, stylized as KANEJapanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
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 ...
founded in
Suginami, Tokyo
is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English.
As of June 1, 2022, Suginami has an estimated population of 588,354 and a population density of 17,274 pe ...
, Japan, by Hiroshi Kaneko. It published a number of games both under its brand and other companies, such as ''
Air Buster
is a 1990 scrolling shooter, horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Kaneko. It was published by Namco in Japan and Sharp Image Electronics in North America (licensed from Namco). Two players control the "Blaster Fighter" s ...
'', ''
Nexzr
is a 1992 vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game released by Naxat for the NEC PC Engine Super CD-ROM².
Gameplay
''Nexzr'' is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up game.
Development and release
A special "time-attack" edition was rel ...
Gals Panic
is a series of Japanese eroge (adult video games) by Kaneko for the Arcade game, arcades. The gameplay in the ''Gals Panic'' series is similar to Taito's classic puzzle game ''Qix''; the objective is to control a marker on a board and uncover ba ...
'' series.
The last game released by the company was ''Gals Panic S3'' for the
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 ...
in 2002.
History
The company began business as developer, manufacturer, vendor, trader of electronic machines, and manufacturing medical equipment.
In 1982, it began its video game business as a developer of
Taito Corporation
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines, and jukeboxes into Japa ...
's video games.
In 1990, Kaneko began to make its own video game under the KANEKO brand.
In Summer 1994, Kaneko closed its US branch and cancelled game projects such as ''
Fido Dido
Fido Dido ( or ) is a cartoon character of a male youth created by Joanna Ferrone and Sue Rose.
History
Rose first doodled the character in 1985 on a napkin in a restaurant. Ferrone came up with the character's name on her way to work the next ...
'' and ''
Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill
A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the lat ...
''.
In April 2000, Kaneko went through financial restructuring, and exited video game business except for maintenance department. The company was moved to
Shibuya, Tokyo
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station.
As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,609 in 142,443 households ...
.
On July 25, 2001, Kaneko filed a lawsuit against
Hitachi Software Engineering
() is a Japanese multinational conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable energy, railway systems, healthcare products, and fi ...
over the Super Kaneko NOVA System arcade board, and demanded 1.52 billion yen for damages.
On August 12, 2004, Kaneko filed for
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
. However, the company's founder, Hiroshi Kaneko, vowed to continue.
In 2006, a
civil
Civil may refer to:
*Civility, orderly behavior and politeness
*Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society
*Civil (journalism)
''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...
lawsuit
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...
threatened to officially close the company. the fate of the company is unknown, though assumed no longer existent.
List of games
Arcade
*''
Air Buster
is a 1990 scrolling shooter, horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Kaneko. It was published by Namco in Japan and Sharp Image Electronics in North America (licensed from Namco). Two players control the "Blaster Fighter" s ...
Blood Warrior
''Blood Warrior'', known in Japan as , is a 1994 fighting arcade game developed by Atop and published by Kaneko. It is the successor to the 1992 fighting arcade game, '' Shogun Warriors'', also developed by Atop and published by Kaneko. Unlike ' ...
'' (1994)
*''
Boggy '84
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muske ...
'' (1983)
*''
Bonk's Adventure
''Bonk's Adventure'', known as in Japan, ''PC Kid'' and ''B.C. Kid'' in Europe, is a scrolling platform game developed by Red Company and Atlus and released in 1989 in Japan and 1990 in North America for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. The Japane ...
'' (1994, arcade version ''PC Genjin'' in Japan and ''B.C. Kid'' in Europe)
*''Cyvern: The Dragon Weapons'' (1998)
*'' DJ Boy'' (1989, licensed by Sammy in US, Sega in Japan)
*'' Dr. Toppel's Adventure'' (1987, co-developed by Taito)
*''
Explosive Breaker
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...
'' (1992, ''Bakuretsu Breaker'' in Japan)
*''
Fighting Roller
Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of ...
