is a Japanese

video game developer A video game developer is a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large business with em ...

and

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

. It was formed in 1995 by former

Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...

employees. It was originally known as ARMtech K.K, but was later named Arika. The name of the company is the reverse of the name of the company's founder,

Akira Nishitani , also known as "Nin-Nin" or simply "Pom G", is a Japanese game director, game designer and character designer. Nishitani started working for Capcom in 1986, where he became mostly known for designing ''Street Fighter II'' and ''Final Fight'' al ...

, who along with

Akira Yasuda (born July 21, 1964) is a Japanese animator, character designer, game designer and mecha designer, who works under the pseudonym "Akiman". Yasuda is a former employee of the video game company Capcom (joining in 1985) and has worked on many Capcom ...

, created ''

Street Fighter II is a 1991 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcade game, arcades. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter (video game), Street Fighter''. Designed by Yoshiki O ...

''. Arika's first game was ''

Street Fighter EX is a 1996 fighting game originally released as a arcade game, coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware. It is a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the ''Street Fighter'' series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the ...

''. It was successful and was followed up with two updates (''Street Fighter EX +'' and ''EX + α''), and its two sequels ''

Street Fighter EX2 is a 2D head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics co-produced by Capcom and Arika and originally released in 1998 as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN-2 hardware. It is the sequel to the original ''Street Fighter EX'', and the sec ...

'' and '' Street Fighter EX3''. In 2018, they released a spiritual successor to both ''Street Fighter EX'' and ''

Fighting Layer is a 3D computer graphics, 3D Arcade video game, arcade versus fighting game, fighting game developed by Arika and published by Namco, built on the Namco System 12 arcade hardware. The game was released in December 1998; it has never been ported ...

'' (published by

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...

), titled ''

Fighting EX Layer ''Fighting EX Layer'' is a 2018 fighting video game produced by Arika. It is a spiritual successor to '' Fighting Layer'' (1998) and the ''Street Fighter EX'' series (1996–2000), which Arika had developed, and features many of the same charact ...

''. From 2019 to 2021, Arika collaborated with

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

to create the battle royale games '' Tetris 99'', '' Super Mario Bros. 35'', and with

Bandai Namco (commonly known as and formerly Namco Bandai until 2015, also known as Bandai Namco Group,) is a Japanese mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 2005 by the merger of Namco and Bandai. The company specia ...

for ''

Pac-Man 99 is a battle royale maze video game developed by Arika and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the Nintendo Switch. It was released through the Nintendo Switch Online service on April 7, 2021. Part of its ''Pac-Man'' franchise, its gam ...

''. Arika is also known for the '' Tetris: The Grand Master'' series, the '' Dr. Mario'' series, starting with ''

Dr. Mario Online Rx ''Dr. Mario Online Rx'', stylized as ' and released in PAL regions as ''Dr. Mario & Germ Buster'', is a puzzle video game starring Dr. Mario. It was one of the WiiWare launch games in Japan, Europe, and Australia, and was released in 2008 on M ...

'', and the ''

Endless Ocean ''Endless Ocean'' (known as ''Forever Blue'' in Japanese) is a scuba diving adventure game developed by Arika and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is considered a spiritual successor to '' Everblue'', another scuba diving adventure game seri ...

'' series.

History

Arika was founded in November 1995. During the first month of its existence, the company was focused strictly on research. In July 2011, a video from an Arika 3DS test project, called ''Fighting Sample'', was released, featuring Hokuto and Kairi from the ''Street Fighter EX'' series. Further screenshots were released, showing characters Blair, Doctrine Dark and Shadow Geist, but the project was later cancelled. Later in May 2016, another video showcasing Nanase, Allen, Darun and Skullomania was released as a sample test video, with no plans for a future release. In April 2017, ''Fighting EX Layer'', which seems to be the "evolution" of ''Fighting Sample'' was announced as a video for April Fools, and later confirmed to be actually a game in development. ''Fighting EX Layer'' is a spiritual successor to both ''

'' series and ''

'', an arcade-only fighting game by Arika. ''Tetris: The Grand Master 4: Masters of Round'' has been shown to be in development multiple times since as early as 2009. However, it was cancelled later on due to various reasons, including copyright infringements with regards to emulation and various fan-developed clones of ''TGM'', most notably ''Texmaster2009''. ''The Grand Master 2015'' was announced and playtested in both Japan and the United States in June 2015. This playtest was not licensed by The Tetris Company. In late 2024, Arika officially announced ''Tetris: The Grandmaster 4: Absolute Eye'', scheduled for March 2025. Not long after completion, a ''Tetris the Absolute: The Grand Master 2 PLUS'' port to the PlayStation 2 was shown to be in development. However, for unknown reasons, the port was not licensed and was never released. Arika collaborated with

Bandai Namco Entertainment is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...

to help co-develop ''

Tekken 8 is a 2024 fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Arika and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the eighth main installment (and tenth overall entry) in the ''Tekken'' series and the first one to debut on home systems ins ...

''. This collaboration also lead to them handling update patch(es) on ''

Tekken 7 is a 2015 fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the seventh main and ninth overall installment in the ''Tekken'' series, and is the first in that series to be released for PC. ''Tekken 7'' was released to Am ...

''.

Games developed

*''

'' (1996,

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

) *''

Street Fighter EX Plus is a 1996 fighting game originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware. It is a spin-off of the ''Street Fighter'' series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the series to feature 3D polygon ...

'' (1997, arcade) *''

Street Fighter EX Plus α is a 1996 fighting game originally released as a arcade game, coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware. It is a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the ''Street Fighter'' series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the ...

