Natsume Atari
Natsume Atari Co., Ltd. (Japanese: ナツメアタリ株式会社), formerly Natsume Co., Ltd. (Japanese: ナツメ株式会社) from 1987 to 2013, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. Natsume Atari is based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan and is known for developing licensed titles and mobile games.
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game |
| Founded | 20 October 1987 |
| Headquarters | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan[1] |
Key people | Takashi Matsumoto (CEO, Natsume-Atari) |
| Products | Lufia Pocky and Rocky Rune Factory |
| Revenue | 719,000,000 yen  |
Number of employees | 150[1] |
| Website | www |
The company was founded as Natsume Co., Ltd. in 1987. In 1995, its American division Natsume Inc. split 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.[2]
Products
During the NES and SNES era, Natsume Atari 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 Atari also released the SNES game Pocky & Rocky as well as Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. Natsume Atari 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 Atari'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 Atari'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.[3]
Corporate divisions
Natsume Co., Ltd. was founded in Japan on October 20, 1987.[1] It became the parent company of Natsume Inc., founded in May 1988. Natsume Inc. started publishing video games in 1990.[4] By 1995, Natsume Inc. had broken away into its own company and is separately owned and operated.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7] Despite their corporate split off, Natsume Atari and Natsume Inc. have continued to collaborate on a number of occasions.[8][9]
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[10] | Natsume | Japan only |
| 1989 | Idol Hakkenden | Towa Chiki | Japan only |
| Dungeon Magic: Sword of the Elements | 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.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team | 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: Cogswell's Caper! | 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 Championship 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 | Sega[lower-alpha 1] | 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: The Fighting Edition | |||
| 1996 | Shin Kidō Senki Gundam Wing: Endless Duel | Japan only | |
| Power Rangers Zeo: Battle Racers | |||
| 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[11] | Natsume | ||
| Keitai Denjū Telefang | Smilesoft | Japan only | |
| 2001 | Action Man: Search for Base X | THQ | |
| Power Rangers Time Force | |||
| The Land Before Time[12] | 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: Dual Sympathy | Bandai/Destineer/Empire Interactive | |
| 2006 | Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island | THQ | |
| Kirby: Squeak Squad | Nintendo | Co-developed with Flagship and HAL Laboratory | |
| 2007 | Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots | THQ | |
| 2008 | SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom | Play THQ | |
| 2009 | Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | D3 Publisher |
Xbox 360
| Year | Title | Publisher | Additional note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Omega Five | Hudson Soft |
Note
- Published by Sega but subcontracted to Natsume by Taito.
References
- 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". ナツメアタリ株式会社.
- 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". ナツメアタリ株式会社.
- "サービス終了のお知らせ".
- "Natsume - Serious Fun!". March 3, 2005. Archived from the original on March 3, 2005.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - "Fragments of Silicon - Live & Recorded Episodes". www.talkshoe.com.
- "NATSUME INC. ANNOUNCES NEW OFFICE OPENING IN JAPAN" (PDF). Natsume.com. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- "WIKIPEDIA: BAD SOURCE OF INFO". CeeCee's Musings. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
- "[Industry Interviews] Taka Maekawa from Natsume Inc". November 22, 2017.
- http://www.natsume.com/news/news_pdffiles/pid_204_May122016_WGReloaded_Announced.pdf
- "Touhou Kenbun Roku - The Cutting Room Floor". tcrf.net.
- "Dragon Dance". IGN. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- "The Land Before Time". IGN. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
External links
- Natsume Atari homepage (Japanese)
- Natsume Co., Ltd. homepage (Japanese, old)
- Natsume Solution/evolve co., ltd. homepage (Japanese)