'' (1983, licensed by Williams as ''Roller Aces'' in the US)
*'' Fly Boy'' (1982, licensed by Atari, Inc. as ''Fast Freddie'' in the US)
*''Gals Panic'' (1990 - Overseas, including US; published by Taito in Japan, licensed by Inter Trading in Korea)
*''Gals Panic II'' (1993)
*''Gals Panic 3'' (1995)
*''Gals Panic 4'' (1996)
*''Gals Panic S Extra Edition'' (1997)
*''Gals Panic S2'' (1999, a.k.a. ''Gals Panic SU'' in Korea)
*''Gals Panic S3'' (2002, Japan-exclusive)
*''
Go Go Mr. Yamaguchi
Go, GO, G.O., or Go! may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Games and sport
* Go (game), a board game for two players
* '' Travel Go'' (formerly ''Go – The International Travel Game''), a game based on world travel
* Go, the starting position ...
'' (1985, licensed by Taito)
*''Great 1000 Miles Rally'' (1994)
*''Great 1000 Miles Rally 2'' (1995)
*'' Guts'n'' (2000, developed by Kouyousha)
*''
Heavy Unit
is a horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Kaneko and published by Taito in 1988. It was ported to the PC Engine by Taito and was released on December 22, 1989. There was also a Mega Drive port by Toho entitled "Heavy Un ...
'' (1988)
*'' Jan Jan Paradise'' (1996, developed by Electro Design)
*'' Jan Jan Paradise 2'' (1997, developed by Electro Design)
*'' Jump Coaster'' (1983)
*''Lady Master Of Kung Fu'' (1985, published by Taito)
*''
Romstar
Romstar Inc. was a video game distribution company based in Torrance, California that started operations in 1984. They originally started as the first American distribution arm for SNK (before SNK of America was founded in 1987). They were known ...
in the US)
*'' Prebillian'' (1986, co-developed by Taito)
*''Samurai Nipponichi'' (1985, published and distributed by Magic Electronics as ''Samurai'' in the US)
*'' Red Clash'' (1981, distributed by Tecmo)
*'' Tel Jan'' (developed by Electro Design)
*'' The Berlin Wall'' (1991)
*''
The Kung-Fu Master Jackie Chan
is a 1995 fighting arcade game developed and published by Kaneko. It features the Hong Kong celebrity, Jackie Chan, who was also the producer of it, while it also features other actors from some of his films.
During the same year, the game w ...
'' (1995)
*''Magical Crystals''
*''Panic Street''
* (1998, developed by Kouyousha)
*''Sengeki Striker'' (1997, co-developed by Warashi)
*'' Shogun Warriors'' (1992)
*'' Super Qix'' (distributed by
Romstar
Romstar Inc. was a video game distribution company based in Torrance, California that started operations in 1984. They originally started as the first American distribution arm for SNK (before SNK of America was founded in 1987). They were known ...
in the US, co-developed by Taito)
*''VS Block Breaker'' (''Saru Kani Hamu Zou'' in Japan)
*''Vs. Gong Fight'' / ''Ring Fighter'' (1984)
*''Vs. Hot Smash'' (1987, co-developed by Taito)
*'' VS Mahjong Otomeryouran'' (developed by Electro Design)
Game Boy
* (Game Boy version of the MSX game by
Nippon Columbia
, often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...
)
MSX
*''Boggy '84'' (1984) (developed by Nippon Columbia)
*''Jump Coaster'' (1984) (developed by Nippon Columbia)
NEC PC-9801
*''GalPani'' (1995) (developed by Creo I)
*''GalPani II'' (1996) (developed by Mycom)
PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-16
*''
Air Buster
is a 1990 scrolling shooter, horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Kaneko. It was published by Namco in Japan and Sharp Image Electronics in North America (licensed from Namco). Two players control the "Blaster Fighter" s ...
'' (1990, developed by Inter State, published by Hudson Soft as ''Aero Blasters'')
*''
Heavy Unit
is a horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Kaneko and published by Taito in 1988. It was ported to the PC Engine by Taito and was released on December 22, 1989. There was also a Mega Drive port by Toho entitled "Heavy Un ...
