Banpresto
Banpresto Co., Ltd.[lower-alpha 1] was a Japanese toy company, and a former game developer and publisher, headquartered in the Shinagawa Seaside West Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo.[1] The current iteration of the company was formed on April 1, 2008, with the focus on the toy consumer business.[2] The company was dissolved in February 2019 and combined to Bandai Spirits, with the company getting all the rights and duties of Banpresto.[3]
Native name | 株式会社バンプレスト |
---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Banpuresuto |
Formerly |
|
Kabushiki gaisha Subsidiary | |
Industry | Wholesale |
Fate | Video game operations taken over by Bandai Namco Games, Company merged with Bandai Spirits |
Founded | April 1977 (as Hoei Sangyo, Co. Ltd.) |
Defunct | February 23, 2019 |
Headquarters | Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan |
Products | Toys |
Parent | Bandai Namco Holdings |
Website | www |
History
The original company was founded April 1977 as Hoei Sangyo, Co. Ltd. (豊栄産業株式会社, Hōei Sangyō Kabushiki-gaisha, also known as Hoei Manufacturing Corp.). During the 1980s it worked mainly as a subcontractor for Sega and its arcade division,[4] and the company was renamed Coreland Technology Co., Ltd. (コアランドテクノロジー株式会社, Koarando Tekunorojī Kabushiki-gaisha) in 1982.[5] It started to be partially owned by Bandai in 1989, when it gained its current name.[6] It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings in March 2006.
Banpresto has created a variety of Japan-only video games, most notably the Super Robot Wars series. Other projects include anime tie-in games such as the Slam Dunk basketball games and Tenchi Muyou! Game Hen. Banpresto also made the Another Century's Episode series, a collaboration with FromSoftware, and the Compati Hero series of games which crosses over the Ultraman, Kamen Rider and Gundam franchises. Banpresto also makes several varieties of mechanical prize-winning games. As Coreland, the company has produced a number of games for Sega, including Pengo, 4-D Warriors and I'm Sorry.
Banpresto's video game operations were fully merged into Bandai Namco Games on April 1, 2008.[2] Banpresto's internal development division, Banpresoft, merged with BEC to form the successor company B.B. Studio on April 1, 2011.[7]
Games
Hoei/Coreland
Title | Publisher | Release date |
---|---|---|
Jump Bug | Sega | 1981 |
Pengo | Sega | 1982 |
Gombe's I'm Sorry | Sega | 1985 |
Seishun Scandal | Sega | 1986 |
WEC Le Mans | Konami | 1986 |
Banpresto
Title | Platform(s) | Release date |
---|---|---|
SD Lupin the 3rd: Operation to Break the Safe | Game Boy | April 13, 1990 |
SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Basho | Family Computer | April 20, 1990 |
SD Hero Soukessen: Taose! Aku no Gundan | Family Computer | July 7, 1990 |
Ranma ½ | Game Boy | July 28, 1990 |
SD Sengoku Bushou Retsuden: Rekka no Gotoku Tenka wo Nusure! | Family Computer | September 8, 1990 |
Kininkou Maroku Oni | Game Boy | December 8, 1990 |
Hissatsu Shigotonin | Family Computer | December 15, 1990 |
SD the Great Battle | Super Famicom | December 29, 1990 |
Super Robot Wars | Game Boy | April 20, 1991 |
Battle Dodge Ball | Super Famicom | July 20, 1991 |
Game Boy | October 16, 1992 | |
Super Puyo Puyo | Super Famicom | December 10, 1993 |
Puyo Puyo | Game Boy | July 31, 1994 |
Crayon Shin-chan: Saikyou Kazoku Kasukabe King Wii | Wii | December 2, 2006 |
Gintama: Gintoki vs. Dokata | Nintendo DS | December 14, 2006 |
Crayon Shin-Chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land - Kachinko Gachinko Daikatsugeki! | Nintendo DS | March 20, 2008 |
See also
- Elite Banana
Notes
- Japanese: 株式会社バンプレスト Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Banpuresuto
References
- "Company Outline". 18 February 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- "History". Banpresto. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- Sherman, Jennifer (February 22, 2019). "Toy Company Banpresto Dissolves, Combines With Bandai Spirits". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- "Banpresto Co., Ltd". MobyGames. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- "Hoei Corp. Renamed to "Coreland Technology"". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 191. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 July 1982. p. 26.
- "Banpresto". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 21, 2002. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- "History". BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. Retrieved 10 August 2017.