Capcom
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter
, Mega Man
and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its head office is in Chuo-ku
, Osaka
. Originally established in 1983, it has since become an international enterprise with branches and subsidiaries in North America
, Europe
, and East Asia
.
In January 1989, the old affiliate company Capcom Co., Ltd. merged with Sambi Co., Ltd., resulting in the current Japanese branch. The name Capcom is an abbreviation of "Capsule Computer", a term coined by the company to describe the arcade machines it ", as well as to the company's desire to protect its intellectual property with a hard outer shell, preventing illegal copies and inferior imitations.
While Capcom's first product was the coin-operated Little League from July 1983, its first real video game, the arcade title
Vulgus
, was released in May 1984. Beginning with a Nintendo Entertainment System
port of 1942 published in December 1985, the company started to venture into the market of home console video games, which became its main business segment a few years later. Since then, Capcom created 15 multi-million-selling game series, the most successful of which is Resident Evil.
In addition to the development and publishing of home, online, mobile, arcade, pachinko, and pachislo games, the company publishes strategy guide
s, maintains its own arcade centers
, and licenses its franchise and character properties for use in tie-in products, movies, television series, and stage performances. Suleputer
, an in-house marketing and music label established in cooperation with Sony Music Entertainment Intermedia
in 1998, publishes CDs, DVDs, and other media based on Capcom's games. An annual private media summit called Captivate, renamed from Gamers Day in 2008, is traditionally used as a platform for new game and business announcements.
, Takashi Nishiyama and Yoshiki Okamoto
, respectively. Later, games developed internally used to be created by several numbered "Production Studios", each assigned to different games. Starting in 2002, the development process was reformed to better share technologies and expertise, and all of the individual studios were gradually restructured into bigger departments responsible for different tasks. While there are self-contained departments for the creation of arcade, pachinko and pachislo, online, and mobile games, the Consumer Games R&D Division instead is an amalgamation of subsections in charge of various game development stages. In addition to these internal teams, Capcom also commissions outside development studios to ensure a steady output of titles. However, following bad sales of Dark Void
and Bionic Commando, the company's management has decided to limit outsourcing to sequels and newer versions of installments in existing franchises, reserving the development of original titles for its in-house teams. The production of games, budgets, and platforms supported are decided upon in development approval meetings, attended by the company management and the Marketing, Sales, and Quality Control Departments.
, Osaka
, the Japanese parent company also has a branch office in the Shinjuku Mitsui Building
in Nishi-Shinjuku
, Shinjuku
, Tokyo
. It also has the Ueno Facility. a branch office in Iga
, Mie Prefecture
. The international Capcom Group currently encompasses 15 subsidiaries in Japan, North America, Europe, and East Asia. Affiliated companies include Koko Capcom Co., Ltd. in South Korea, Street Fighter Film, LLC in the United States, and Dellgamadas Co., Ltd.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
, Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its head office is in Chuo-ku
Chuo-ku, Osaka
, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It has an area of 8.88 km2, and a population of 60,085. It houses Osaka's financial district, as well as the Osaka Prefecture offices and principal shopping and tourist areas.-Diplomatic missions:...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Originally established in 1983, it has since become an international enterprise with branches and subsidiaries in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
.
History
The original companies that spawned Capcom's Japanese branch were I.R.M Corporation founded on May 30, 1979, as well as its subsidiary Japan Capsule Computer Co., Ltd., both of which were devoted to the manufacturing and distribution of electronic game machines. The two companies underwent a name change to Sambi Co., Ltd. in September 1981, while Capcom Co., Ltd. itself was first established on June 11, 1983, for the purpose of taking over the internal sales department.In January 1989, the old affiliate company Capcom Co., Ltd. merged with Sambi Co., Ltd., resulting in the current Japanese branch. The name Capcom is an abbreviation of "Capsule Computer", a term coined by the company to describe the arcade machines it ", as well as to the company's desire to protect its intellectual property with a hard outer shell, preventing illegal copies and inferior imitations.
While Capcom's first product was the coin-operated Little League from July 1983, its first real video game, the arcade title
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
Vulgus
Vulgus
is a vertically scrolling shooter developed and published by Capcom in Japan in 1984, and was later released in North America by SNK the same year. The word "Vulgus" comes fom Latin and means "common people", people of lower layers of society. The game has the distinction of being Capcom's debut...
, was released in May 1984. Beginning with a Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
port of 1942 published in December 1985, the company started to venture into the market of home console video games, which became its main business segment a few years later. Since then, Capcom created 15 multi-million-selling game series, the most successful of which is Resident Evil.
