Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese

video game publisher A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that have been developed either internally by the publisher or externally by a video game developer. They often finance the development, sometimes by paying a video game developer ...

developer Developer may refer to: Computers *Software developer, a person or organization who develop programs/applications * Video game developer, a person or business involved in video game development, the process of designing and creating games * Web de ...

, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD ...

'', as well as simulation games based on pseudo-historical events. The company has also found mainstream success in a series of loosely historical action games, the flagship titles of which are the ''

Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now is Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel o ...

'' and '' Samurai Warriors'' series, also known as the ''Musō'' series. Koei also owns a division known as Ruby Party, which focuses on otome games. On April 1, 2009, Koei merged with Tecmo to form the Tecmo Koei Holdings holding company. Koei changed its name to Tecmo Koei Games on April 1, 2010 by absorbing Tecmo, and again on July 1, 2014, to Koei Tecmo Games.

History

Koei was established in July 1978 by Yōichi Erikawa (also known as Kou Shibusawa) and Keiko Erikawa. Yoichi was a student at Keio University, and when his family's rural

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...

stuffs business failed, he decided to pursue his interest in programming. The company has remained located in the Hiyoshi area of

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

. The company initially focused on

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or te ...

sales and made-to-order business

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...

. In 1982, the company released the erotic title ( eroge) , which was an early role-playing adventure game with color graphics, owing to the eight-color palette of the PC-8001 computer. It became a hit, helping Koei become a major software company. In March the same year Koei released ''Underground Exploration'', the earliest known Japanese RPG. In 1983 it released , a historical strategy game set during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

of Japanese history. The game went on to receive numerous awards, and Koei produced several more such games set against the backdrop of world history, including ''

'', set during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of Chinese history, and , set in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

during the

Age of Exploration The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafaring ...

. In 1988, Koei established a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a ...

, Koei America Corporation, in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. This subsidiary localized Koei games for export to all territories outside Japan, as well as producing original games and concepts with the leadership of designer Stieg Hedlund, like '' Liberty or Death'', '' Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye'', '' Gemfire'' and '' Saiyuki: Journey West''. After Hedlund's departure, this subsidiary ceased game development in 1995, focusing instead on localization, sales and marketing. Though none of Koei's historical simulations achieved mass market success, they acquired a loyal cult following. This following allowed Koei to remain profitable, since they could reliably predict how many copies of their games would sell (especially important during the cartridge era, when a surplus of unsold cartridges on a single game was often enough to bankrupt a company). A

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

subsidiary, Koei Canada, Inc. was established in early 2001, and a

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an subsidiary, Koei Limited was established in early 2003 in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Koei also maintains subsidiaries in

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. Recently, Koei created a Singapore branch for game development such as '' Sangokushi Online''. All Koei operations in English in turn ceased in 2012, with the previously unannounced closing of Koei's North American support forums and website. They resumed in 2016, with the English language PC release of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII. Koei's Ruby Party division specializes on games labeled as Neoromance: GxB dating sims, usually with extra side-quests. Out of the three Neoromance series, the best known is Angelique, which has been in production since 1994. Harukanaru Toki no Naka de is a newer Neoromance hit, with many sequels and an

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series based on it. The newest game in the series,

Kin'iro no Corda is a Japanese role-playing game series targeted at a female demographic audience from Koei. The title is Italian for ''The Golden String''. The story was adapted into a manga by the game's character designer, Yuki Kure, which ...

, is gaining popularity partially because the manga series it was based on, has been recently licensed by '' Viz'' for

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

publishing. It gaining more popularity though, and an anime television series based on it began airing in October 2006. A sequel was also released on the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. On September 4, 2008, Koei announced that it was in talks to purchase ailing competitor Tecmo. They agreed in November 2008 to merge on April 1, 2009 to form Tecmo Koei Holdings. On January 26, 2009 the two companies approved the merger, the

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

formed on April 1, 2009 as planned. On April 1, 2010, Koei absorbed Tecmo and renamed itself Tecmo Koei Games. Koei's subsidiaries in the United States, Europe and Korea already had their names changed months before the Japanese parent. On March 15, 2010, the developing operations of Koei and Tecmo were spun off as new companies under the names of Koei Co, Ltd and Tecmo Co, Ltd respectively, but they were integrated into Tecmo Koei Games the following year, on April 1, 2011.

