Capcom
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- For the original NASA meaning, see capsule communicator.
| Capcom Co., Ltd. | |
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| Type | Public TYO: 9697 |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 30, 1979 |
| Headquarters |  Osaka, Japan California, USA(HQ & Studios) Asia HQ:  Hong KongEurope HQ:  Great BritainOffices:  Germany England |
| Key people | Kenzo Tsujimoto, CEO Yoshiki Okamoto Shinji Mikami Keiji Inafune |
| Industry | Video games Entertainment |
| Products | Mega Man Street Fighter Resident Evil Devil May Cry Breath of Fire Darkstalkers Marvel vs. Capcom series Captain Commando (See complete products listing.) |
| Revenue | JPY 52 billion (2004) |
| Employees | 1,206 |
| Website | www.capcom.com |
Capcom Co., Ltd. (株式会社カプコン Kabushiki-gaisha Kapukon?) (TYO: 9697 ) is a leading Japanese international developer and publisher of video games headquartered in Osaka, Japan. It was founded in 1979 as Japan Capsule Computers, a company devoted to the manufacturing and distribution of electronic game machines. Their current name is a portmanteau of Capsule Computers.
Capcom has also acted as a publisher and localization team for Western titles in Eastern territories, examples being X2 by Team17 Software and, more recently, the Grand Theft Auto series.
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[edit] History
Over the years, Capcom has created some of the biggest and longest running franchises in video gaming history. The company released their first arcade game in 1984: Vulgus. Their early games were mostly arcade games such as the scrolling shooter 1942.
In the late 80s, Yoshiki Okamoto joined the company from Konami. In 1987, Capcom released the game Street Fighter. In the same year, the company also released the hugely influential platformer Mega Man (Rockman in Japan) for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Final Fight, a beat 'em up, was released in 1989. In 1991, Okamoto's Street Fighter II was released in the arcades.
Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan), a successful survival horror game, was released on the PlayStation in 1996.
Two Capcom development houses, Clover Studio[1] and Flagship[2] have created successful titles in recent years, including the Viewtiful Joe series and The Legend of Zelda series (under supervision of Shigeru Miyamoto).
In 2002 a movie based on the series entitled Resident Evil was released, which did well enough financially to warrant a sequel (Resident Evil: Apocalypse) in 2004. A third movie, Resident Evil: Extinction will be released in 2007.
Beside developing games under its own brand, Capcom also developed the arcade, Dreamcast and PS2 versions of its Mobile Suit Gundam third person shoot em ups for Banpresto and also distribute many games including the Grand Theft Auto series for the Japanese market.
[edit] Mascot
Capcom's original mascot, Captain Commando, is a superhero who wears a futuristic armor of unknown origin. His name forms the word CapCom when the first syllable of each word is combined. He originally appeared in the early Capcom Famicom/NES game Section Z (the arcade version of Section Z has similar gameplay, but it is not clear that the hero is the same person) and in the manuals of Capcom's early NES games to thank players for purchasing them. He also appeared in the self named fighting game, Captain Commando, in 1991. He later appeared in Marvel vs. Capcom and its sequel, in which he is often considered to be an excessively powerful character. In Marvel vs. Capcom, he still serves as a mascot, regularly shouting "Capcom!" during fights and relaying Capcom-themed messages after winning. He displays the ability to quickly change from regular clothing, including a cowboy hat, into his armor, suggesting a secret identity. Captain Commando's storyline is not connected to that of Commando and Bionic Commando, despite the similar name.
Mega Man has superseded Captain Commando as Capcom's official mascot, primarily because of the immense popularity of the Mega Man series. He figured in many known series, such as Megaman NT Warrior, (Megaman EXE, in Japan), and the Video-games below:
- Mega Man - Mega Man X - Mega Man Zero - Mega Man ZX - Mega Man Battle Network - Etc.
Also, Ryu is one of the more prominent Capcom characters and is not only the face of Capcom's fighting games, but is generally associated with the fighting genre.