In addition to the development and publishing of home, online, mobile, arcade, pachinko, and pachislo games, the company publishes strategy guide
Strategy guide
Strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to specific video games. The line between strategy guides and walkthroughs is somewhat blurred, with the former often containing or being written around the latter. Strategy guides are often published in print, both in...
s, maintains its own arcade centers
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
, and licenses its franchise and character properties for use in tie-in products, movies, television series, and stage performances. Suleputer
Suleputer
Suleputer is a record label the Japanese game development company Capcom uses for its releases. Its name derives from the full name of Capcom: " ".-Discography:*Biohazard 2 ReMIX ~met@morPhoses~...
, an in-house marketing and music label established in cooperation with Sony Music Entertainment Intermedia
Sony Music Entertainment Japan
is Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
in 1998, publishes CDs, DVDs, and other media based on Capcom's games. An annual private media summit called Captivate, renamed from Gamers Day in 2008, is traditionally used as a platform for new game and business announcements.
Development studios
In the first few years after its establishment, the Japanese branch of Capcom had three development groups referred to as "Planning Rooms", led by Tokuro FujiwaraTokuro Fujiwara
Tokuro Fujiwara , sometime credited as Professor F or Arthur King, is a Japanese video game designer, best known for creating Ghosts 'n Goblins and producing the Mega Man series. He worked as the general manager of the Capcom Console Games Division from 1988 to 1996...
, Takashi Nishiyama and Yoshiki Okamoto
Yoshiki Okamoto
Yoshiki Okamoto , sometimes credited as Kihaji Okamoto, is a video game designer credited with producing many popular titles for Konami, including Gyruss and Time Pilot, and Capcom, including Final Fight and Street Fighter II...
, respectively. Later, games developed internally used to be created by several numbered "Production Studios", each assigned to different games. Starting in 2002, the development process was reformed to better share technologies and expertise, and all of the individual studios were gradually restructured into bigger departments responsible for different tasks. While there are self-contained departments for the creation of arcade, pachinko and pachislo, online, and mobile games, the Consumer Games R&D Division instead is an amalgamation of subsections in charge of various game development stages. In addition to these internal teams, Capcom also commissions outside development studios to ensure a steady output of titles. However, following bad sales of Dark Void
Dark Void
Dark Void is a video game developed by Airtight Games using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. In the game players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game mixes on-foot and mid-air combat...
and Bionic Commando, the company's management has decided to limit outsourcing to sequels and newer versions of installments in existing franchises, reserving the development of original titles for its in-house teams. The production of games, budgets, and platforms supported are decided upon in development approval meetings, attended by the company management and the Marketing, Sales, and Quality Control Departments.
Branches and subsidiaries
Apart from the head office building and the R&D building of Capcom Co., Ltd., both located in Chuo-kuChuo-ku, Osaka
, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It has an area of 8.88 km2, and a population of 60,085. It houses Osaka's financial district, as well as the Osaka Prefecture offices and principal shopping and tourist areas.-Diplomatic missions:...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, the Japanese parent company also has a branch office in the Shinjuku Mitsui Building
Shinjuku Mitsui Building
The is a high-rise building in super in the corner in the heart of New Urban Center, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo. It is run by Mitsui Fudosan. Known as the Shinjuku Mitsui Building. Some even called a Mii or just building...
in Nishi-Shinjuku
Nishi-shinjuku
is a skyscraper business district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. This region was called before.Nishi-Shinjuku was Tokyo's first major foray into building skyscrapers with the first appearing in the 1970s with Keio Plaza Inter-Continental. Kenzo Tange's Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building being the...
, Shinjuku
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. It also has the Ueno Facility. a branch office in Iga
Iga, Mie
was a town located in Ayama District, Mie Prefecture, Japan.On November 1, 2004 Iga absorbed the old city of Ueno, the towns of Ayama, the villages of Ōyamada and Shimagahara, all from Ayama District, and the town of Aoyama, from Naga District, to become the new city of Iga.-Geography:Located on...
, Mie Prefecture
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....
