is a Japanese video game development and localization company specializing in role-playing video games, visual novels and adventure games. The company was founded in 1984 as Chunsoft Co., Ltd. and merged with Spike in 2012. It is owned by Dwango.
It created games such as the first five Dragon Quest installments and the Mystery Dungeon franchise as Chunsoft, and the Conception series as Spike Chunsoft. They also developed titles such as the Sound Novel series (consisting of Otogirisō, Kamaitachi no Yoru, Machi and 428: Shibuya Scramble) and the Zero Escape series, and the Famicom port of The Portopia Serial Murder Case as Chunsoft. Spike developed Danganronpa before the merger.
History
Chunsoft Chunsoft was founded by Koichi Nakamura. The "Chun" in the company name is from the first kanji Naka (中) of the company founder's name; Naka is read as "Chun" in Japanese Mahjong. This name would also appear in Nakamura's first work with Enix, titled Door Door in 1983. Otogirisō marked Chunsoft's debut brand. Following that, successive genre-trailblazing titles Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon, Kamaitachi no Yoru, and Shiren the Wanderer established the company's good reputation. Nakamura himself had to move away from programming in order to run the company.
For a time, the company's products were considered mediocre, but 3-Nen B-Gumi Kinpachi Sensei: Densetsu no Kyoudan ni Tate! was a hit that showed signs of recovery. During the development of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, Kouji Malta, one of the programmers for these two games, and contributed previously on EarthBound and Shiren the Wanderer 2, stated the company went through bad business performance, as employees from Chunsoft would leave the company progressively due to this issue. The game's success not only helped giving more popularity in the Mystery Dungeon franchise, it also helped Chunsoft from avoiding bankruptcy. Later in 2005, it was bought by Dwango and became a subsidiary of the company.
Before the project, Sega were helping Chunsoft in developing and releasing its games for the Dreamcast. From 2005 to 2010, Sega have made a collaboration with Chunsoft titled "SEGA×CHUN PROJECT". Their goal was to provide support and sales for development funds, such as the Nintendo DS remake of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer or 428: Shibuya Scramble.
Spike
Merger In 2012, Chunsoft merged with its sister company Spike and the new company would be called Spike Chunsoft.志田英邦『ゲーム・マエストロ Vol. 2 プロデューサー/ディレクター編(2)』毎日コミュニケーションズ、2000年、p.16。中村光一インタビュー。
Subsidiary In 2017, Spike Chunsoft established a North American subsidiary based in Long Beach, California to carry out localization and publishing of its own games, in addition to games by its sister company 5pb./Mages under a newly formed partnership. Their first game under the Mages partnership was the Microsoft Windows version of Steins;Gate, taking over publishing of the game from Mages in 2018; it has since continued publishing further games in the Science Adventure series, including Steins;Gate 0 and Chaos;Child.
On July 16, 2020, NIS America announced that Danganronpa games on the PlayStation Store will be removed. Spike Chunsoft subsequently announced on July 22, 2020, that it will take on publishing the Danganronpa series outside of Japan. Similarly, the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows release of Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate would not be released by Aksys but by its subsidiary.
Works
Chunsoft Developed YearTitlePlatformPublisher1983Door Door mkIIPC-8801, Nintendo Entertainment SystemEnix1985The Portopia Serial Murder CaseNintendo Entertainment SystemEnix1986Dragon QuestNintendo Entertainment SystemEnix1987Dragon Quest IINintendo Entertainment SystemEnix1988Dragon Quest IIINintendo Entertainment SystemEnix1989JesusNintendo Entertainment SystemKing Records1990Dragon Quest IVNintendo Entertainment SystemEnix1991Famicom Jump II: Saikyō no ShichininNintendo Entertainment SystemBandaiTetris 2 + BomBlissNintendo Entertainment SystemBullet-Proof Software1992Dragon Quest VSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemEnixOtogirisōSuper Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation, MobileChunsoft1993Dragon Quest I & IISuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemEnixTorneko's Great AdventureSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemChunsoft1994Banshee's Last CrySuper Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, Mobile, Web browserChunsoft1995Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the WandererSuper Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo DSChunsoft1998MachiSaturn, PlayStation, Mobile, PlayStation PortableChunsoftSega (PSP)1999Torneko: The Last HopePlayStation, Game Boy AdvanceEnix2000Shiren the Wanderer 2: Shiren's Castle and the Oni InvasionNintendo 64Nintendo2001Shiren the Wanderer GB2: Magic Castle of the DesertGame Boy Color, Nintendo DSChunsoftSega (DS)2002Kamaitachi no Yoru 2PlayStation 2, Mobile, PlayStation PortableChunsoftSega (PSP)Torneko's Great Adventure 3PlayStation 2, Game Boy AdvanceEnix2004Shiren Monsters: NetsalGame Boy AdvanceChunsoft3-Nen B-Gumi Kinpachi SenseiPlayStation 2ChunsoftThe Nightmare of DruagaPlayStation 2Arika (JP)Namco (NA)2005HomelandGameCubeChunsoftPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue TeamGame Boy Advance, Nintendo DSNintendoThe Pokémon Company2006Kamaitachi no Yoru ×3PlayStation 2Sega2007Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of DarknessNintendo DSNintendoThe Pokémon CompanyImabikisōPlayStation 3, WiiSega2008Shiren the WandererWii, PlayStation PortableSega (JP)Atlus USA (NA)Spike (PSP)428: Shibuya ScrambleWii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation PortableSpike2009Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of SkyNintendo DSNintendoThe Pokémon CompanyPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure TeamWiiThe Pokémon Company999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors Nintendo DSSpike (JP)Aksys Games (NA/EU)2010Shiren the Wanderer 4: The Eye of God and the Devil's NavelSpikeShiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of FateChunsoft2011Zombie DaisukiChunsoftWii Play: MotionWiiNintendoShin Kamaitachi no YoruPlayStation 3, PlayStation VitaChunsoft2012Zero Escape: Virtue's Last RewardNintendo 3DS, PlayStation VitaChunsoft
Published only YearTitlePlatformDeveloper 1996Shiren the Wanderer GB: Monster of Moonlight VillageGame Boy, Windows, AndroidAquamarineChunsoft (Android)2002Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden: Asuka the SwordswomanWindowsNeverland
Spike Chunsoft This table includes video games published internationally by Spike Chunsoft's American subsidiary Spike Chunsoft, Inc. since its foundation on December 1, 2017. Outside of titles from Spike Chunsoft in Japan, the company publishes titles from Mages (which was also part of Spike Chunsoft's parent company Dwango until July 2019) and from other companies.