FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company. It was founded by Naotoshi Zin in Tokyo on November 1, 1986. Initially a developer of business software, the company released their first video game, King's Field, for the PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on games, with them producing two more King's Field games before creating the mecha combat series Armored Core (1997), one of their flagship franchises.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, creator of the Dark Souls series, has served as FromSoftware's representative director and president since 2014, with Zin remaining as an advisor. Miyazaki directs and designs the majority of the company's games in addition to his executive duties. FromSoftware is owned primarily by Kadokawa Corporation, with minority stakes by Tencent subsidiary Sixjoy Hong Kong and Sony Interactive Entertainment. FromSoftware usually self-publishes in Japan and partners with companies such as Agetec, Sony, and Bandai Namco Entertainment to publish internationally.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, company president and director of several of their games
FromSoftware was founded in Tokyo by Naotoshi Zin on November 1, 1986, as a developer of business applications.[1] The company released its first game, King's Field, for the PlayStation in 1994. Despite its commercial success in Japan, the game was not released in other regions, although 1995's King's Field II was released in both North America and Europe in 1996.[2] After releasing King's Field III in 1996, FromSoftware went on to release the horror game Echo Night and the 1998 role-playing game Shadow Tower. In 1997, FromSoftware released Armored Core, the first release in their flagship Armored Core series of mecha combat games.[3]
FromSoftware underwent a stock split in 2008 before achieving breakout success in the 2010s,[4] spurred by the release of Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), the latter being the first entry in a trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslikes.[6] These include Dark Souls II (2014),[7]Bloodborne (2015),[8][9]Dark Souls III (2016),[10]Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019),[11][12] and Elden Ring (2022),[13][14][15] which have all received several awards and are often listed among the greatest video games of all time.[16][17][18][19]
In April 2014, Kadokawa Corporation announced its intention to purchase the company from former shareholder Transcosmos.[20] Following other restructuring, Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki would be promoted to company president the following month and later given the title of representative director.[21] In January 2016, FromSoftware established a studio in Fukuoka that focuses on creating computer-generated imagery (CGI) assets for their games.[22][23] In August 2022, Sixjoy Hong Kong (a subsidiary of Tencent) and Sony Interactive Entertainment respectively acquired 16.25% and 14.09% of FromSoftware, leaving 69.66% to Kadokawa.[24] A report published by GamesIndustry.biz in November 2022 said that FromSoftware paid their employees at sub-standard rates.[25] The company had 397 employees as of June 2023[update].[26]
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Referencesedit
^. GAME Watch. November 25, 2014. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
^Ciolek, Todd (March 16, 2015). "The History of From Software". ign.com. from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
^ abcdCiolek, Todd (March 16, 2015). "The History of From Software". IGN. p. 1. from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
^ abc"History | FromSoftware". www.fromsoftware.jp. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
^Editor, Rob Fahey Contributing (July 7, 2004). "From Software buys Tenchu rights". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved April 2, 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^Wildgoose, David (March 7, 2022). "Painfully Difficult: From Software's 30+ Year Journey From PS1 to Elden Ring". IGN. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
^Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (October 24, 2014). "Dark Souls 2 wins Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards". VG247. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
^"Eurogamer's Game of the Year 2015". Eurogamer.net. January 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^"Edge Presents: The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time". Edge. August 2017.
^"Overwatch and Dark Souls 3 win big at this year's Golden Joystick Awards". PC Gamer. November 18, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
^Makuch, Eddie (December 13, 2019). "The Game Awards 2019 Winners: Sekiro Takes Game Of The Year". GameSpot. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
^Hussain, Tamoor (December 17, 2019). "Game Of The Year 2019 – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice". GameSpot. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
^"Elden Ring takes top honors at the Japan Game Awards". Japan Times. September 15, 2022.
