
2008 Armored Core PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Ubisoft
Shadow Assault Xbox 360 N/A
2009 Inugamike no Ichizoku Nintendo DS N/A
Ninja Blade Xbox 360, Windows Microsoft Game Studios
Demon's Souls PlayStation 3
Yatsu Hakamura Nintendo DS N/A
2010 Another Century's Episode: R PlayStation 3 Banpresto
Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village PlayStation Portable Capcom
2011 Another Century's Episode Portable Namco Bandai Games
Dark Souls PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
2012 Armored Core V PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn PlayStation 3
Steel Battalion Xbox 360 Capcom
2013 Armored Core PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Namco Bandai Games
2014 Dark Souls II PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows Bandai Namco Games
2015 Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
Bloodborne PlayStation 4 Sony Computer Entertainment
Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village DX Nintendo 3DS Capcom
2016 Dark Souls III PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows Bandai Namco Entertainment
2018 Dark Souls: Remastered PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Déraciné PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR) Sony Interactive Entertainment
2019 Sekiro PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Stadia Activision
Metal Wolf Chaos XD PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One Devolver Digital
2022 Elden Ring PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S Bandai Namco Entertainment
2023 Armored Core VI PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

References

  1. ↑ "角川ゲームスとフロム・ソフトウェア「MEDIA BRIEFING 2014 AUTUMN」を開催". November 25, 2014. https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/677556.html. 
  2. ↑ Ciolek, Todd (March 16, 2015). "The History of From Software". http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/16/the-history-of-from-software. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ciolek, Todd (March 16, 2015). "The History of From Software". p. 1. http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/16/the-history-of-from-software. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "History | FromSoftware". https://www.fromsoftware.jp/ww/company_history.html. 
  5. ↑ Wildgoose, David (7 March 2022). "Painfully Difficult: From Software's 30+ Year Journey From PS1 to Elden Ring". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/painfully-difficult-from-softwares-30-year-journey-from-ps1-to-elden-ring. 
  6. ↑ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (October 24, 2014). "Dark Souls 2 wins Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards". https://www.vg247.com/dark-souls-2-golden-joystick-winners. 
  7. ↑ "Eurogamer's Game of the Year 2015". Eurogamer.net. January 2016. https://www.eurogamer.net/eurogamers-game-of-the-year-2015. 
  8. ↑ "Edge Presents: The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time". Edge. August 2017. 
  9. ↑ "Overwatch and Dark Souls 3 win big at this year's Golden Joystick Awards". PC Gamer. 18 November 2016. http://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-and-dark-souls-3-win-big-at-this-years-golden-joystick-awards/. Retrieved 13 February 2017. 
  10. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (13 December 2019). "The Game Awards 2019 Winners: Sekiro Takes Game Of The Year". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-game-awards-2019-winners-sekiro-takes-game-of-/1100-6472169/. 
  11. ↑ Hussain, Tamoor (17 December 2019). "Game Of The Year 2019 – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-the-year-2019-sekiro-shadows-die-twice/1100-6472249/. 
  12. ↑ "Elden Ring takes top honors at the Japan Game Awards". September 15, 2022. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2022/09/15/digital/japan-game-awards-elden-ring/. 
  13. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (November 22, 2022). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2022 winners". https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2022-winners/. 
  14. ↑ Plant, Logan (December 8, 2022). "The Game Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/the-game-awards-2022-winners. 
  15. ↑ Kain, Erik (November 22, 2013). "'Dark Souls' Inspired The Design Of Sony's PlayStation 4". https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/11/22/dark-souls-inspired-the-design-of-sonys-playstation-4/. 
  16. ↑ Polygon Staff (November 27, 2017). "The 500 Best Video Games of All Time". https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/27/16158276/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-500-401. 
  17. ↑ Hussain, Tamoor (May 14, 2019). "The Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century: Dark Souls". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-most-influential-games-of-the-21st-century-dar/1100-6466811/. 
  18. ↑ Donnelly, Joe (November 23, 2021). "Why Dark Souls has been crowned the best video game of all time". https://www.gamesradar.com/why-dark-souls-is-the-best-game-of-all-time/. 
  19. ↑ "From Software acquired by Japanese publisher Kadokawa Corporation". http://www.joystiq.com/2014/04/28/from-software-acquired-by-japanese-publisher-kadokawa-games/. 
  20. ↑ Duwell, Ron (May 23, 2014). "Dark Souls' Hidetaka Miyazaki Promoted to President of From Software". Techno Buffalo. http://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/05/22/dark-souls-hidetaka-miyazaki-promoted-to-president-of-from-software/. 
  21. ↑ "From Software to open new studio in Fukuoka". September 12, 2015. http://gematsu.com/2015/09/from-software-open-new-studio-fukuoka. 
  22. ↑ "FromSoftware to Establish New Studio in Fukuoka in October 2015". FromSoftware. http://fromsoftware.jp/pc_en/news/pressrelease/20150912_fukuokastudio_pressrelease.html. 
  23. ↑ "Tencent and Sony Interactive Entertainment collectively acquire 30.34 percent of FromSoftware" (in en-US). 2022-08-31. https://www.gematsu.com/2022/08/tencent-and-sony-interactive-entertainment-collectively-acquire-30-34-percent-of-fromsoftware. 
  24. ↑ "How much does From Software crunch?" (in en). 2022-11-29. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/how-much-does-from-software-crunch. 
  25. ↑ "About". https://www.fromsoftware.jp/ww/company_about.html. 

External links



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