Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ProtoDrake (talk | contribs) at 20:03, 24 August 2022. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Aruze Global Trading Ltd.

Native name	アルゼグローバルトレーディング株式会社
Romanized name	Aruze Gurōbaru Torēdingu Kabushiki gaisha
Formerly	Sacnoth (1997-2002) Nautilus (2002-2007)
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Founded	April 30, 1997 (1997-04-30)
Founder	Hiroki Kikuta
Defunct	February 1, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-02-01)
Fate	Merged into Aruze Marketing Japan.
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Key people	Hiroki Kikuta (CEO, 1997-1999) Matsuzo Machida (game director)
Products	Shadow Hearts
Parent	SNK Aruze

Sacnoth, Inc., renamed Nautilus, Inc. in 2002, was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. The company was founded in April 1997 by Hiroki Kikuta with funding from SNK; its staff, including Kikuta, were veterans of Square. While their first releases were the Dive Alert games for the Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC), the company was founded to produce Koudelka, a role-playing video game for the PlayStation. The development of Koudelka was troubled due to creative differences between Kikuta and the rest of the staff, with Kikuta resigning as CEO following the game's release and being replaced by Jun Mihara. The company also released the NGPC game Faselei!.

In 2000, the company was acquired by Aruze, going on to develop the first game in the Shadow Hearts series. After the release of Shadow Hearts, the company's name was changed to Nautilus in 2002 and developed two more Shadow Hearts games. As part of a larger reorganization within Aruze, Nautilus was renamed Aruze Global Trading Ltd. and exited the video game business in September 2007 before being absorbed into another Aruze subsidiary in February 2009. The work of Sacnoth for the NGPC has been mentioned positively in articles on the console, while the Shadow Hearts series retains a cult status and is remembered for its setting and gameplay. Multiple former employees joined Feelplus.

History

1997–2000: First games, Koudelka

Sacnoth was founded by Hiroki Kikuta, a former composer for Square who worked on Secret of Mana, Trials of Mana and Soukaigi. While at Square, Kikuta wanted to direct his own game but, due to the strict hierarchical structure at the company, he could not move beyond his role as a composer. Searching for a means of expanding his role, he was introduced by a business advisor to the chairman of SNK. During their talk, Kikuta outlined many perceived pitfalls he saw emerging in the role-playing video game (RPG) genre. The company was founded on 30 April 1997, with Kikuta as its CEO. While SNK provided funding for the company, it otherwise had little involvement in its products and creative direction. The company's headquarters were based in Tokyo.

Sacnoth developed their first two projects in parallel; Koudelka for the PlayStation, and the Dive Alert duology for the NGPC. The Dive Alert games were their first released products in Japan, and were promoted as part of the portable's early line-up. It was also one of the last NGPC games released in North America. Koudelka was born from Kikuta's wish to create a "horror RPG", beginning development of the title following the company's foundation. Kikuta acted as the game's director, producer, writer and composer. His original plan for the gameplay and combat was to combine mechanics from simulation and adventure games, breaking away from RPG trends. The rest of the staff were reluctant to do this, and they instead created a traditional turn-based battle system without his involvement.

Kikuta resigned as Sacnoth's CEO following the release of Koudelka in 1999, later founding music label Norstrilia. Kikuta was replaced as CEO by Jun Mihara. The last game developed by Sacnoth under SNK was Faselei!, a tactical RPG released in 1999 for the NGPC. Faselei! was one of the last games produced for the NGPC, as Aruze pulled the console from sale in June 2000. During this period, SNK ran into financial troubles and was bought out by Aruze in January 2000, making Sacnoth a subsidiary of Aruze.

2001–2009: Shadow Hearts

Following Koudelka, the team's next project Shadow Hearts began development for the PlayStation 2, directed and written by Koudelka art director Matsuzo Machida (credited as Matsuzo Itakura). Mihara acted as the game's producer. Using the setting of Koudelka, Machida created a traditional role-playing game (RPG) that blended Lovecraftian horror with alternative history. Released in 2001, Shadow Hearts was the first RPG published by Aruze. Shadow Hearts was the last game developed by Sacnoth under that name.

In November 2002, Sacnoth was renamed as Nautilus, carrying over its original staff. The responsibilities of Nautilus were divided between developing further Shadow Hearts titles and supporting the production of Aruze's pachinko machines. The company's first title under the Nautilus name was Shadow Hearts: Covenant, a sequel to Shadow Hearts featuring many of the same staff. Using feedback from the first Shadow Hearts, Machida added more comedic elements. Covenant released in Japan in 2004. The team also created a director's cut of Covenant.

After the release of Covenant, a new entry was put into production. Titled Shadow Hearts: From the New World, the game was completed on a very tight schedule and focused on refining the battle system of Covenant rather than adding new elements. From the New World was a spin-off featuring new characters to reach a wider audience. From the New World was released in Japan in 2005, coming west through third-party publishers over the next two years. Plans to continue the Shadow Hearts series were never realized.

