Nihon Falcom
is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their '' Ys'', '' The Legend of Heroes'', and '' Trails'' series. They are credited with pioneering the action role-playing and Japanese role-playing game genres, as well as popularizing the u ...
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 founded in 1981. While the company has actively developed video games since their inception, their games were not consistently localized and published until the 2010s. The company originally focused on developing games for Japanese
personal computers
A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...
. In the 2000s, the company moved into developing games for Sony's
PlayStation brand
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 o ...
, particularly the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
, while continuing development on PCs on
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 ...
, to reach a broader demographic.
The move was internally seen as a success, and broadened their fanbase in Western territories, leading the company to put greater emphasis into English translations and releases of their games in the 2010s.
Since the 2010s, the company generally releases one game per year. By the end of the decade, the company started seeing success in porting their games to the
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 ...
.
Video games
See also
* ''
Faxanadu'' - a game in the ''Xanadu'' series that was outsourced to
Hudson Soft
was a Japanese video game company known for releasing numerous titles across video game consoles, home computers, and mobile phones. Headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo, it also maintained an office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. F ...
.
* ''
Ys IV'' original releases were outsourced to other companies, and not developed by Falcom. This includes ''
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys'', developed by
Hudson Soft
was a Japanese video game company known for releasing numerous titles across video game consoles, home computers, and mobile phones. Headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo, it also maintained an office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. F ...
for the
PC Engine
The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched ...
in 1993, ''
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun'' by
Tonkin House
Tonkin House was a Japanese video game publisher owned by Tokyo Shoseki, which was active in late 1980s and early 2000s.
Video games
* '' Super Tennis'' (1991, Super NES)
* '' Dig & Spike Volleyball'' (1992, Super NES)
* ''Felicia'' (1995, S ...
for the
Super Famicom
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...
, and ''
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun - A New Theory'' by
Taito
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...
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 ...
. The only version of ''Ys IV'' to be developed by Falcom was ''
Ys: Memories of Celceta''.
* ''
Ys Strategy'' - a 2006 entry into Falcom's ''Ys'' series outsourced to another development team for release on the
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 ...
.
References
{{Ys series
Nihon Falcom
is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their '' Ys'', '' The Legend of Heroes'', and '' Trails'' series. They are credited with pioneering the action role-playing and Japanese role-playing game genres, as well as popularizing the u ...