Tecmo

Tecmo Co., Ltd.
テクモ株式会社
Division
Industry Video games
Fate Merged with Koei
Successor April 1, 2009 (as Tecmo Koei) July 1, 2014 (as Koei Tecmo)
Founded 1967
Headquarters Tokyo, Japan
Products Captain Tsubasa
Ninja Gaiden
Dead or Alive
Fatal Frame
Tecmo Bowl
Deception
Monster Rancher
Rygar
Gallop Racer
Solomon's Key
Parent Koei Tecmo
Website www.tecmo.co.jp

Tecmo Co., Ltd. (テクモ株式会社 Tekumo kabushikigaisha), is a Japanese video game corporation founded in 1967. It had its headquarters in Kudankita, Chiyoda, Tokyo.[1] and its subsidiary, Tecmo Inc, was located in Torrance, California.[2]

Tecmo is best known for the Star Force, Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, Deception, Monster Rancher, Rygar, Tecmo Bowl, Fatal Frame, Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes and Gallop Racer video game series.

In 2009, Tecmo merged with Koei to form the holding company Tecmo Koei Holdings. In April 2010, Tecmo was dissolved and its video game franchises are now published by Tecmo Koei Games.[3][4]

Tecmo is also the name of a distinct video game development company that was established in March 2010, but later folded into Tecmo Koei Games in April 2011.[5][6]

As of 2014, the Tecmo brand continues to be used on Tecmo Koei's video games.

History

Early history

The company was founded on July 31, 1967 as a supplier of cleaning equipment.[3][7] Two years later, in 1969, it started to sell amusement equipment.[3]

In March 1981, a U.S. division was inaugurated in Los Angeles as U.S. Tehkan, Inc..[3] A month later, on April 1981, Tehkan released in Japan its first arcade video game titled Pleiads (which was distributed in America by Centuri).[3] When it was still called Tehkan, the company released arcade games such as Bomb Jack and Tehkan World Cup.[3]

On January 8, 1986, Tehkan officially changed its name to Tecmo Co, Ltd.[3]

Lawsuit

On the 3 June 2008 Team Ninja head Tomonobu Itagaki resigned from the company and filed a 145 million yen ($1.3 million) lawsuit for "unpaid completion bonuses" and "emotional distress".[8] This was followed by another lawsuit filed on the 16th of June by two plaintiffs on behalf of Tecmo's 300 employees for unpaid wages amounting to ¥8.3 million.[9]

Merger with Koei

On August 29, 2008 Square Enix made plans for a friendly takeover of Tecmo by purchasing shares at a 30 percent premium with a total bid of ¥22.3 billion.[10] On September 4, 2008 Tecmo officially declined the takeover proposal.[11] Tecmo subsequently engaged in talks with Koei about a possible merger between the two companies,[12] and agreed in November 2008 to merge on April 1, 2009 to form Tecmo Koei Holdings.[13]

On January 26, 2009 the two companies officially announced the merger, and the holding company formed on April 1, 2009 as planned.[14] Tecmo initially continued to be operated as a subsidiary and brandname of Tecmo Koei Holdings. In January 2010, the United States subsidiaries of Tecmo Inc. and Koei America merged to create Tecmo Koei America Corporation.[15]

The subsidiary Tecmo and associated development teams were effectively declared disbanded in Japan on April 1, 2010, as part of a major international reorganization within Tecmo Koei Holdings.[4][16] Relevant intellectual properties were slated to be further managed by Tecmo Koei Games.[4][15]

On March 15, 2010, and roughly two weeks before the original company was dissolved, the internal development studio of Tecmo was spun off as a separate company under the name of Tecmo Co, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tecmo Koei Games.[5] This was short-lived as the new Tecmo along with the new Koei video game developers were both dissolved and merged into Tecmo Koei Games a year later, in April 1, 2011.[5][6]

Despite having been dissolved twice as a legal entity, Tecmo continues to appear as a label on video games by Tecmo Koei Games that make use of properties originally created by Tecmo, the latest being Dead or Alive 5 and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge.

Subsidiaries

References

  1. ↑ "主要営業所." Tecmo. February 20, 2002. Retrieved on October 18, 2010. "本社 東京都千代田区九段北４丁目１番３４号 03-3222-7645."
  2. ↑ "Contact." Tecmo. Retrieved on October 18, 2010. "Tecmo, Inc. 21213-B Hawthorne Boulevard Torrance, CA 90503."
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Tecmo Company History". Tecmo. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Tecmo: Declaration of Disbandment
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Official report of Tecmo Koei Holdings for the dissolution of Tecmo and Koei development studios" (PDF). Tecmo Koei Holdings. 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "TECMO KOEI HOLDINGS CO.,LTD. Announces Merger between Subsidiary and Sub-subsidiaries; Announces Business Transition between Subsidiaries". Reuters. 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  7. ↑ (October 2002). "Ninja Beach Party". Official Xbox Magazine (11): 52.
  8. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (2008-06-02). "Itagaki Leaving Tecmo, Suing Tecmo". Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  9. ↑ Boyes, Emma (2008-06-17). "Report: More staff sue Tecmo". Gamespot UK. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  10. ↑ Thorsen, Tor (2008-08-29). "Report: Square Enix makes $200M Tecmo bid". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  11. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (2008-09-04). "Report: Tecmo Rejects Square Enix's Takeover Offer". Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  12. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (2008-09-04). "Report: Tecmo And Koei In Talks To Merge". Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  13. ↑ Tecmo and Koei to Merge in April 2009
  14. ↑ Koei Tecmo Reveals Its New Company Logo (Looks Familiar)
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Tecmo Koei Company History". Tecmo Koei Holdings. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  16. ↑ Tecmo Koei: Declaration of Succession

External links