was 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 ...
based in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. The company, which employed just under 300 individuals before its closure, was founded on July 1, 2003 by
Yoshiki Okamoto
, sometimes credited as Kihaji Okamoto, is a Japanese video game designer. He is credited with producing popular titles for Konami, including '' Gyruss'' and '' Time Pilot'', and for Capcom, including ''1942'', '' Gun.Smoke'', ''Final Fight'' and ...
after his departure from
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 ...
. He began working at rival game developer and publisher
Konami
, commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
in the 1980s, and was responsible for such arcade games as ''
Gyruss
is shoot 'em up arcade video game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1983. ''Gyruss'' was initially licensed to Centuri in the United States for dedicated machines, before Konami released their own self-distributed conversion ...
'' and ''
Time Pilot
is a multidirectional shooter arcade video game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1982. It was distributed in the United States by Centuri, and by Atari Ireland in Europe and the Middle East. While engaging in aerial comb ...
''. He then moved to Capcom, where he worked on many renowned video games; he worked on the ''
Resident Evil
''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...
'' series and helped produce ''
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 ...
''.
While Game Republic was a completely independent developer able to produce titles for any publisher and/or platform they desire, during the company's early years it had enjoyed a close relationship with
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
, with many of their early titles funded by and produced in conjunction with the publisher. Later projects were mostly funded and published by
Namco Bandai Games
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 ...
. In June 2011 reports surfaced of Game Republic shutting down its website and vacating its offices.
Many of the former Game Republic developers have been hired by
Tango Gameworks
Tango Gameworks Inc. is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. Founded in March 2010 by Shinji Mikami, previously of Capcom, the company was acquired by ZeniMax Media in October that year after suffering financial issues.
Tango develo ...
.
Games
References
External links
*
{{Game Republic
Defunct video game companies of Japan
Video game development companies
Software companies based in Tokyo
Japanese companies established in 2003
Japanese companies disestablished in 2011
Video game companies established in 2003
Video game companies disestablished in 2011
Privately held companies of Japan