Creatures (company)
Private | |
Industry | Video games |
Founded | March 1989 (As Ape Inc.) November 8, 1995 (As Creatures Inc) |
Headquarters | Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan |
Key people |
Tsunekazu Ishihara (Chairman) Hirokazu Tanaka (President) |
Products | Various video game titles |
Number of employees | 84[1] (as of November 2015) |
Website | creatures.co.jp |
Creatures Inc. (株式会社クリーチャーズ Kabushiki-gaisha Kurīchāzu) is a Japanese video game development company affiliated with The Pokémon Company.[1] It was founded by Tsunekazu Ishihara in November 1995, with the assistance of Nintendo's Satoru Iwata,[2] as a successor to Shigesato Itoi's company Ape Inc.[3] It is well known for producing Pokémon trading cards and toys, as well as developing many video games. Its current president is Hirokazu Tanaka, who was previously known for producing and composing various other Nintendo games. The company has its headquarters on the second floor of the Gobancho KU Building (五番町KUビル Gobanchō KU Biru) in Chiyoda, Tokyo,[1] in proximity to the Ichigaya Station.[4]
History
Ape Inc. was founded in March 1989 and Shigesato Itoi became its chief executive officer. Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi had wanted to support new talent in game design. Liking Itoi's work, he proposed the idea of the company to Itoi and invested in it. Ape's staff included Tsunekazu Ishihara, who later became the Pokémon Company's CEO, and Ashura Benimaru Itoh, a renowned illustrator. They began work on Mother, which released in July. Its music was composed by Hip Tanaka, who later became the second CEO of Creatures.[5] The team continued with work on Mother 2. When the project began to falter, Satoru Iwata of HAL Laboratories was brought in to help the project. The game was released in August 1994 and the Ape team dismantled.
Creatures, Inc. was established on November 8, 1995 under CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara and former staff from Ape.[5]
Previously Creatures had its headquarters on the 7th floor of the Nintendo Kanda Building (任天堂神田ビル Nintendō Kanda Biru) in Sudachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo.[6] At a later point it was headquartered in the fifth floor annex of the kawasakiteitoku Building (川崎定徳ビル kawasakiteitoku Biru) in Nihonbashi, Chūō, Tokyo.[7] Creatures are also well known for making Pokémon card games and toys for the Pokémon Franchise.[8]
List of games developed
Nintendo Entertainment System
- Mother (1989) (As Ape Inc)
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
- EarthBound (1994) (As Ape Inc)
- Mario's Super Picross (1995) (As Ape Inc)
Game Boy
- Mario's Picross (1995) (As Ape Inc)
- Pocket Camera (1998)
Game Boy Color
- Pokémon Trading Card Game (video game) (1998)
- Chee-Chai Alien (2001)
Game Boy Advance
- Machop at Work (2001) E-reader
- Kingler's Day (2001) E-reader
- Nonono Puzzle Chalien (2004)
- Pokémon Emerald (2004)
- Mother 3 (2006, Japan only)
Nintendo DS
- PokéPark: Fishing Rally DS (2005)
- Project Hacker (2006) (with Red Entertainment)
- Pokémon Ranger (2006) (with HAL Laboratory)
- Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (2008)
- Personal Trainer: Walking (2008) (with Nintendo and Engines)
- Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (2010)
Wii
- PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure (2009)
- PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond (2011)
Nintendo 3DS
References
- 1 2 3 "会社概要". Creatures Inc. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ↑ https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/ds/pokemon/0/0
- ↑ "スペシャル対談/後編1・田尻さんと石原さんの6年". 任天堂マガジン表紙(No.23). Nintendo. July 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
- ↑ "Access Map." (Direct image link) Creatures Inc. Retrieved on October 4, 2010.
- 1 2 http://earthboundcentral.com/2009/03/quick-history-of-the-mother-series/
- ↑ "Creatures Welcome Page." Creatures Inc. March 2, 2000. Retrieved on October 4, 2010. "千代田区神田須田町1–22任天堂神田ビル7F"
- ↑ "Welcome to Creatures Inc." Creatures Inc. Retrieved on October 4, 2010. "東京都中央区日本橋3-2-5川崎定徳ビル別館5F."
- ↑ "Creatures Pokémon game cards and toys." Creatures Inc. Retrieved on October 4, 2010. "ポケモンカードゲームXY スーパーレジェンドデッキ60「ゼルネアスEX・イベルタルEX」2014.11.14"
- ↑ http://www.pokemon.co.jp/ex/TANTEI-PIKA/
External links
- Creatures Inc., the official Japanese website
- Creatures Inc. HTML English