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renamed in 2002, 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 was founded in April 1997 by
Hiroki Kikuta is a Japanese composer and game designer. His major works are ''Secret of Mana'', '' Trials of Mana'', '' Soukaigi'', and '' Koudelka'', for which he also acted as producer and concept designer. He has composed music for seven other games, and ...
with funding from
SNK is a Japanese video gaming and interactive entertainment company. It was founded in 1978 as by Eikichi Kawasaki and began by developing arcade games. SNK is known for its Neo Geo arcade system on which the company established many franchises ...
; its staff, including Kikuta, were veterans of
Square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
. While their first releases were the ''
Dive Alert ''Dive Alert: Becky's Version'' and ''Dive Alert: Matt's Version'' are role-playing video games developed by Sacnoth for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. They were published by SNK in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in North America. Following the exploits of ...
'' games for the
Neo Geo Pocket Color The Neo Geo Pocket series is a line of handheld game consoles developed and manufactured by SNK between 1998 and 2001. It began with the monochrome released in Japan on October 28, 1998 as SNK's first handheld system and a direct competitor to N ...
(NGPC), the company was founded to produce ''
Koudelka is a role-playing video game developed by Sacnoth for the PlayStation. The game was published by SNK in Japan in 1999, and by Infogrames internationally in 2000. Set in the haunted Nemeton Monastery in Wales, the plot follows protagonists K ...
'', a
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
for the
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 ...
. The development of ''Koudelka'' was troubled due to creative differences between Kikuta and the rest of the staff, with Kikuta resigning as CEO following the game's release and being replaced by Jun Mihara. The company also released the NGPC game ''
Faselei! is a tactical role-playing game developed by Sacnoth for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. It was published by SNK in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in the United Kingdom. A prospective North American release was cancelled when the console was pulled from sal ...
''. Following ''Koudelka'', the company went on to develop
the first game ''The First Game'' is a painting by Arnold Friberg, and was commissioned in 1968 by Chevrolet Motor Division as one of four paintings to commemorate the then-upcoming centennial celebration of college football in the United States. It depicts ...
in the '' Shadow Hearts'' series. In 2002, Aruze acquired Sacnoth and renamed it to Nautilus. Under that name, the company developed two more ''Shadow Hearts'' games. As part of a larger reorganization within Aruze, Nautilus was renamed and exited the video game business in September 2007 before being absorbed into another Aruze subsidiary in February 2009. The work of Sacnoth for the NGPC has been mentioned positively in articles on the console, while the ''Shadow Hearts'' series retains a cult status and is remembered for its setting and gameplay. Multiple former employees joined
Feelplus Feelplus Inc. (株式会社フィールプラス Kabushiki gaisha Fiirupurasu) was a Japanese video game developer and a subsidiary of AQ Interactive. The studio was conceived by Microsoft Game Studios specifically to aid Mistwalker in video g ...
.


History


1997–2000: First games, ''Koudelka''

Sacnoth was founded by
Hiroki Kikuta is a Japanese composer and game designer. His major works are ''Secret of Mana'', '' Trials of Mana'', '' Soukaigi'', and '' Koudelka'', for which he also acted as producer and concept designer. He has composed music for seven other games, and ...
, a former composer for
Square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
who worked on ''
Secret of Mana ''Secret of Mana'', originally released in Japan as is a 1993 action role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sequel to the 1991 game ''Seiken Densetsu'', released in North Ameri ...
'', ''
Trials of Mana ''Trials of Mana'', also known by its Japanese title is a 1995 action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Famicom. It is the sequel to the 1993 game ''Secret of Mana'', and is the third installm ...
'' and ''
Soukaigi ''Soukaigi'' is a 1998 action role-playing game developed by Yuke's and published by Square for the PlayStation. It was later re-released digitally for the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. No version of the game was local ...
''. While at Square, Kikuta wanted to direct his own game but, due to the strict hierarchical structure at the company, could not move beyond his role as a composer. Searching for a means of expanding his role, he was introduced by a business advisor to the chairman of
SNK is a Japanese video gaming and interactive entertainment company. It was founded in 1978 as by Eikichi Kawasaki and began by developing arcade games. SNK is known for its Neo Geo arcade system on which the company established many franchises ...
. During their talk, Kikuta outlined many perceived pitfalls he saw emerging in the
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
(RPG) genre. The company was founded on 30 April 1997, with Kikuta as its CEO. While SNK provided funding for the company, it had little involvement in its products and creative direction, with SNK's Norimasa Hirano describing Sacnoth as an independent developer. Sacnoth's headquarters were 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 ...
. Sacnoth developed their first two projects in parallel: ''
Koudelka is a role-playing video game developed by Sacnoth for the PlayStation. The game was published by SNK in Japan in 1999, and by Infogrames internationally in 2000. Set in the haunted Nemeton Monastery in Wales, the plot follows protagonists K ...
'' for the
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 ...
, and the ''
Dive Alert ''Dive Alert: Becky's Version'' and ''Dive Alert: Matt's Version'' are role-playing video games developed by Sacnoth for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. They were published by SNK in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in North America. Following the exploits of ...
'' duology for the NGPC. The ''Dive Alert'' games were their first releases in Japan and were promoted as part of the portable's early line-up. It was also one of the last NGPC games released in North America. ''Koudelka'' was born from Kikuta's wish to create a " horror RPG", beginning development of the title following the company's foundation. Kikuta acted as the game's director, producer, writer and composer. His original plan for the gameplay and combat was to combine mechanics from
simulation A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...
and
adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
s, breaking away from RPG trends. The rest of the staff were reluctant to do this, and they instead created a traditional turn-based battle system without his involvement. Kikuta resigned as Sacnoth's CEO following the release of ''Koudelka'' in 1999, later founding the music label Norstrilia. Kikuta was replaced as CEO by Jun Mihara. The last game developed by Sacnoth under SNK was ''
Faselei! is a tactical role-playing game developed by Sacnoth for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. It was published by SNK in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in the United Kingdom. A prospective North American release was cancelled when the console was pulled from sal ...
'', a tactical RPG released in 1999 for the NGPC. During this period, SNK ran into financial troubles and was bought out by Aruze in January 2000. ''Faselei!'' was one of the last games produced for the NGPC, as Aruze pulled the console from sale in June 2000.


