Banpresto

Banpresto Co., Ltd.[lower-alpha 1] was a Japanese toy company, and a former game developer and publisher, headquartered in the Shinagawa Seaside West Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo.[1] The current iteration of the company was formed on April 1, 2008, with the focus on the toy consumer business.[2] The company was dissolved in February 2019 and combined to Bandai Spirits, with the company getting all the rights and duties of Banpresto.[3]

Banpresto Co., Ltd
Native name
株式会社バンプレスト
Kabushiki gaisha Banpuresuto
Formerly
  • Hoei Sangyo
  • (1977-1982)
  • Coreland
  • (1982-1989)
TypeKabushiki gaisha
Subsidiary
IndustryWholesale
FoundedApril 1977 (1977-04) (as Hoei Sangyo, Co. Ltd.)
DefunctFebruary 23, 2019 (2019-02-23)
FateVideo game operations taken over by Bandai Namco Games, company merged with Bandai Spirits
HeadquartersShinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
ProductsToys
ParentBandai Namco Holdings
Websitewww.banpresto.co.jp/english/

History

The original company was founded April 1977 as Hoei Sangyo, Co. Ltd. (豊栄産業株式会社, Hōei Sangyō Kabushiki-gaisha, also known as Hoei Manufacturing Corp.). During the 1980s it worked mainly as a subcontractor for Sega and its arcade division,[4] and the company was renamed Coreland Technology Co., Ltd. (コアランドテクノロジー株式会社, Koarando Tekunorojī Kabushiki-gaisha) in 1982.[5] It started to be partially owned by Bandai in 1989, when it gained its current name.[6] It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings in March 2006.

Banpresto has created a variety of Japan-only video games, most notably the Super Robot Wars series. Other projects include anime tie-in games such as the Slam Dunk basketball games and Tenchi Muyou! Game Hen. Banpresto also made the Another Century's Episode series, a collaboration with FromSoftware, and the Compati Hero series of games which crosses over the Ultraman, Kamen Rider and Gundam franchises. Banpresto also makes several varieties of mechanical prize-winning games. As Coreland, the company has produced a number of games for Sega, including Pengo, 4-D Warriors and I'm Sorry.

As Coreland, they developed the shoot 'em up arcade video game SWAT, which featured a hoverboard in 1984. It was distributed by Sega in Japan and Bally Midway in North America.[7]

Banpresto's video game operations were fully merged into Bandai Namco Games on April 1, 2008.[2] Banpresto's internal development division, Banpresoft, merged with BEC to form the successor company B.B. Studio on April 1, 2011.[8]

Games

Hoei/Coreland
Title Release year Distributor(s) Platform
Jump Bug 1981 Sega Arcade
Pengo 1982
SWAT[7] 1984
Gombe's I'm Sorry 1985 Sega
Seishun Scandal 1986
WEC Le Mans 1986 Konami
Cyber Tank[9][10] 1988 Taito

Banpresto
Title Platform(s) Release date
SD Lupin the 3rd: Operation to Break the Safe Game Boy April 13, 1990
SD Battle Ōzumō: Heisei Hero Basho Family Computer April 20, 1990
SD Hero Soukessen: Taose! Aku no Gundan Family Computer July 7, 1990
Ranma ½ Game Boy July 28, 1990
SD Sengoku Bushou Retsuden: Rekka no Gotoku Tenka wo Nusure! Family Computer September 8, 1990
Kininkou Maroku Oni Game Boy December 8, 1990
Hissatsu Shigotonin Family Computer December 15, 1990
SD the Great Battle Super Famicom December 29, 1990
Super Robot Wars Game Boy April 20, 1991
Battle Dodge Ball Super Famicom July 20, 1991
Game Boy October 16, 1992
Super Puyo Puyo Super Famicom December 10, 1993
Puyo Puyo Game Boy July 31, 1994
Battle Pinball Super Famicom February 24, 1995
Super Tekkyuu Fight! Super Famicom September 15, 1995
Crayon Shin-chan: Saikyou Kazoku Kasukabe King Wii Wii December 2, 2006
Gintama: Gintoki vs. Hijikata Nintendo DS December 14, 2006
Crayon Shin-Chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land - Kachinko Gachinko Daikatsugeki! Nintendo DS March 20, 2008

See also

Notes
  1. Japanese: 株式会社バンプレスト, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Banpuresuto

References
  1. "Company Outline". 18 February 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  2. "History". Banpresto. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  3. Sherman, Jennifer (February 22, 2019). "Toy Company Banpresto Dissolves, Combines With Bandai Spirits". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  4. "Banpresto Co., Ltd". MobyGames. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  5. "Hoei Corp. Renamed to "Coreland Technology"". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 191. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 July 1982. p. 26.
  6. "Banpresto". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 21, 2002. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  7. Sotenga (September 28, 2014). "SWAT". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  8. "History". BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  9. "Cyber Tank". Media Arts Database. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  10. Openshaw, Mary (March 1990). "Paris Says Oui! Pins, video and — surprise! — poll all shine at best Paris show ever". RePlay. Vol. 15 no. 6. pp. 134–5.
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