[edit] Capcom Production Studios
Each Capcom Production Studio is the developer behind Capcom's games. The studios are divided into different sections and named after numbers, except for the independent Clover Studio and Flagship which is funded by Capcom of Japan.
[edit] External links
- Capcom Production Studio 1
- Capcom Production Studio 2
- Capcom Production Studio 3
- Capcom Production Studio 4
- Capcom Production Studio 5
- Capcom Production Studio 6 (now defunct - Source: GameSpot)
- Capcom Production Studio 8 (now defunct - Source: Gamespot)
[edit] Subsidiaries and related corporations
Capcom U.S.A., Inc. was established in California as the official North American subsidiary of Capcom in August 1985.
Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
Capcom Studio 8, Inc. was established as the R&D division of Capcom USA, Inc. in June 1995. The studio was closed in 2006 following the terrible sales of the video game Final Fight: Streetwise
Capcom Asia Co., Ltd. was established in Hong Kong as the official Asian subsidiary of Capcom in July 1993.
KOKO Capcom Asia Co., Ltd. the official South Korean subsidiary of Capcom in July 2001.
Capcom Eurosoft Ltd. was established in United Kingdom as the official European subsidiary of Capcom in July 1998.
Suleputer was established to market and distribute games and related merchandising (books, music, anime, etc.) in Asia. Their current name is a conjunction of Capsule Computer.
Captron Co., Ltd. manages the rent, lease and operation of real estate properties.
Flagship Co., Ltd. is the development studio that made Onimusha and the Zelda games on the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, most recently releasing The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Capcom Charbo Co., Ltd. manages the rental, maintenance and lease of electronic game machines.
CE Europe Ltd. was established in London in November 2002.
CEG Interactive Entertainment GmbH was established in Germany in February 2003.
Nude Maker Co., Ltd. is the development studio that made Clock Tower 1, 2 and the Steel Battalion games on the PlayStation and Xbox..
Clover Studio Co., Ltd. is a development studio based in Osaka. It was founded in July 2004, and to be dissolved in March 2007. They created the Viewtiful Joe series, as well as Okami and God Hand.
Nickel City is a chain of video arcades once owned by Capcom where the machines ran on nickels or on free play. It was sold in 2004 and continues to operate under independent ownership.
[edit] Movies and Television
Capcom's games and characters therein have been featured in a number of cartoons and theatrical movies. Some of which include:
- The company mascot, Mega Man, played a supporting role in a Nintendo inspired TV-show Captain N: The Game Master and has later been featured in two separate cartoons: Mega Man produced by Ruby-Spears, and the anime series MegaMan NT Warrior. He also starred in three OVAs originally released in Japan in 1993, released later on DVD in North America.
- Street Fighter II has also been a popular source for films and cartoons. A flopped live action adaptation was released in 1994. Shortly afterwards a more popular anime adaptation was released as well as an American cartoon series based on aspects of the movie.
- The fighting game Darkstalkers was made into two animated adaptations, in Japan and in the United States.
- So far the most successful series of films has been based on Capcom's popular survivor horror series Resident Evil. The first film was received fairly well at the box office, earning a solid 102 million worldwide. Its VHS and DVD sales were even stronger leading Screen Gems and Sony to make a sequel, which also proved to be a financial success. Two more sequels are due to be released.
- An anime series based on Viewtiful Joe was made in 2004. It consists of 52 episodes and is based loosely around the first and second games. It features new characters, such as Captain Blue Jr. and Sprocket, who were later introduced into the GameCube and PSP game, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble. Viewtiful Joe is currently airing on Kids WB on Saturdays at 11:30am.
- Two films based upon the Capcom franchises Devil May Cry [3] and Clock Tower [4] are currently in production and scheduled to be released in 2008.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "CAPCOM: Corporate Profile: Capcom Group." December 27, 2004. Accessed on March 6, 2006.
- "CAPCOM: Corporate Profile: Corporate History." Accessed on June 20, 2005.
- "CAPCOM: Financial Information." Accessed on June 20, 2005.