2001–2009: ''Shadow Hearts''

Following ''Koudelka'', '' Shadow Hearts'' began development for the
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 ...
, directed and written by ''Koudelka''
art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
Matsuzo Machida (credited as Matsuzo Itakura). Mihara acted as the game's producer. Using the setting of ''Koudelka'', Machida created a traditional RPG that blended
Lovecraftian horror Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror, fantasy fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is na ...
with alternative history. Released in 2001, ''Shadow Hearts'' was the first RPG published by Aruze. ''Shadow Hearts'' was the last game developed by Sacnoth under that name. In November 2002, Sacnoth was acquired by Aruze and renamed Nautilus, carrying over its original staff. The responsibilities of Nautilus were divided between developing further ''Shadow Hearts'' titles and supporting the production of Aruze's
pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Gambling in Japan, Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of l ...
machines. The company's first title under the Nautilus name was '' Shadow Hearts: Covenant'', a sequel to ''Shadow Hearts'' featuring many of the same staff. Using feedback from the first ''Shadow Hearts'', Machida added more comedic elements. ''Covenant'' was released in Japan in 2004. The team also created a director's cut of the game. After the release of ''Covenant'', '' Shadow Hearts: From the New World'' entered into production. The game was completed on a very tight schedule and focused on refining the battle system of ''Covenant'' instead of adding new elements. ''From the New World'' is a
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
featuring new characters to reach a wider audience. The game was released in Japan in 2005, coming to Western countries through third-party publishers over the next two years. Plans to continue the ''Shadow Hearts'' series were never realized. By February 2007, Nautilus had become absent from Aruze's financial statements, prompting rumours that the company had been dissolved. The studio was renamed Aruze Global Trading on September 21, 2007, during large-scale structural changes within Aruze. Under its new name, Aruze Global Trading was not involved in game development. The company was merged into another Aruze subsidiary, Aruze Marketing Japan, on February 1, 2009. Aruze Marketing Japan was itself merged into Aruze in June of that year. Several of Sacnoth's staff eventually joined
Feelplus Feelplus Inc. (株式会社フィールプラス Kabushiki gaisha Fiirupurasu) was a Japanese video game developer and a subsidiary of AQ Interactive. The studio was conceived by Microsoft Game Studios specifically to aid Mistwalker in video g ...
, which helped develop games like '' Lost Odyssey'' and '' Ninety-Nine Nights II''.


Legacy

Sacnoth is noted as being one of a group of video game companies—alongside
Monolith Soft trade name, trading as Monolith Soft, is a Japanese Video game developer, video game development studio originally owned by Namco (later Bandai Namco) until being bought out by Nintendo in 2007, best known for the ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' ser ...
, Love-de-Lic and
Mistwalker is an American and Japanese video game development studio. The company was founded in 2004 by Hironobu Sakaguchi, best known for creating the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The company has created both game franchises such as '' Blue Dragon'' and '' T ...
—founded by Square staff who had worked on notable titles produced during the 1990s. Writing in a feature for ''
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
'', Todd Ciolek noted the positive responses to the studio's work on ''Shadow Hearts'', though felt ''Koudelka'' was inferior compared to their other work. In an article on the NGPC for ''
USgamer Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...
'', Jeremy Parish noted Sacnoth as one of the best developers to work with the console due to their work on ''Dive Alert'' and ''Faselei!''. ''Faselei!'' has been remembered or ranked as one of the best NGPC games of all time, and become a collector's item. The ''Shadow Hearts'' series has also seen a positive reception over time and maintained a cult following, with many noting its gameplay design and combination of alternate history and Lovecraftian horror in its setting.


Games developed


Notes


References


External links

* (archived in 2000) {{Authority control 1997 establishments in Japan 2000 mergers and acquisitions 2007 disestablishments in Japan Defunct video game companies of Japan Japanese companies disestablished in 2007 Japanese companies established in 1997 SNK Software companies based in Tokyo Video game companies disestablished in 2009 Video game companies established in 1997 Video game development companies