Kemco
TypeBrand of Kotobuki Solution Co., Ltd
IndustryVideo games
PredecessorKotobuki System Co., Ltd.
Founded1984 (1984)
HeadquartersKure, Hiroshima, Japan
Number of employees
140[1] (2019)
Websitekemco-games.com

Kemco (Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher established in 1984. It is headquartered in Kure, Hiroshima.[2][3]

Its best known franchises are the Kid Klown and Top Gear series, developed by Sheffield-based English developers Gremlin Graphics.[4]

History

Kemco was founded in 1984 as Kotobuki System Co., Ltd. to be the video game subsidiary of the multifaceted corporation Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (established in 1979).[5][6][7] The name represents the initial letters of Kotobuki Engineering Manufacturing Co.[5]

Kemco started by developing video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System.[5][7] Although technically called Kotobuki System until 2004, the company was already using the brand Kemco on its first game Dough Boy in 1985.[8]

From the late 1980s until the early 1990s, Kemco's video games were distributed in North America by Seika Corporation of Torrance, California, under the joint label of Kemco * Seika.[9]

In the 1990s, Kemco developed, ported, and published video games for several platforms including the NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy.[10] The company's first North American subsidiary, Kemco America, operated from October 2, 1991, to January 24, 2000.[11]

In 2001, Kemco USA was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kemco of Japan, especially targeting the American market.[7]

In 2004, Kotobuki's system development division split to become the company Kotobuki Solution Co., Ltd., keeping the Kemco video game brand in the spinoff.[5][3]

Since the 2010s, Kemco has been primarily known for its mobile games.[12] Kemco USA closed in 2007, but products continue to be released in North America through Kemco of Japan.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "会社概要 | 株式会社コトブキソリューション". www.ksol.jp. Retrieved Jun 30, 2020.
  2. ↑ "About - KEMCO". www.kemco-games.com.
  3. 1 2 "「鉄人28号」が軽快アクションゲームになった！！". www.ksol.jp.
  4. ↑ "Electronic Entertainment Expo 2003 Exhibitor Profiles" (Press release).
  5. 1 2 3 4 "ケムコって、ファミコン時代のメーカーでしょ？ ざんねん!! ケムコの ぼうけんは モバイルアプリしじょうで つづいていた!!". 30 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "COMPANY HISTORY : COMPANY INFORMATION : KOTOBUKI ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING Co.,Ltd". www.kemco.co.jp.
  7. 1 2 3 "Kemco Games". 12 August 2003. Archived from the original on 12 August 2003.
  8. ↑ "Dough Boy Box Shot for NES - GameFAQs". www.gamefaqs.com.
  9. ↑ "Uninvited" (PDF). thevgatv.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ↑ "Kemco Games - IGN". 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Washington Company List". Washington Companies Directory.
  12. ↑ Sheffield, Brandon (29 June 2010). "Interview: Valcon's Gordon On Why Game Boxes Matter, And 'Odd' Japanese Titles".
  13. ↑ "Washington Company List". Washington Companies Directory.
  14. ↑ "Contact us - KEMCO". www.kemco-games.com.
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