Games by Koei

Koei has built a large base of franchises, and has developed on various consoles and computers. Below is a list of game series developed by Koei.

Action games

*'' Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War'', an action/strategy game based on the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Released for

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

, PlayStation 4 and

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

. *'' BoBoiBoy Galactic Heroes'' – In association with Koei, and based on the Malaysian TV series,

BoBoiBoy Galaxy ''BoBoiBoy Galaxy'' is a Malaysian animated television series. It is a sequel to ''BoBoiBoy'' after it ended with its third season, focusing more on story-based adventures with different arcs every few episodes. The series took place after ''B ...

, to be released on Google Play. *'' Croc: Legend of the Gobbos''. The Japanese version of the ''Croc'' games distributed by Koei were released for the PlayStation. *'' Crimson Sea'' was released for Xbox in 2002, whereas its sequel was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004. *'' Destrega'', a 1 vs 1 fighter game for the PlayStation. *''

'' 1–9 (as well as expansions ''Xtreme Legends'' for 3–8, ''Empires'' for 4–8, plus a Game Boy Advance, a Nintendo DS and three PlayStation Portable games) '' (真・三國無双 ''Shin-Sangoku Musō'';

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

of ''

''). *'' Dynasty Warriors: Gundam'', for the

and

, it is based on the mechanics of ''Dynasty Warriors'' and ''Samurai Warriors'', only using the ''

Mobile Suit Gundam , also known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is an anime television series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcastin ...

'' franchise as its base. (''ガンダム無双'' Gundam Musō). *'' Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage'' for the

and

. *'' Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2'' for the

, and

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. ...

*'' Hyrule Warriors'' for

, a Dynasty Warriors style game for ''

The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-relea ...

'' franchise. *''

Mystic Heroes ''Mystic Heroes'' is a hack and slash video game developed by Koei. The game is loosely based on ''Investiture of the Gods'', a Chinese supernatural novel about the fall of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty. A Game Boy Advance ...

'' for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. *'' Nioh'' for PlayStation 4. *'' One Piece: Pirate Warriors'' for the

. *'' Prey the Stars'', released for the Nintendo DS. *'' Samurai Warriors'', '' Samurai Warriors 2'', ''

Samurai Warriors 3 is the third installment in the ''Samurai Warriors'' series, created by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in Japan on December 3, 2009, in Europe on May 28, 2010, in Australia on June 10, 2010, and in North America on September 28 ...

'', and '' Samurai Warriors 4'' (as well as an'' Xtreme Legends ''expansion to both, and'' Empires ''expansion to'' 2, ''a PSP game,'' Samurai Warriors: State of War'', and '' Samurai Warriors: Katana'' for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...

.)'' (''戦国無双'' Sengoku Musō''). Many spinoffs of this have been created including Derby Musou and Samurai Warriors Chronicles series. *''

Stop That Roach! ''Stop That Roach!'', known in Japan as , is a Game Boy puzzle game, puzzle Strategy video game, strategy video game by Koei. Gameplay The video game revolves around an insect exterminator who must kill roaches by any means possible. It is a 1 ...

'', an action/puzzle game released in 1994 for

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...

. *'' Tamashii no Mon Dante no Shinkyoku yori '' (''魂の門ダンテ「神曲」より'' Gate of Souls ~ From Dante's ''Divine Comedy''), an action game inspired by Dante's ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature a ...

'' released on NEC PC-9801 and FM Towns. *'' Toukiden: The Age of Demons'', a monster-hunting action role-playing game. *'' Trinity: Zill O'll Zero'', for the

. *'' Warriors: Legends of Troy'' is a Koei Canada game which was announced at E3 2009. *'' Warriors Orochi'' for the PlayStation 2, PSP, PC and

, it is the first Koei

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

title, featuring characters from the ''Dynasty Warriors'' and ''Samurai Warriors'' games. (''無双OROCHI''). *''

WinBack ''WinBack'' (known as ''WinBack: Covert Operations'' in North America and ''Operation: WinBack'' in Australia and Europe) is a third-person shooter video game developed by Omega Force (a division of Koei) and published for the Nintendo 64 in 19 ...

