Technosoft[a] was a Japanese video game developer and publisher based headquartered in Sasebo, Nagasaki. Also known as "Tecno Soft", the company was founded in February 1980 as Sasebo Microcomputer Center, before changing its name to Technosoft in 1982. The company primarily dealt with software for Japanese personal computers, including graphic toolsets and image processing software. Technosoft's first venture into the video game market was Snake & Snake, released in 1982, before seeing success with titles such as Thunder Force (1983) and Plasma Line (1984).
Technosoft became largely profitable during the late-1980s and early-1990s, largely in part due to the widespread popularity of their Thunder Force and Herzog franchises. However, later in the decade, Technosoft began to largely diminish as profits began to slump, before ultimately being acquired and folded into Japanese pachinko manufacturer Twenty-One Company in late 2001. Twenty-One began to release products in 2008 under the Technosoft brand, and sold the entirety of its video game library to Sega in 2016. The Technosoft name continues to be in use in the present day as the name for Twenty-One's research and development division, and as a brand name for various products such as soundtrack albums.
Some staff members left Technosoft to start the game development companies Arsys Software in 1985 (founded by Kotori Yoshimura, creator of Thunder Force and Plazma Line), CAProduction in 1993, and Ganbarion in 1999.
In 2006, the URL for Technosoft was registered and updated. However, no updates other than "We will restart soon! Please wait for a while." and "THUNDERFORCE is a registered trademark." have been added to the website. In 2008, The Technosoft brand was revived by Twenty-One company. Technosoft licensed merchandising and music of the brand's past titles. The copyright for Technosoft's intellectual properties were not registered under Technosoft nor Twenty-One Company, but to Kazue Matsuoka.[2]
Sega revealed that Thunder Force III will be part of Sega 3D Classics Collection,[3] and on September 17, 2016, at the Tokyo Game Show, Sega announced that they acquired the intellectual property and development rights to all the games developed and published by Technosoft. When questioned about future Technosoft releases, Sega would look into re-releasing Thunder Force IV, Thunder Force V and Herzog Zwei.[4]
In September 2016, there was a total of 21 registrations made by Sega Holdings. These registrations revised the copyright of Technosoft intellectual properties from Kazue Matsuoka to Sega Games Co, Ltd thus completing the acquisition.[5] As of 2016, the digital soundtrack rights for the Thunder Force series will still be handled by Twenty-One Company through the Twenty-One Technosoft division.[6]
Factors that influenced the acquisition included the former Technosoft president stating that they did not want the Technosoft brand to desist, and so handing over the intellectual properties to Sega was the only other option. Sega and Technosoft also had an established collaboration during the Genesis/Mega Drive era and so this pre-established relationship was also a factor when acquiring the brand rights to Technosoft titles.[7]
The series' first game, Thunder Force, appeared in 1983 on a variety of Japanese computers, such as the Sharp X1, NEC PC-8801 mkII, and FM-7. Technosoft also released a level editor, or game creation system, entitled Thunder Force Construction, for the original game on the FM-7 computer in 1984.[8] Since Thunder Force II, the majority of installments in the series appeared on the Mega Drive console, where the series gained much of its popularity. The most recent entry was released on PlayStation 2.
Plazma Line (プラズマライン) is a first-person space racing game released by Technosoft for the NEC PC-8801 and FM-7 computers in 1984. It is notable for being the first computer game, and home video game in general, with 3D polygon graphics. The objective of the game is to race through outer space in a first-person view while avoiding obstacles (rendered in 3D polygons) along the way. It also featured an automap radar to keep track of the player's position.[9]
The game was created by Kotori Yoshimura,[9] who also created the original Thunder Force.[10] Yoshimura later left the company in 1985 to start the development studio Arsys Software along with fellow Technosoft member Osamu Nagano.[11]
The series' best known entry is the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) title Herzog Zwei (1989), which is sometimes regarded as the world's first real time strategy game. Although released two years after Nether Earth, it was the first game with a feature set that falls under the contemporary definition of the real-time strategy genre, predating the genre-popularizing Dune II.[12][13][14] The producers of Dune II acknowledged Herzog Zwei (meaning "Duke 2" in German) as an influence on the game.[15][16]
^"「セガ3D復刻アーカイブス3 Final Stage」に「サンダーフォースIii」収録!! テクノソフトの権利をセガが取得、元テクノソフトの新井氏も登場して経緯を語った". 17 September 2016.