^Loveridge, Sam (November 22, 2022). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2022 winners". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
^Plant, Logan (December 8, 2022). . IGN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
^Kain, Erik (November 22, 2013). "'Dark Souls' Inspired The Design Of Sony's PlayStation 4". Forbes. from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
^Polygon Staff (November 27, 2017). "The 500 Best Video Games of All Time". Polygon.com. from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
^Hussain, Tamoor (May 14, 2019). "The Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century: Dark Souls". GameSpot. from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
^Donnelly, Joe (November 23, 2021). "Why Dark Souls has been crowned the best video game of all time". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
^Duwell, Ron (May 23, 2014). "Dark Souls' Hidetaka Miyazaki Promoted to President of From Software". Techno Buffalo. from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
^"From Software to open new studio in Fukuoka". Gematsu. September 12, 2015. from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
^"FromSoftware to Establish New Studio in Fukuoka in October 2015". FromSoftware. from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
^"Tencent and Sony Interactive Entertainment collectively acquire 30.34 percent of FromSoftware". Gematsu. August 31, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
^"How much does From Software crunch?". GamesIndustry.biz. November 29, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
^"About". fromsoftware.jp. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
External linksedit
Official website
List of products
May 02, 2024
fromsoftware, japanese, video, game, development, publishing, company, founded, naotoshi, tokyo, november, 1986, initially, developer, business, software, company, released, their, first, video, game, king, field, playstation, 1994, success, shifted, focus, fu. FromSoftware Inc is a Japanese video game development and publishing company It was founded by Naotoshi Zin in Tokyo on November 1 1986 Initially a developer of business software the company released their first video game King s Field for the PlayStation in 1994 Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on games with them producing two more King s Field games before creating the mecha combat series Armored Core 1997 one of their flagship franchises FromSoftware Inc Native name株式会社フロム ソフトウェアRomanized nameKabushiki gaisha furomu sofutoweaCompany typeJoint venture kabushiki gaisha IndustryVideo gamesFoundedNovember 1 1986 37 years ago 1986 11 01 FounderNaotoshi ZinHeadquartersTokyo JapanKey peopleHidetaka Miyazaki Representative Director and President ProductsKing s FieldArmored CoreChromehoundsDemon s SoulsDark SoulsBloodborneSekiroElden RingOwnerKadokawa Corporation 69 66 Sixjoy Hong Kong 16 25 Sony Interactive Entertainment 14 09 Number of employees397 June 2023 WebsiteFromSoftware By the 2000s FromSoftware s releases included the Echo Night Shadow Tower Lost Kingdoms Otogi and Another Century s Episode series The company achieved breakout success in the 2010s with Demon s Souls 2009 and Dark Souls 2011 the latter being the first entry in a trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role playing games known as Soulslikes These include FromSoftware s Bloodborne 2015 Sekiro Shadows Die Twice 2019 and Elden Ring 2022 which are often cited as among the greatest video games of all time Hidetaka Miyazaki creator of the Dark Souls series has served as FromSoftware s representative director and president since 2014 with Zin remaining as an advisor Miyazaki directs and designs the majority of the company s games in addition to his executive duties FromSoftware is owned primarily by Kadokawa Corporation with minority stakes by Tencent subsidiary Sixjoy Hong Kong and Sony Interactive Entertainment FromSoftware usually self publishes in Japan and partners with companies such as Agetec Sony and Bandai Namco Entertainment to publish internationally Contents 1 History 2 Games 3 References 4 External linksHistory edit nbsp Hidetaka Miyazaki company president and director of several of their games FromSoftware was founded in Tokyo by Naotoshi Zin on November 1 1986 as a developer of business applications 1 The company released its first game King s Field for the PlayStation in 1994 Despite its commercial success in Japan the game was not released in other regions although 1995 s King s Field II was released in both North America and Europe in 1996 2 After releasing King s Field III in 1996 FromSoftware went on to release the horror game Echo Night and the 1998 role playing game Shadow Tower In 1997 FromSoftware released Armored Core the first release in their flagship Armored Core series of mecha combat games 3 With the launch of the PlayStation 2 in 2000 FromSoftware released the role playing games Eternal Ring and Evergrace 3 In 2003 FromSoftware published Tenchu Wrath of