'', a third-person shooter game for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 2. *'' WinBack 2: Project Poseidon'', a third-person shooter game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. *''

Warriors All-Stars ''Warriors All-Stars'', (or in Japan) is a hack and slash video game by Koei Tecmo. It is a crossover based on the long-running '' Warriors'' series, featuring an array of cast taken from various titles owned by the company, similar to the ''War ...

'' for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, a ''Dynasty Warriors'' style game mixing characters from Koei's various franchises, similar to ''Warriors Orochi''. *'' Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper'', for the

History Simulation

*''

Bandit Kings of Ancient China ''Bandit Kings of Ancient China'', also known as in Japan, is a turn-based strategy video game developed and published by Koei, and released in 1989 for MSX, MS-DOS, Amiga, and Macintosh and in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. ...

'' – Released on the Nintendo Entertainment System, MS-DOS, Amiga & Macintosh. *''

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; ; xng, Temüjin, script=Latn; ., name=Temujin – August 25, 1227) was the founder and first Great Khan (Emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in history a ...

series. *'' Liberty or Death'' – Based on the American Revolutionary war. *'' Nobunaga's Ambition series'' – published on various platforms. *''

'' I to XIV released on the MSX, MSX2, NES, SNES, Genesis, Amiga, PC-Engine CD-ROM, Sega Saturn, PS1, PS2 and PC – turn based strategy games *'' Rise of the Phoenix'' – Based on the wars of the early Han and Chu dynasties in China, released on the SNES.

Strategy games

*'' Aerobiz Supersonic'' – Airline simulator *'' BoBoiBoy Galactic Heroes'' – From In Association With Koei and Based on the BoBoiBoy go to Galaxy released in Google Play *'' Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye'' – Medieval fantasy simulatorDembo, Arinn; ''Aye, 'Tis a Bonny Land Indeed: Koei explores the Emerald Isle's Myth and Magic in CELTIC TALES'', p. 214. Computer Gaming World, Issue 134, September 1995 *

Dynasty Tactics ''Dynasty Tactics'' (三國志戦記, ''Sangokushi Senki'' in Japan) is a strategy game for the Sony PlayStation 2. The title is set during the Three Kingdoms era and takes place after the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Dong Zhuo's death. The gamepla ...

* Dynasty Tactics 2 *'' Gemfire'' – Medieval fantasy simulator *''

'' *'' Kessen'' *'' Kessen II'' *''

Kessen III ''Kessen III'' (決戦III) is the third ''Kessen'' title by Koei for PlayStation 2. The game is based on the life of Oda Nobunaga. Historical background The game's time frame is roughly between the years 1550 to 1590. Contrary to many stories ...

'' *'' L'Empereur'' – Turn-based strategy game released on the Nintendo Entertainment System *'' P.T.O.: Pacific Theater of Operations'' *'' P.T.O. II: Pacific Theater of Operations'' *'' P.T.O. IV: Pacific Theater of Operations'' *'' Naval Ops: Warship Gunner 2'' *'' Nobunaga's Ambition series'' – published on various platforms *'' Operation Europe: Path to Victory'' – A strategy game set in

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

*''

'' *'' Teitoku no Ketsudan'' (''PTO: Pacific Theater of Operations'' in North America) –

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vas ...

strategy games

Executive Series

*'' Aerobiz'' and '' Aerobiz Supersonic'' – Airline business simulator series *''

Top Management is a multiplatform business simulation video game that turns the player into a highly respected corporate title holder. Gameplay Using the management abilities provided by the game, players must turn their fledgling into a profitable super co ...