^"Thunder Force Construction". Oh!FM. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
^ abcde"Plazma Line". Oh!FM. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
^"Wibarm". Oh!FM. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
^. Cyberhead. Archived from the original on October 24, 2001. Retrieved 30 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^. www.strategyplanet.com. 2001-05-09. Archived from the original on 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
^Sharkey, Scott. . 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2004-09-13. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
^Geryk, Bruce. "A History of Real-Time Strategy Games: Part I: 1989-1998". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
^Clarke-Willson, Stephen (August 18, 1998). "The Origin of Realtime Strategy Games on the PC". The Rise and Fall of Virgin Interactive. Above the Garage Productions. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
^"The Making of... Dune II". Edge. Next-Gen.biz. December 9, 2008. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2011. Herzog Zwei was a lot of fun, but I have to say the other inspiration for Dune II was the Mac software interface. The whole design/interface dynamics of mouse clicking and selecting desktop items got me thinking, 'Why not allow the same inside the game environment? Why not a context-sensitive playfield? To hell with all these hot keys, to hell with keyboard as the primary means of manipulating the game!
External links
Official website
March 08, 2023
technosoft, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, style, several, templates, tools, available, assist. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as Reflinks documentation reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Technosoft a was a Japanese video game developer and publisher based headquartered in Sasebo Nagasaki Also known as Tecno Soft the company was founded in February 1980 as Sasebo Microcomputer Center before changing its name to Technosoft in 1982 The company primarily dealt with software for Japanese personal computers including graphic toolsets and image processing software Technosoft s first venture into the video game market was Snake amp Snake released in 1982 before seeing success with titles such as Thunder Force 1983 and Plasma Line 1984 TechnosoftTypeKabushiki gaishaIndustryVideo gamesFoundedFebruary 1980 43 years ago 1980 02 1 Defunct2001 22 years ago 2001 FateAssets incorporated into Twenty one Company Intellectual Properties acquired by SegaSuccessorTwenty One Technosoft div HeadquartersSasebo Nagasaki JapanProductsVideo gamesComputer softwareTechnosoft became largely profitable during the late 1980s and early 1990s largely in part due to the widespread popularity of their Thunder Force and Herzog franchises However later in the decade Technosoft began to largely diminish as profits began to slump before ultimately being acquired and folded into Japanese pachinko manufacturer Twenty One Company in late 2001 Twenty One began to release products in 2008 under the Technosoft brand and sold the entirety of its video game library to Sega in 2016 The Technosoft name continues to be in use in the present day as the name for Twenty One s research and development division and as a brand name for various products such as soundtrack albums Contents 1 History 2 Notable releases 2 1 Thunder Force 2 2 Plazma Line 2 3 Herzog 3 Releases 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditSome staff members left Technosoft to start the game development companies Arsys Software in 1985 founded by Kotori Yoshimura creator of Thunder Force and Plazma Line CAProduction in 1993 and Ganbarion in 1999 In 2006 the URL for Technosoft was registered and updated However no updates other than We will restart soon Please wait for a while and THUNDERFORCE is a registered trademark have been added to the website In 2008 The Technosoft brand was revived by Twenty One company Technosoft licensed merchandising and music of the brand s past titles The copyright for Technosoft s intellectual properties were not registered under Technosoft nor Twenty One Company but to Kazue Matsuoka 2 Sega revealed that Thunder Force III will be part of Sega 3D Classics Collection 3 and on September 17 2016 at the Tokyo Game Show Sega announced that they acquired the intellectual property and development rights to all the games developed and published by Technosoft When questioned about future Technosoft releases Sega would look into re releasing Thunder Force IV Thunder Force V and Herzog Zwei 4 In September 2016 there was a total of 21 registrations made by Sega Holdings These registrations revised the copyright of Technosoft intellectual properties from Kazue Matsuoka to Sega Games Co Ltd thus completing the acquisition 5 As of 2016 the digital soundtrack rights for the Thunder Force series will still be handled by Twenty One Company through the Twenty One Technosoft division 6 Factors that influenced the acquisition included the former Technosoft president stating that they did not want the Technosoft brand to desist and so handing over the intellectual properties to Sega was the only other option Sega and Technosoft also had an established collaboration during the Genesis Mega Drive era and so this pre established relationship was also a factor when acquiring the brand rights to Technosoft titles 7 Notable releases EditThunder Force Edit Main article Thunder Force series The company s most commercially successful franchise was the Thunder Force series It was a series of scrolling shooter video games The series began with the original Thunder Force in 1983 The games are known by fans