Heaven a stealth game that combines action and adventure elements 4 In 2004 FromSoftware bought the rights to the series from Activision 5 The company also released King s Field IV and Shadow Tower Abyss in addition to the Lost Kingdoms series for the GameCube 3 The company also made a few games exclusive to the Xbox around this time such as Murakumo Renegade Mech Pursuit Otogi Myth of Demons Otogi 2 Immortal Warriors Metal Wolf Chaos and Chromehounds In 2005 FromSoftware would start to produce a series of licensed games based on the various anime properties under the banner Another Century s Episode 3 The same year the company hosted the video game industry s first internship that let students experience game development through a game creation kit Adventure Player for the PlayStation Portable 4 FromSoftware underwent a stock split in 2008 before achieving breakout success in the 2010s 4 spurred by the release of Demon s Souls 2009 and Dark Souls 2011 the latter being the first entry in a trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role playing games known as Soulslikes 6 These include Dark Souls II 2014 7 Bloodborne 2015 8 9 Dark Souls III 2016 10 Sekiro Shadows Die Twice 2019 11 12 and Elden Ring 2022 13 14 15 which have all received several awards and are often listed among the greatest video games of all time 16 17 18 19 In April 2014 Kadokawa Corporation announced its intention to purchase the company from former shareholder Transcosmos 20 Following other restructuring Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki would be promoted to company president the following month and later given the title of representative director 21 In January 2016 FromSoftware established a studio in Fukuoka that focuses on creating computer generated imagery CGI assets for their games 22 23 In August 2022 Sixjoy Hong Kong a subsidiary of Tencent and Sony Interactive Entertainment respectively acquired 16 25 and 14 09 of FromSoftware leaving 69 66 to Kadokawa 24 A report published by GamesIndustry biz in November 2022 said that FromSoftware paid their employees at sub standard rates 25 The company had 397 employees as of June 2023 update 26 Games editList of games developed by FromSoftware Year Title System International publisher 1994 King s Field PlayStation 1995 King s Field II PlayStation NA ASCII EntertainmentEU Sony Computer Entertainment 1996 King s Field III PlayStation ASCII Entertainment 1997 Armored Core PlayStation Sony Computer Entertainment Armored Core Project Phantasma PlayStation ASCII Entertainment 1998 Shadow Tower PlayStation Agetec Echo Night PlayStation Agetec 1999 Armored Core Master of Arena PlayStation Agetec Spriggan Lunar Verse PlayStation Frame Gride Dreamcast Echo Night 2 The Lord of Nightmares PlayStation 2000 Eternal Ring PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU Ubisoft Evergrace PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU Ubisoft Armored Core 2 PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU Ubisoft The Adventures of Cookie amp Cream PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU Empire Interactive 2001 Armored Core 2 Another Age PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU Metro3D Forever Kingdom PlayStation 2 Agetec King s Field IV PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU Metro3D 2002 Armored Core 3 PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable NA AgetecEU Metro3D Lost Kingdoms GameCube Activision Murakumo Renegade Mech Pursuit Xbox Ubisoft Otogi Myth of Demons Xbox Sega 2003 Silent Line Armored Core PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable Agetec Thousand Land Xbox Lost Kingdoms II GameCube Activision Shadow Tower Abyss PlayStation 2 Otogi 2 Immortal Warriors Xbox Sega 2004 Echo Night Beyond PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU Indie Games Productions Armored Core Nexus PlayStation 2 Agetec Kuon PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU Indie Games Productions Armored Core Nine Breaker PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU 505 Games Armored Core Formula Front PlayStation Portable PlayStation 2 NA AgetecEU 505 Games Metal Wolf Chaos Xbox PlayStation 4 Windows Xbox One Devolver Digital 2005 Yoshitsune Eiyuden PlayStation 2 Another Century s Episode PlayStation 2 Banpresto Armored Core Last Raven PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable NA AgetecEU 505 Games 2006 Enchanted Arms Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Ubisoft Another Century s Episode 2 PlayStation 2 Banpresto Chromehounds Xbox 360 Sega King s Field Additional I PlayStation Portable King s Field Additional II PlayStation Portable Armored Core 4 PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 NA SegaEU 505 Games 2007 Nanpure VOW Nintendo DS Iraroji VOW Nintendo DS Another Century s Episode 3 The Final PlayStation 2 Banpresto 2008 Armored Core For Answer PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Ubisoft Shadow Assault Tenchu Xbox 360 2009 Inugamike no Ichizoku Nintendo DS Ninja Blade Xbox 360 