Koei was established in July 1978 by (also known as ) and
Keiko Erikawa. Yoichi was a student at
Keio University, who decided to pursue his interest in programming after his family's rural
dyestuffs business failed. The company has since remained located in the
Hiyoshi area of
Yokohama. Koei initially focused on
personal computer sales and made-to-order business
software. In
1982, the company released the erotic title (
eroge) , which was an early
role-playing adventure game with color graphics, owing to the eight-color palette of the
PC-8001 computer. It became a hit, helping Koei become a major software company. In March of the same year, Koei released
Underground Exploration, the earliest known
Japanese RPG. In
1983, it released , a historical
strategy game set during the
Sengoku period of
Japanese history. The game went on to receive numerous awards. The company continued producing more games set against the backdrop of world history, including
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, set during the
Three Kingdoms period of
Chinese history, and , set in
Portugal during the
Age of Exploration. In 1988, Koei established a
North American
subsidiary, Koei America Corporation, in
California. This subsidiary localized Koei games for export to all territories outside Japan, and even produced original games and concepts with the leadership of designer
Stieg Hedlund. These games included
Liberty or Death,
Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye,
Gemfire, and
Saiyuki: Journey West. After Hedlund's departure, this subsidiary ceased game development in 1995, focusing instead on localization, sales, and marketing. Though none of Koei's historical simulations achieved mass market success, they acquired a loyal cult following that allowed them to remain profitable. They could reliably predict how many copies of their games would sell. This was especially important during the cartridge era; a surplus of unsold cartridges of a single game was often enough to bankrupt a company. A
Canadian subsidiary, Koei Canada, Inc., was established in early 2001, and a
European subsidiary, Koei Limited, was established in early 2003 in
Hertfordshire,
United Kingdom. Koei also maintained subsidiaries in
mainland China,
Korea,
Taiwan, and
Lithuania. Koei later created a
Singapore branch for game development, such as
Sangokushi Online. Koei's Ruby Party division specializes in games labeled as 'Neoromance', which are
GxB dating sims usually with extra side-quests. Out of the three Neoromance series, the best known is
Angelique, which had been in production since 1994.
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de is a newer Neoromance hit, with many sequels and an
anime television series. The newest game in the series,
Kin'iro no Corda, gained popularity partially because the
manga series it was based on had recently been licensed by
Viz for
English language publishing. An anime television series based on it began airing in October 2006. A sequel was also released on the
PlayStation 2 in March 2007. On September 4, 2008, Koei announced that it was in talks to purchase ailing competitor
Tecmo. They agreed in November 2008 to merge on April 1, 2009, to form
Tecmo Koei Holdings. On January 26, 2009, the two companies approved the merger. The
holding company formed on April 1, 2009, as planned. Koei changed its name to Tecmo Koei Games on April 1, 2010, by absorbing Tecmo. Koei's subsidiaries in the United States, Europe, and Korea already had their names changed months before their Japanese parent company. The developing operations of the original Koei and Tecmo companies were spun off on March 15, 2010, as new separate subsidiaries under the names of Koei Co. Ltd and Tecmo Co. Ltd, respectively. They were both absorbed the following year by Tecmo Koei Games, on April 1, 2011. On July 1, 2014, Tecmo Koei Games was renamed Koei Tecmo Games. ==See also==