'' – Business simulator series *'' Top Management II'' – Released on the Super Famicom, Microsoft Windows PC and NEC PC-9801 *''

Winning Post ''Winning Post'' is a thoroughbred horse racing simulation game series from Koei Tecmo (originally Koei) debuting in 1993. The series is distinct from Koei's other horse-racing franchise, '' G1 Jockey'', and Tecmo's ''Gallop Racer'' series. To da ...

'' – Thoroughbred horse racing management and horse breeding simulator series *'' Pop Cutie! Street Fashion Simulation'' – fashion design and business management simulation *'' Leading Company'' – Video cassette recorder business simulator

Neo-romance games

*'' Angelique'' *'' Harukanaru Toki no Naka de'' *''

'' *'' Neo Angelique ~Abyss~''

RPGs

*''

'' *''

Brandish Brandish may refer to: * ''Brandish'' (series), a four-game action role-playing video game series ** ''Brandish'' (video game), a 1991 action role-playing video game and the first video game in the ''Brandish'' series * Brandish Corner, a point ...

'' ( Super NES port) *'' Danchi Zuma no Yuuwaku'' *'' Inindo: Way of the Ninja'' (for Super NES) Also part of Rekoeition series *'' Nobunaga's Ambition'' *'' Saiyuki: Journey West'' *'' Sangokushi Eiketsuden'', '' Sangokushi Koumeiden'', '' Sangokushi Sousouden'' (as Tactical RPG) *'' Soul Master'' *'' Opoona''

Sports games

*''

G1 Jockey G1 Jockey (called GI Jockey in Japan) is a video game franchise developed and published by Koei that simulates horse racing from a jockey's perspective. The games most dominant participant Tom Bartholomew retired after going unbeaten for 13 year ...

'' *'' G1 Jockey 4 2007'' *'' Fatal Inertia'' *'' Se-Pa 2001'' *''

Winning Post 7 Maximum 2007 ''Winning Post 7 Maximum 2007'' (ウイニングポスト7 マキシマム2007) is a horse racing simulator published by Koei for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 in Japan on March 29, 2007. It is the sequel of '' Winning Post 7'' and is fol ...

'' *'' Yanya Caballista: City Skater''

Music games

*''

Gitaroo Man ''Gitaroo Man'' is a rhythm video game developed by iNiS and published by Koei for PlayStation 2. The game features visual production by Mitsuru Nakamura and an original soundtrack by Japanese band COIL. The game was released in Japan on June 21 ...

'' (As well as a PlayStation Portable version called ''Gitaroo Man Lives!'')

Rekoeition

*'' Ishin no Arashi'' – First game of Rekoeition series. * * – Based on the

Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafa ...

. *

Adventure games

*'' Saihai no Yukue'' (''采配のゆくえ'')

Erotic games

*'' Danchi Zuma no Yuuwaku'' *'' Night Life''

Games published by Koei in Europe

*''

Disgaea is a series of tactical role-playing video games created and developed by Nippon Ichi. The series debuted in Japan on January 30, 2003, with '' Disgaea: Hour of Darkness'', later re-released as ''Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness'' and ''Disgaea DS ...

'' series *''

Dynasty Warriors 3 is a hack and slash video game developed by Omega Force (ω-force) and published by Koei (with distribution handled by THQ for the PlayStation 2 in PAL regions). It is third in the ''Dynasty Warriors'' series in North America and the second in t ...

'' *'' La Pucelle: Tactics'' *''

Atelier Iris is a role-playing video game developed by Japanese developer Gust for the PlayStation 2, the first of the ''Atelier Iris'' saga. Despite the ''Atelier'' series' long run and popularity in Japan, ''Atelier Iris'' was the first of the series to b ...

'' series *'' Phantom Brave'' *'' Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome'' *'' Colosseum: Road to Freedom'' *'' Persona 3'' and '' Persona 3 FES''

References

External links

* {{Authority control Companies based in Yokohama Defunct video game companies of Japan Video game companies established in 1978 Koei Tecmo Video game publishers Video game development companies Japanese companies established in 1978 Video game companies disestablished in 2010 Japanese companies disestablished in 2010