Natsume (company)

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Natsume Incorporated
Type Private
Founded October 20, 1987
Headquarters Shinjuku, Tokyo
Industry Video Game developer and publisher
Products Harvest Moon, Legend of the River King, S.C.A.T., Wild Guns, Shadow of the Ninja, Pocky & Rocky, Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
Website [1] (Japanese)
http://www.natsume.com (International)

Natsume Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer in Shinjuku, Tokyo, founded on October 20, 1987. It is best known for publishing unique, family-oriented niche games, such as the Harvest Moon series and Legend of the River King. During the NES and SNES era, they published several action titles such as S.C.A.T., Wild Guns and Shadow of the Ninja. Natsume also released the SNES game Pocky & Rocky as well as Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals.

Since the end of the Super Nintendo era, Natsume Inc. is known for publishing a series of Harvest Moon games in North America. The most recent game released is Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots for the Nintendo DS. All the Harvest Moon games are translations of those produced first in Japan by Marvelous Interactive. Natsume also has developed Medabot games.

Natsume became somewhat famous[citation needed] for releasing games (particularly the Harvest Moon series) that contained several glitches or programming errors, even misspelling their own company name in one of their games, Harvest Moon 64, by changing it to Natume (if rendered with Japanese characters, however, this would not be a mistake, as the characters for "tu" and "tsu" are the same).

The pronunciation of the company's name in English can be approximated with "NAH-tsoo-meh".


Contents

[edit] Corporate divisions

The company has a publishing branch in the United States named Natsume Inc. located in Burlingame, California, founded in October 1988.

In October 2002, Natsume founded ATARI Inc. (not to be confused with the American game company) in Osaka, specialized on developing slot and pinball machines.

On May 6, 2005, Natsume Solution began operation in Shinjuku, Osaka. This division specializes on web site development, providing mobile solutions/services and developing web systems. On March 1, 2006, Natsume Solution was merged with Evolve co.,ltd.

[edit] Company slogans

  • "IT'S TECHNOSTASY. SINCE 1987." (1990s Japanese slogan)
  • "Serious Fun" (USA, 1990s-current (as of 2006))
  • "DREAM CREATOR" (Japan, current (as of 2006))

[edit] Works

Currently Natsume develops and publishes games on the following platforms:

[edit] 1989

[edit] Famicom/NES

Developer, JP Publisher

Developer, JP Publisher

[edit] MSX

  • Mitsume ga Tooru: The Three-Eyed One Comes Here

[edit] 1990

[edit] Famicom/NES

  • Dragon Fighter (ドラゴンファイター)

Developer

Developer, JP/US (1991) Publisher

Developer, JP/US Publisher

[edit] 1991

[edit] Famicom/NES

  • Tokkyuu Shirei: Solbrain (特救指令 ソルブレイン) / Shatterhand

Developer

Developer, JP Publisher

[edit] Game Boy

Developer, JP/US (1992) Publisher

Developer

[edit] Super Famicom/SNES

  • Hansei Zaru Jiro kun no Daibouken (反省ザルジローくんの大冒険) (JP) / Spanky's Quest (US)

Developer, JP/US (1992) Publisher

[edit] 1992

[edit] Famicom/NES

  • The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper (ジェットソン)

Developer

Developer

[edit] Sega Master System

Developer

Developer

[edit] Super Famicom/NES

  • Kiki Kaikai: Nazo no Kuro Manto (奇々怪界 謎の黒マント) (JP) / Pocky & Rocky (US, EU)

Developer, JP/US (1993)/EU (1993) Publisher

[edit] 1993

[edit] Sega Master System

Developer

[edit] Super Famicom/NES

  • Zen Nihon Pro Wres (全日本プロレス)

Developer

[edit] 1994

[edit] Super Nintendo

  • NATSUME Championship Wrestling

Developer & publisher

Developer & publisher

Developer

  • Pocky & Rocky 2

Developer

[edit] 1995

[edit] Super Nintendo

Developer & publisher

Developer

[edit] Game Boy

Developer/publisher

[edit] 1996

[edit] Super Nintendo

US publisher

Developer

[edit] Sega Saturn

  • Highway 2000
  • Virtual Casino

[edit] 1997

[edit] Super Nintendo

Publisher

[edit] 1998

[edit] Game Boy

Publisher

  • Legend of the River King GB

US publisher

[edit] Nintendo 64

US publisher

[edit] 1999

[edit] Nintendo 64

US publisher

[edit] PlayStation

US publisher

[edit] Game Boy Color

  • Hole in One Golf

Developer & Publisher

  • Legend of the River King GBC

Developer, US publisher

  • WWF Wrestlemania 2000

Developer

[edit] 2000

[edit] Game Boy Color

Developer

  • Legend of the River King 2 GBC

Developer, US publisher

Developer

Developer

Developer

Developer & publisher

Publisher

[edit] PlayStation

US publisher

Developer

[edit] 2001

[edit] Game Boy Color

Developer

Developer

Developer & publisher

US publisher

Developer

[edit] Game Boy Advance

Developer

  • WWF: Road to Wrestlemania

Developer

  • Medarot Navi: Kabuto

Publisher

[edit] PlayStation

  • Burstrick Wake Boarding

Publisher

[edit] PlayStation 2

US publisher

[edit] 2002

[edit] Game Boy Advance

Developer & publisher

  • Medabots AX

Developer & publisher

Developer

  • Pocky & Rocky with Becky

Publisher

  • Wizardry Summoner

Developer & publisher

Publisher

  • WWE: Road to Wrestlemania X8

Developer

[edit] PlayStation 2

Developer & publisher

[edit] 2003

[edit] Game Boy Advance

Developer

US publisher

Developer

[edit] PlayStation 2

Publisher

[edit] 2004

[edit] Nintendo DS

  • Legend of the River King Series

Publisher

[edit] Game Boy Advance

US publisher

Developer

Developer

Publisher

Developer

[edit] GameCube

US publisher

Developer & publisher

[edit] PSP

  • Legend of the River King Series

Developer

[edit] Mobile (Java)

  • Judgement High School

Developer & publisher

[edit] 2005

[edit] Nintendo DS

Developer

[edit] Game Boy Advance

[edit] GameCube

[edit] PlayStation 2

  • River King: A Wonderful Journey

US, Japan (rerelease only) publisher

US publisher

[edit] 2006

[edit] GameCube

US publisher

[edit] PlayStation 2

US & EU publisher

[edit] Nintendo DS

[edit] 2007

[edit] Playstation 2

US Publisher

[edit] Nintendo DS

[edit] Playstation Portable

[edit] Upcoming

[edit] Nintendo DS

US publisher

US publisher

[edit] Playstation 2

[edit] Playstation 3

US Publisher (Co-published with Ubisoft)

[edit] Wii

US Publisher

[edit] Xbox Live Arcade

[edit] Xbox 360

US Publisher (Co-published with Ubisoft)

[edit] External links