Windows Microsoft Game Studios Demon s Souls PlayStation 3 JP Sony Computer EntertainmentNA Atlus USAPAL Namco Bandai Partners Yatsu Hakamura Nintendo DS 2010 Another Century s Episode R PlayStation 3 Banpresto Monster Hunter Diary Poka Poka Airou Village PlayStation Portable Capcom 2011 Another Century s Episode Portable Namco Bandai Games Dark Souls PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Windows 2012 Armored Core V PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn PlayStation 3 Steel Battalion Heavy Armor Xbox 360 Capcom 2013 Armored Core Verdict Day PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Namco Bandai Games 2014 Dark Souls II PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Windows Bandai Namco Games 2015 Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin PlayStation 4 Windows Xbox One Bloodborne PlayStation 4 Sony Computer Entertainment Monster Hunter Diary Poka Poka Airou Village DX Nintendo 3DS Capcom 2016 Dark Souls III PlayStation 4 Xbox One Windows Bandai Namco Entertainment 2018 Dark Souls Remastered PlayStation 4 Windows Xbox One Nintendo Switch Deracine PlayStation 4 PlayStation VR Sony Interactive Entertainment 2019 Sekiro Shadows Die Twice PlayStation 4 Windows Xbox One Stadia Activision Metal Wolf Chaos XD PlayStation 4 Windows Xbox One Devolver Digital 2022 Elden Ring PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X S Bandai Namco Entertainment 2023 Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X SReferences edit 角川ゲームスとフロム ソフトウェア MEDIA BRIEFING 2014 AUTUMN を開催 GAME Watch November 25 2014 Archived from the original on June 6 2021 Retrieved December 21 2021 Ciolek Todd March 16 2015 The History of From Software ign com Archived from the original on March 18 2015 Retrieved April 7 2018 a b c d Ciolek Todd March 16 2015 The History of From Software IGN p 1 Archived from the original on March 18 2015 Retrieved May 20 2017 a b c History FromSoftware www fromsoftware jp Retrieved April 8 2020 Editor Rob Fahey Contributing July 7 2004 From Software buys Tenchu rights GamesIndustry biz Retrieved April 2 2024 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a last has generic name help Wildgoose David March 7 2022 Painfully Difficult From Software s 30 Year Journey From PS1 to Elden Ring IGN Retrieved March 8 2022 Nunneley Jackson Stephany October 24 2014 Dark Souls 2 wins Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards VG247 Retrieved December 21 2022 Eurogamer s Game of the Year 2015 Eurogamer net January 2016 Retrieved December 20 2022 Edge Presents The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time Edge August 2017 Overwatch and Dark Souls 3 win big at this year s Golden Joystick Awards PC Gamer November 18 2016 Retrieved February 13 2017 Makuch Eddie December 13 2019 The Game Awards 2019 Winners Sekiro Takes Game Of The Year GameSpot Retrieved December 13 2019 Hussain Tamoor December 17 2019 Game Of The Year 2019 Sekiro Shadows Die Twice GameSpot Retrieved December 17 2019 Elden Ring takes top honors at the Japan Game Awards Japan Times September 15 2022 Loveridge Sam November 22 2022 Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2022 winners GamesRadar Retrieved November 24 2022 Plant Logan December 8 2022 The Game Awards 2022 Winners The Full List IGN Archived from the original on December 9 2022 Retrieved December 9 2022 Kain Erik November 22 2013 Dark Souls Inspired The Design Of Sony s PlayStation 4 Forbes Archived from the original on October 5 2018 Retrieved October 5 2018 Polygon Staff November 27 2017 The 500 Best Video Games of All Time Polygon com Archived from the original on March 3 2018 Retrieved December 1 2017 Hussain Tamoor May 14 2019 The Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century Dark Souls GameSpot Archived from the original on May 14 2019 Retrieved May 21 2019 Donnelly Joe November 23 2021 Why Dark Souls has been crowned the best video game of all time GamesRadar Retrieved December 20 2022 From Software acquired by Japanese publisher Kadokawa Corporation Archived from the original on April 29 2014 Retrieved April 28 2014 Duwell Ron May 23 2014 Dark Souls Hidetaka Miyazaki Promoted to President of From Software Techno Buffalo Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved March 25 2015 From Software to open new studio in Fukuoka Gematsu September 12 2015 Archived from the original on September 16 2015 Retrieved September 15 2015 FromSoftware to Establish New Studio in Fukuoka in October 2015 FromSoftware Archived from the original on June 1 2016 Retrieved June 25 2016 Tencent and Sony Interactive Entertainment collectively acquire 30 34 percent of FromSoftware Gematsu August 31 2022 Retrieved August 31 2022 How much does From Software crunch GamesIndustry biz November 29 2022 Retrieved January 27 2023 About fromsoftware jp Retrieved August 7 2023 External links editOfficial website nbsp List of products Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title FromSoftware amp oldid 1219657716, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