. The international Capcom Group currently encompasses 15 subsidiaries in Japan, North America, Europe, and East Asia. Affiliated companies include Koko Capcom Co., Ltd. in South Korea, Street Fighter Film, LLC in the United States, and Dellgamadas Co., Ltd.
| Subsidiary | Established | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capcom U.S.A., Inc. | August 1985 | San Mateo San Mateo, California San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,... |
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| Captron Co., Ltd. | February 1991 | Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... |
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| Capcom Asia Co., Ltd. | July 1993 | Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
|
| Capcom Entertainment, Inc. | June 1995 | San Mateo |
|
| CE Europe Ltd. | 9th floor George House Hammersmith Hammersmith Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames... London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
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| CEG Interactive Entertainment GmbH | February 2003 | Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... |
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| Capcom Interactive Canada, Inc. | May 2006 | Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... |
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| Capcom Interactive, Inc. | June 2006 | Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
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| Daletto Co., Ltd. | October 2006 | Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... |
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| March 2007 | Seoul Seoul Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world... |
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| Blue Harvest LLC | FY 2007 |
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| K2 Co., Ltd. | May 2008 | Osaka |
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| Capcom Entertainment France, SAS | July 2008 |
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| Enterrise Co., Ltd. | July 2008 | Tokyo |
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Former subsidiaries
| Subsidiary | Established | Closed/acquired | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.C.A. Co., Ltd. | Mito Mito, Ibaraki is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²... |
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| Status Co., Ltd. | FY 2003 | Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... |
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| Capcom Europe GmbH | February 1992 | FY 2002 | Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the... |
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| October 1993 | FY 1997 | Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... |
Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... , Central Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent... and South America South America South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east... |
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| Capcom Coin-Op, Inc. | June 1995 | March 2004 | Sunnyvale Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area... |
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| Capcom Studio 8, Inc. | June 1995 | March 2007 | Sunnyvale |
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| Flagship Co., Ltd. | April 1997 | June 2007 | Osaka |
Yoshiki Okamoto Yoshiki Okamoto , sometimes credited as Kihaji Okamoto, is a video game designer credited with producing many popular titles for Konami, including Gyruss and Time Pilot, and Capcom, including Final Fight and Street Fighter II... and screenwriter Screenwriter Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:... Noboru Sugimura Noboru Sugimura was a Japanese television and video game writer best known for his work on the Metal Hero, Super Sentai, Resident Evil and Onimusha series.... Screenwriting Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession.... with the help of screenwriters experienced in the creation of film and television scripts Game Republic was an independent video game developer based in Tokyo, Japan. The company, which employed just under 300 individuals before its closure, was founded on July 1, 2003 by Yoshiki Okamoto after he departed from successful Japanese game developer and publisher Capcom. Okamoto is seen as somewhat of a... , while Sugimura died in early 2005 |
| Capcom Eurosoft, Ltd. | July 1998 | April 2007 | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
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| Capcom Charbo Co., Ltd. | Osaka |
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| Clover Studio Co., Ltd. Clover Studio Clover Studio was an independent Japanese development studio, funded by Capcom Japan. Clover Studio developed the PlayStation 2 port of Viewtiful Joe, both versions of Viewtiful Joe 2 for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation 2 titles Ōkami and God Hand... |
July 2004 | March 2007 | Osaka |
Atsushi Inaba is a Japanese video game producer for Platinum Games. He is also the former CEO and producer of the Capcom subsidiary Clover Studio, best known as the creative force behind Viewtiful Joe, Ōkami and God Hand.-Career:... , Shinji Mikami Shinji Mikami is a Japanese video game designer best known for creating the seminal survival horror series Resident Evil. He also contributed to some of Capcom's most popular post-32-bit era franchises, including Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, and Ace Attorney, where he served as an executive producer... and Hideki Kamiya Hideki Kamiya is a video game designer formerly employed by Capcom and Clover Studio. He is currently working with former Clover Studio members at Platinum Games.- Career :... , moved on to found Seeds Inc. |
See also
- List of Capcom games
- ArikaArikais a Japanese video game developer. It was formed in 1995 by former Capcom employees. The name of the company itself is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who created Street Fighter II. Arika's first arcade game was Street Fighter EX...
- Inti CreatesInti Createsis a Japanese video game development company formed by ex-Capcom staff in May 1996, best known for the creation of the Mega Man Zero series and Mega Man ZX series...
- Game RepublicGame Republicwas an independent video game developer based in Tokyo, Japan. The company, which employed just under 300 individuals before its closure, was founded on July 1, 2003 by Yoshiki Okamoto after he departed from successful Japanese game developer and publisher Capcom. Okamoto is seen as somewhat of a...
- Crafts & MeisterCrafts & MeisterCrafts & Meister is a Japanese video game developer. The studio was formed in 2004 when former Capcom employees Noritaka Funamizu and Katsuhiro Sudo left the company....
- Platinum Games
- Ignition EntertainmentIgnition EntertainmentIgnition Entertainment Ltd. is a British video game publisher formed in April 2002. It was created from a selection of smaller developers and publishers, such as Archer MacLean's Awesome Studios.-History:...
- Cyber Connect 2