Origins and acquisition by Bandai (1977–1989) In April 1977, Japanese businessman Yasushi Matsusa established Hoei Sangyo Co. Ltd. (Hoei International) in
Tanashi, Tokyo. His business began as a manufacturer of
arcade cabinets for other companies, as Japan's coin-operated game industry had seen considerable economic growth throughout the decade. In addition to distributing games from other manufacturers across the country, Hoei Sangyo also began production of its own games in-house, the majority being clones of other popular games like
Space Invaders. Matsusa's business established a relationship with Esco Trading, a company formed by
Sega president
Hayao Nakayama, which gave the latter the rights to distribute Hoei Sangyo's video games to other parts of Japan. Hoei Sangyo released its first original video game in 1981,
Jump Bug, an early side-scrolling platform game released outside Japan by
Rock-Ola. acquired Coreland as a way to get a foothold in the arcade game market. Hoei Sangyo was reorganized into Coreland Technology Inc. in June 1982, where it became a contractor company that developed games for other companies. One of its first projects was
Pengo, which was released the same year by
Sega.
Pengo was successful arcades and lead to several sequels and home conversions. Coreland also designed games such as
4-D Warriors and ''
I'm Sorry for Sega, and Black Panther'' for
Konami. In the late 1980s, Coreland established a partnership with toy company
Bandai, known for its
model kits and action figures based on popular characters like
Mobile Suit Gundam. At the time, Bandai was suffering from numerous financial difficulties as a result of the slumping Japanese toy market affecting the demand for its products. Coreland's positive track record was the primary reason for the partnership, as Bandai hoped it would allow itself to secure a stronghold in the coin-op industry. However, Coreland was undergoing its own financial constraints, having accumulated more than 1.5 billion in debt due to poor sales. As contractual agreements prevented Bandai from backing out of its deal, it chose to majority-acquire the company in February 1989. One of the company's first projects was
SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Basho, a crossover for the Famicom featuring "super-deformed" interpretations of Gundam, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider. It is often credited as the first video game to cross over characters from other forms of media.
Heisei Hero Basho was developed by Banpresto staff as a congratulatory gift to Sugiura shortly after assuming role of company president. it was a spiritual successor to its
Compati Hero series of games, crossing over popular
mecha licenses like
Getter Robo and
Mazinger-Z.
Super Robot Wars was a commercial success, attributed to its release during the popularity of mecha anime in the early half of the decade. As of 2016, the
Super Robot Wars series has sold over 16 million games across all available platforms. Banpresto also began producing children's rides, using the likenesses of characters such as
Anpanman,
Super Mario, and
Thomas the Tank Engine. By 1992, Banpresto was worth 1.4 billion yen. In February 1994, Banpresto established Banpre Kikaku, Ltd. in
Kita, Osaka, which became its primary video game development division. As Banpresto was largely a publisher of games by other studios, the move allowed it to experiment with original game concepts and handle development of video games in-house. In addition, Banpre Kikaku also served as a second office, and assisted in its parent company's sales programs and product distribution. Unifive, a producer of merchandiser games, became a wholly owned subsidiary in March as part of the company's continuing expansion in the arcade industry. Banpresto began to spread its operations throughout other parts of Asia; Banpresto H.K. was founded in Hong Kong in June to import and distribute Banpresto-developed goods across the country.
Restructuring and continuing expansion (1996–2005) ,
Chiba from 1996 to 2004. The building was later repurposed for the
Bandai Museum until it moved to
Mibu, Tochigi in 2007. In January 1996, Banpresto assisted in the founding of the
Computer Entertainment Software Association (CESA), an organization funded by other game companies to allow for firm communications between each other. The company continued to publish games by external companies, including
Gazelle's
Air Gallet and
Fill-in-Cafe's
Panzer Bandit.
Namco Bandai takeover and dissolution (2005–2008) In September 2005, Bandai merged with fellow game company Namco to establish a new entertainment conglomerate,
Namco Bandai Holdings. Namco and Bandai's video game operations were merged and transferred to a new subsidiary,
Namco Bandai Games, in March 2006. Banpresto became a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings upon the formation of Namco Bandai Games, however the merge had little effect on the company itself. The company continued to produce games based on licensed properties, notably
Crayon Shin-Chan, as well as selling arcade game equipment and maintaining its video arcade chains. In November 2007, Namco Bandai Holdings announced that Banpresto's video game development would be merged with Namco Bandai Games, with the latter assuming control of all Banpresto-owned franchises. The merge took place on April 1, 2008, with Banpresto being reorganized as a producer of toys and prize machines for Japan. The Banpresto name continued to be used as the name of a Bandai Namco division until 2019, when it was absorbed into the then-recently formed
Bandai Spirits division of Bandai, relegating it into a brand of high-end figures based on licensed products. ==Games==