Ancient (company)
Native name | 株式会社エインシャント |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Einshanto |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | April 1, 1990[1] |
| Founder | Yuzo Koshiro[1] |
| Headquarters | Hino, Tokyo, Japan[1] |
Number of employees | 15[1] (2018) |
| Website | www |
Ancient Corp.[a] is a Japanese video game developer based in Hino, Tokyo. It was founded on April 1, 1990 by composer Yuzo Koshiro, Ayano Koshiro, and Tomo Koshiro.[1][2][3] The company is best known for its work on Streets of Rage 2, Beyond Oasis, the Protect Me Knight/Gotta Protectors series, and the 8-bit versions of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Overview
The company was founded when Yuzo, who had worked on the sound for The Super Shinobi, received an inquiry from Sega asking if he could create the entire game. Yuzo was told that taking on the entire game would require a company-wide deal, so he founded the company. Initially, he invited Shinobu Hayashi, an acquaintance from a doujin PC software circle (who later worked on the development of Decathreat at Sega and joined Zenaworks after leaving Sega), to work as a programmer, and formed the company with Ayano, who was in charge of graphics, and four high school classmates. The company was run as a cottage industry (the company's representative was the mother of the Koshiro siblings). The Game Gear version (known overseas as the Master System version) of Sonic the Hedgehog that they developed became a huge hit, and the profits were used to build the company's headquarters.[4]
Games
Notes
- ^ Japanese: 株式会社エインシャント, Hepburn: Kabushiki gaisha Einshanto
- ^ Co-developed with Sega, Shout! Design Works, MNM Software, and H.I.C.
- ^ Co-developed with Quintet
- ^ Published by Ubisoft in Europe
- ^ Co-developed with Arika
- ^ Published by Victor Interactive Software in Japan
- ^ a b Co-developed with Hudson Soft
- ^ Co-developed with Bandai
- ^ Co-developed with Sony Computer Entertainment
- ^ a b c Co-developed with Marvelous Entertainment
- ^ Self-published by Ancient in Japan
- ^ Ported to Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S by Bitwave Games
References
- ^ a b c d e "Kaisha annai | Kabushiki-gaisha Einshanto" 会社案内 | 株式会社エインシャント [Company Info | Ancient Corp.]. Ancient.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2018-09-03. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
- ^ Parish, Jeremy (2017-06-19). "Yuzo Koshiro: Legendary game composer, family business owner". Polygon. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ "TNL Developer Spotlight: Ancient". The Next Level. 2003-03-11. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
- ^ "『3D ベア・ナックルII』セガ 3D復刻プロジェクト注目作の顛末をオリジナル開発者と移植スタッフとが語らう【特別企画】". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ "Puchi Puchi Time". Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ Lopes, Gonçalo (September 11, 2017). "Check Out a New NES Game - Amazon's Running Diet". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2018-12-05). "Susume!! Mamotte Knight: Hime no Totsugeki Serenade announced for Switch". Gematsu. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2018-12-05). "Mamotte Knight developer Ancient Games announces RPG Royal Anapoko Academy for Switch". Gematsu. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- ^ McFerran, Damien (2025-05-07). "Yuzo Koshiro's Earthion Confirmed For Switch, PS4, PS5 And Xbox Series X/S". Time Extension. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)