'' (1997,

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

) *''

'' (1998, arcade) *'' Tetris: The Grand Master'' (1998, arcade) *''

'' (1998, arcade) *''

Street Fighter EX2 Plus is a 2D head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics co-produced by Capcom and Arika and originally released in 1998 as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN-2 hardware. It is the sequel to the original ''Street Fighter EX'', and the sec ...

'' (early 1999, arcade and December 24, 1999, PlayStation) *'' Street Fighter EX3'' (2000,

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

) *'' Tetris: The Grand Master 2 - The Absolute'' (2000, arcade) *''Tetris with Cardcaptor Sakura Eternal Heart'' (2000, PlayStation) *'' Everblue'' (2001, PlayStation 2) *''Technictix (テクニクティクス)'' (2001, PlayStation 2) *'' Technicbeat'' (2002, arcade) *'' Everblue 2'' (2002, PlayStation 2) *'' DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou'' (2003, PlayStation 2) *''

Mega Man Network Transmission is a 2003 Action game, action-Platform game, platform video game developed by Arika and published by Capcom for the GameCube video game console. The game was first released in Japan on March 6, 2003, and in North America and PAL regions the follo ...

'' (2003,

GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...

, its only game for the console) *'' The Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigino Dungeon'' (2004, PlayStation 2, collaborated with Chunsoft) *'' Tetris: The Grand Master 3 - Terror Instinct'' (2005, arcade) *'' Super Dragon Ball Z'' (2005, arcade & PlayStation 2, collaborated with Crafts & Meister) *'' Tetris: The Grand Master Ace'' (2005,

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

) *''

Tsubasa Chronicle is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the Mangaka, manga artist group Clamp (manga artists), Clamp. It takes place in the same fictional universe as many of Clamp's other manga series, most notably ''xxxHolic''. The plot fo ...

'' (2005,

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

) *''Jewelry Master'' (2006–2007,

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

) *''

'' (2007,

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, f ...

) *'' Ketsui Death Label'' (2008, Nintendo DS) *''

'' (2008, Wii through

WiiWare WiiWare was a digital media entertainment service operated by Nintendo that allowed the download of games and applications developed for the Wii video game console. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the W ...

) *'' Dr. Mario Express'' (2008,

Nintendo DSi The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console released by Nintendo. The console launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, and worldwide beginning in April 2009. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival was ...

through

DSiWare This is a list of games and applications, collectively known as DSiWare, for the Nintendo DSi handheld game console, available for download via the DSi Shop and unplayable on earlier DS models. An update released for the Nintendo 3DS in June 20 ...

) *''Jewelry Master Twinkle'' (2009, Xbox 360 through

Xbox Live Indie Games Xbox Live Indie Games (XBLIG; previously called Xbox Live Community Games, XBLCG) were video games created by individual developers or small teams of developers released on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360. The games were develop ...

) *''Aa Mujou Setsuna''/''Metal Torrent'' (2009/2010, Nintendo DSi through DSiWare) *'' Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep'' (2009/2010, Wii) *''Jewelry Master Twinkle Light'' (2010, Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Indie Games) *'' Bust-A-Move Universe'' (2011,

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

) *'' AR Games'' (2011, Pre-Installed on the Nintendo 3DS) *'' 3D Classics Excitebike'' (2011, Nintendo 3DS through

Nintendo 3DS eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served as t ...

) *'' 3D Classics Xevious'' (2011, Nintendo 3DS through Nintendo 3DS eShop) *'' 3D Classics Urban Champion'' (2011, Nintendo 3DS through Nintendo 3DS eShop) *'' 3D Classics Twinbee'' (2011, Nintendo 3DS through Nintendo 3DS eShop) *'' 3D Classics Kirby Adventure'' (2011, Nintendo 3DS through Nintendo 3DS eShop) *'' 3D Classics Kid Icarus'' (2012, Nintendo 3DS through Nintendo 3DS eShop) *'' Tekken 3D: Prime Edition'' (2012, Nintendo 3DS) *'' Teddy Together'' (2013, Nintendo 3DS. Bandai-Namco) *'' Dr. Luigi'' (2013,

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. The W ...

through Nintendo eShop) *'' Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure'' (2015, Nintendo 3DS through Nintendo eShop) *''

'' (2018,

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

, Windows) *'' Tetris 99'' (2019,

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

through

Nintendo eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served ...

) *'' Super Mario Bros. 35'' (2020, Nintendo Switch through Nintendo eShop) *''

'' (2021, Nintendo Switch through Nintendo eShop) *'' Fighting EX Layer Another Dash'' (2021, Nintendo Switch) *''

Chocobo GP is a 2022 kart racing game developed by Arika and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo Switch. The game is a spin-off of the ''Final Fantasy'' series and is a sequel to 1999's '' Chocobo Racing''. It was released in celebration of the series ...

'' (2022, Nintendo Switch) *''

'' (2023, PlayStation 4,

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

, Windows) *''

'' (2024,

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...

, Windows) *''

Endless Ocean Luminous is a 2024 adventure simulation game developed by Arika and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. As the third game in the ''Endless Ocean'' series, ''Luminous'' marks the first installment since 2009's '' Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of ...

'' (2024, Nintendo Switch) *'' Tetris: The Grandmaster 4 - Absolute Eye -'' (2025, Windows)

References

External links

*
Official website (English)
{{Authority control Video game companies of Japan Video game development companies Video game publishers Mass media companies based in Tokyo Video game companies established in 1995 Japanese companies established in 1995 Shinagawa