Japanese video game company
FromSoftware, Inc.
Native name
株式会社フロム・ソフトウェア Kabushiki gaisha furomu sofutowea Company type
Joint venture (
kabushiki gaisha ) Industry
Video games Founded November 1, 1986; 37 years ago (1986-11-01 ) Founder Naotoshi Zin Headquarters , Japan
Key people
Products Owner Number of employees
397 (June 2023) Website
FromSoftware
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.
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.
History
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
List of games developed by FromSoftware
Year
Title
System
International publisher
1994
King's Field
PlayStation
—
1995
King's Field II
PlayStation
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
Evergrace
PlayStation 2
Armored Core 2
PlayStation 2
The Adventures of Cookie & Cream
PlayStation 2
2001
Armored Core 2: Another Age
PlayStation 2
Forever Kingdom
PlayStation 2
Agetec
King's Field IV
PlayStation 2
2002
Armored Core 3
PlayStation 2,
PlayStation Portable
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 : Agetec
EU : Indie Games Productions
Armored Core: Nexus
PlayStation 2
Agetec
Kuon
PlayStation 2
NA : Agetec
EU : Indie Games Productions
Armored Core: Nine Breaker
PlayStation 2
Armored Core: Formula Front
PlayStation Portable , PlayStation 2
Metal Wolf Chaos
Xbox,
PlayStation 4 ,
Windows ,
Xbox One
Devolver Digital
2005
Yoshitsune Eiyūden
PlayStation 2
—
Another Century's Episode
PlayStation 2
Banpresto
Armored Core: Last Raven
PlayStation 2,
PlayStation Portable
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
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
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
Déraciné
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/S
References
^
"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 .
^ 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 .
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