of the genre for their hardcore appeal pleasing graphics and generally well composed synthesizer based chiptune music soundtracks The series first game Thunder Force appeared in 1983 on a variety of Japanese computers such as the Sharp X1 NEC PC 8801 mkII and FM 7 Technosoft also released a level editor or game creation system entitled Thunder Force Construction for the original game on the FM 7 computer in 1984 8 Since Thunder Force II the majority of installments in the series appeared on the Mega Drive console where the series gained much of its popularity The most recent entry was released on PlayStation 2 Plazma Line Edit Plazma Line プラズマラインDeveloper s TechnosoftPublisher s Technosoft 9 Designer s Kotori Yoshimura 9 Platform s NEC PC 8801 NEC PC 6001 FM 7 Sharp X1ReleasePC 8801 PC 6001 X1 1984 FM 7 December 1984 9 Genre s First person racing game Space flight simulator The Sharp X1 port of Plazma Line 1984 an early first person futuristic racing video game This GIF animation of the game demonstrates early use of 3D polygon graphics and automap feature Plazma Line プラズマライン is a first person space racing game released by Technosoft for the NEC PC 8801 and FM 7 computers in 1984 It is notable for being the first computer game and home video game in general with 3D polygon graphics The objective of the game is to race through outer space in a first person view while avoiding obstacles rendered in 3D polygons along the way It also featured an automap radar to keep track of the player s position 9 The game was created by Kotori Yoshimura 9 who also created the original Thunder Force 10 Yoshimura later left the company in 1985 to start the development studio Arsys Software along with fellow Technosoft member Osamu Nagano 11 Herzog Edit Main articles Herzog video game and Herzog Zwei Herzog German Duke is a strategy video game released by Technosoft in Japan for the MSX and NEC PC 88 computers in 1988 It was a real time tactics and tactical shooter game with real time strategy elements The series best known entry is the Sega Mega Drive Genesis title Herzog Zwei 1989 which is sometimes regarded as the world s first real time strategy game Although released two years after Nether Earth it was the first game with a feature set that falls under the contemporary definition of the real time strategy genre predating the genre popularizing Dune II 12 13 14 The producers of Dune II acknowledged Herzog Zwei meaning Duke 2 in German as an influence on the game 15 16 Releases EditYear Title Platform s 1982 Snake amp Snake PC 8000 Sharp MZ1983 Thunder Force FM 7 PC 6601 PC 88 PC 98 Sharp MZ X11984 Plazma Line1988 Feedback MSX2Herzog MSX PC 8801 PC 9801 X1Thunder Force II X68000 Sega Genesis1989 Herzog Zwei Sega Genesis1990 Thunder Force III Sega Genesis Arcade1991 Devil s Crush Sega GenesisThunder Spirits Super Nintendo Entertainment System1992 Thunder Force IV Sega Genesis1993 Elemental MasterHyper Duel Arcade Sega Saturn1994 Nekketsu Oyako PlayStation Sega Saturn1995 Kyuutenkai Fantasic Pinball1996 Thunder Force Gold Pack 1 Sega SaturnThunder Force Gold Pack 21997 Blast WindNeorude PlayStation1998 Kaze no Oka Kōen niteKumitate Battle Kuttu Ketto PlayStation Sega SaturnThunder Force V1999 My Garden PlayStation1999 Getter Robo Daikessen PlayStationNotes Edit Japanese 株式会社テクノソフト Hepburn Kabushiki gashia TekunosofutoReferences Edit Corporate Profile Technosoft Archived from the original on June 25 1998 Retrieved 1 September 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link https www famitsu com game coming 1216397 1407 html Technosoft s Thunder Force III Will Be In The Third Sega 3D Classics Collection Siliconera www siliconera com Archived from the original on 2016 09 19 Sega announces acquisitions of Technosoft IP s September 2016 メンテナンス情報 Maintenance information J PlatPat AIPN Home tecnosoft com セガ3D復刻アーカイブス3 Final Stage に サンダーフォースIii 収録 テクノソフトの権利をセガが取得 元テクノソフトの新井氏も登場して経緯を語った 17 September 2016 Thunder Force Construction Oh FM Archived from the original on 1 September 2012 Retrieved 1 September 2012 a b c d e Plazma Line Oh FM Archived from the original on 1 September 2012 Retrieved 1 September 2012 Wibarm Oh FM Archived from the original on 1 September 2012 Retrieved 1 September 2012 Corporate profile Cyberhead Archived from the original on October 24 2001 Retrieved 30 August 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link Are Real Time Strategy Games At Their Peak www strategyplanet com 2001 05 09 Archived from the original on 2010 11 15 Retrieved 2011 01 22 Sharkey Scott Essential Top 50 Herzog Zwei 1UP com Archived from the original on 2004 09 13 Retrieved 2007 09 27 Geryk Bruce A History of Real Time Strategy Games Part I 1989 1998 GameSpot Retrieved 2009 01 09 Clarke Willson Stephen August 18 1998 The Origin of Realtime Strategy Games on the PC The Rise and Fall of Virgin Interactive Above the Garage Productions Retrieved 30 January 2012 The Making of Dune II Edge Next Gen biz December 9 2008 Archived from the original on December 8 2012 Retrieved July 27 2011 Herzog Zwei was a lot of fun but I have to say the other inspiration for Dune II was the Mac software interface The whole design interface dynamics of mouse clicking and selecting desktop items got me thinking Why not allow the same inside the game environment Why not a context sensitive playfield To hell with all these hot keys to hell with keyboard as the primary means of manipulating the game External links EditOfficial website Archived version of official website from 1998 Archived version of official website from 2001 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Technosoft amp oldid 1112622812, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