'' (1989, developed by Inter State, published by Taito)
*''
Nexzr
is a 1992 vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game released by Naxat for the NEC PC Engine Super CD-ROM².
Gameplay
''Nexzr'' is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up game.
Development and release
A special "time-attack" edition was rel ...
'' (1992, developed by Inter State and published by Naxat-Soft, followed up by an expanded re-release in 1993 as ''Summer Carnival '93: Nexzr Special'')
*''
Star Parodier
is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Kaneko and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine CD-ROM² in 1992. It is a spin-off of the '' Star Soldier'' series and was localized for North America as ''Fantasy Star Soldier'' ...
'' (1992, developed by Inter State, published by Hudson Soft)
*''
Super Star Soldier
is a Shoot 'em up#Scrolling shooters, scrolling shooter video game developed by Kaneko and originally published by Hudson Soft in 1990 for the Japanese TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine and in 1991 for the North American TurboGrafx-16. It is the sequel t ...
'' (1990, developed by Inter State, published by Hudson Soft)
PlayStation
*''Hiza no Ue no Partner: Kitty on Your Lap'' (1998)
*''Silhouette Stories'' (1996)
*''Zen-Nihon GT Senshuken Kai'' (1996)
*''Zen-Nihon GT Senshuken Max-Rev'' (1997)
Sega Game Gear
*''Berlin No Kabe'' (1991) (developed by Inter-State)
Sega Genesis
*''
Air Buster
is a 1990 scrolling shooter, horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Kaneko. It was published by Namco in Japan and Sharp Image Electronics in North America (licensed from Namco). Two players control the "Blaster Fighter" s ...
Super NES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Oceania a ...
and ''Deadly Moves'' for the
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
)
*'' DJ Boy'' (1990, developed by Inter State)
*'' Heavy Unit: MD Special'' (1991, developed by Funari and published by Toho)
*''Kageki: Fists Of Steel'' (1991, developed by Sage's Creation)
*''
Wani Wani World
Wani may refer to:
*Vani (custom), a child marriage custom in tribal areas of Pakistan
*Wani (dragon), a Japanese dragon translated as "sea monster", "crocodile", or "shark"
*Wani (scholar), a legendary scholar, sent from Korea to Japan during the ...
'' (1992, developed by Inter State)
Sega Saturn
*''
Gals Panic SS
Gals may refer to:
* Gals (satellite), Russian communications satellite
* Gals, Switzerland, Seeland, Bern; a municipality
* ''Gals!'', a shoujo Japanese manga comic by Mihona Fujii
* GALS screen (gait, arms, legs, spine), a medical screening tes ...
Super NES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Oceania a ...
and ''Deadly Moves'' for the
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
)
*''Zen-Nihon GT Senshuken: Hyper Battle Game'' (1995) (co-developed by C.P. Brain and published by Banpresto)
Unreleased games
*''
Air Buster
is a 1990 scrolling shooter, horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Kaneko. It was published by Namco in Japan and Sharp Image Electronics in North America (licensed from Namco). Two players control the "Blaster Fighter" s ...
Fido Dido
Fido Dido ( or ) is a cartoon character of a male youth created by Joanna Ferrone and Sue Rose.
History
Rose first doodled the character in 1985 on a napkin in a restaurant. Ferrone came up with the character's name on her way to work the next ...
Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill
A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the lat ...
Tatsujin
''Truxton'' is a 1988 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as in North America by Midway. Set in a future where the Gidans alien race led by Dogurava ...
'' / ''Truxton'' (1994) (Sharp X68000)
*''Tenkū Retsuden Musashi'' (1992) (Sega Genesis) (unreleased port of ''Kabuki Z'')
*'' The Berlin Wall'' (1991) (Sega Genesis, rumored that it got reskinned to ''Wani Wani World'')
*''The Soda Kids'' (1994)
*''Yuta Buta Man-P'' (1999) (Arcade) (developed by CAVE)