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 ...

founded in April 1989. The company name is derived from musical terminology, representing the five elements of game design: planning, graphics, sound, programming, and production. Quintet was most active during the 1990s, maintaining a strong relationship with

Enix was a Japanese multimedia publisher who handled and oversaw video games, manga, guidebooks, and merchandise. It was founded in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima as Eidansha Boshu Service Center, initially as a tabloid publisher and later attempting t ...

(now part of

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...

). It was also a member of the GD-NET group of

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...

developers. Quintet has not been active since the 2000s and is presumed to be defunct.

Company overview

The director and president of Quintet is Tomoyoshi Miyazaki, the scenario writer for the first three entries of

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 ...

's '' Ys'' series. Masaya Hashimoto, who served as the main director, designer, and programmer for the same early ''Ys'' titles, also joined Quintet alongside Miyazaki. Thanks to the ''Ys'' connection, composer

Yuzo Koshiro is a Japanese composer and sound programmer. He is often regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune and video game music, producing music in a number of genres including rock, jazz, symphonic, and various electronic genres s ...

(also a ''Ys'' veteran) contributed to the score of the company's inaugural title, ''

ActRaiser is a 1990 video game developed by Quintet and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It combines traditional side-scrolling platforming and sections with city building elements. A sequel, '' ActRaiser 2'', was releas ...

'', a soundtrack that has since been adapted for orchestra. Koshiro's sister, Ayano Koshiro, created the character designs. The releases of ''

Soul Blazer ''Soul Blazer'', released in Japan as is an Action role-playing game, action role-playing video game developed by Quintet (company), Quintet and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in 1992 in Japan and ...

'', ''

Illusion of Gaia ''Illusion of Gaia'', known in PAL region, PAL territories as ''Illusion of Time'', is an action role-playing video game developed by Quintet (company), Quintet for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in Japan by Enix ...

'', and ''

Terranigma is a 1995 action role-playing game developed by Quintet (company), Quintet for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), with mangaka, manga artist Kamui Fujiwara acting as the character designer. The game tells the story of the Earth's re ...

'', also known as the "Soul Blazer Trilogy," were well-received by some fans for the broad philosophical and sometimes dark themes addressed in the titles. Quintet's games often revolve around a conflict between a being that brings destruction and a being that controls creation, symbolizing duality. The world has two aspects that both oppose and complement each other, with everything in existence built upon that relationship. The portrayal of suffering and sacrifice set Quintet's games apart from other titles of the era and left a lasting impression on fans. The company appears to have been inactive since 2002. (

cf. The abbreviation cf. (short for either Latin or , both meaning 'compare') is generally used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. However some sources offer differing or even contr ...

) There was an active

bulletin board A bulletin board (pinboard, pin board, noticeboard, or notice board in British English) is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise items wanted or for sale, announce events, or provide information. ...

on the official site until March 29, 2002 (the release date of the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

action RPG ''Magical Houshin'', the counterpart to the GameCube title ''Battle Houshin'', released as ''

Mystic Heroes ''Mystic Heroes'' is a hack and slash video game developed by Koei. The game is loosely based on ''Investiture of the Gods'', a Chinese supernatural novel about the fall of the Shang dynasty and the rise of the Zhou dynasty. A Game Boy Advance ...

'' in North America). In response to comments from fans impatient with the lack of news, Quintet staff posted: Afterwards, the bulletin board was shut down. In March 2008, Quintet's website was also taken offline. A fan-led effort to encourage a re-release or remaster of ''Terranigma'' in 2021 led to renewed speculation about the status of the rights to Quintet's games. According to ''Terranigma'' artist Kamui Fujiwara, Quintet president Tomoyoshi Miyazaki had "disappeared" to his knowledge; he speculated that this was the reason the rights to republish the game were complicated, as Miyazaki was not available for contact. A remaster of ''ActRaiser'' entitled '' ActRaiser Renaissance'' was released in September 2021 by

, suggesting that Square Enix has access to ''ActRaiser''s rights, and possibly the rest of Quintet's library as well. In December 2023, Yuzo Koshiro directly urged Square Enix to bring ''Illusion of Gaia'' and ''Terranigma'' to modern platforms.

Games developed

References

External links

Quintet homepage (archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quintet (company) Defunct video game companies of Japan Japanese companies established in 1989 Video game companies established in 1989 Video game development companies