By February 2007, it was noticed that Nautilus was not mentioned in Aruze's financial statements, prompting rumors that the company had been dissolved. Nautilus was officially renamed Aruze Global Trading on September 21, 2007, during large-scale structural changes within Aruze. Under its new name, Aruze Global Trading was not involved in game development. Aruze Global Trading was merged into Aruze Marketing Japan on February 1 2009, and the company ceased to exist; Aruze Marketing Japan was itself merged into Aruze in April of that year. Several of Sacnoth staff eventually joined Feelplus, which helped develop games like Lost Odyssey and Ninety-Nine Nights II.

Legacy

Sacnoth is noted as being one of a group of video game companies—alongside Monolith Soft, Love-de-Lic and Mistwalker—founded by Square staff who had worked on notable titles produced during the 1990s. Writing in a feature for Anime News Network, Todd Ciolek noted the positive responses to the studio's work on Shadow Hearts, though felt Koudelka was inferior compared to their other work. In an article on the NGPC for USgamer, Jeremy Parish noted Sacnoth as one of the best developers to work with the console due to their work on Dive Alert and Faselei!. Faselei! has been remembered or ranked as one of the best NGPC games of all time, and become a collector's item. The Shadow Hearts series has also seen a positive reception over time and maintained a cult following, with many noting its gameplay design and combination of alternate history and Lovecraftian horror in its setting.

Games developed

References

1. ^ "Interviews - Hiroki Kikuta". RocketBaby. 2001. Archived from the original on 2003-10-12. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
2. ^ クリエイターインスピレーション Vol. 3 - 菊田 裕樹 [Creator Inspiration Vol. 3 - Hiroki Kikuta]. Sting (in Japanese). 2000-05-25. Archived from the original on 2001-02-18. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
3. ^ サクノス - 会社紹介 [Sacnoth - Company introduction] (in Japanese). Sacnoth. 1999. Archived from the original on 1999-08-26. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
4. "An Interview with Norimasa Hirano". Gamers' Republic. No. 13. Millennium Publishing. June 1999. p. 63.
5. ^ ノーチラス株式会社 -- 会社概要 -- [Nautilus Inc. -- Company Profile --] (in Japanese). Nautilus. Archived from the original on 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
6. Sacnoth Q&A (in Japanese). Sacnoth. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2002-10-20. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
7. ^ サクノス - Products [Sacnoth - Products] (in Japanese). Sacnoth. Archived from the original on 2001-04-29. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
8. "Neo Geo Pocket Launch - Neo Geo Pocket Color". Gamers' Republic. No. 13. Millennium Publishing. June 1999. p. 65.
9. ^ Provo, Frank (2004-06-11). "The History of SNK". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
10. クリエイターインスピレーション Vol. 4 - 菊田 裕樹 [Creator Inspiration Vol. 4 - Hiroki Kikuta]. Sting (in Japanese). 2000-06-14. Archived from the original on 2000-12-16. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
11. 天使の怖れ:菊田 裕樹インタビュー上 [Angel's Fear: Interview with Hiroki Kikuta]. Square Haven (in Japanese). 2007-01-22. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
12. Jeriaska (2009-08-31). "Interview: Magical Planet – The Music of Hiroki Kikuta & Yoko Shimomura". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
13. ^ サクノス - 会社紹介 [Sacnoth - Company introduction] (in Japanese). Sacnoth. 2000-04-01. Archived from the original on 2001-02-12. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
14. "NGPC: How Will We Miss Thee..." Official Dreamcast Magazine (US). No. 8. Imagine Media. 2001-11-08. p. 12.
15. ^ Winkler, Chris (2005). "RPGFan Exclusive Interview #2: Nautilus, Aruze Consumer Game Division". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2014-11-26. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
16. "Now Playing In Japan". IGN. 2001-01-26. Archived from the original on 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
17. Stuart, Keith (2005-04-27). "Revenge of SNK". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2014-09-18. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
18. Strohm, Alex (2000-09-19). "Q&A: Sacnoth". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2001-06-29. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
19. ^ インタビュー: 『シャドウハーツII』 [Interview: "Shadow Hearts II"]. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2016-05-27. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
20. ^ Robuschi, Majkol (2016-01-02). "Intervista a Matsuzo Machida e Miyako Kato: il duo creativo della serie Shadow Hearts" [Interview with Matsuzo Machida and Miyako Kato: the creative duo of the Shadow Hearts series]. GeekGamer.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
21. Schweitzer, Ben (2013-05-09). "Shadow Hearts Original Soundtrack Commentary". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
22. アルゼ、プレイステーション2用RPG「シャドウ ハーツ」を発表 [Aruze Announces RPG "Shadow Hearts" for PlayStation 2]. Game Watch Impress (in Japanese). 2001-01-26. Archived from the original on 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
23. 佐藤藍子さんをＣＭに起用！ アルゼ、『シャドウハーツ』完成記者発表会 [Aiko Sato has been appointed as a CM! Aruze, "Shadow Hearts" Completion Press Conference]. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). 2001-05-14. Archived from the original on 2018-12-19. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
24. "Financial Information as of December 31, 2018" (PDF) (Press release). Universal Entertainment. 2018-12-31. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
25. ^ Alfonso, Andrew (2005-09-26). "Shadow Hearts 3: Odaiba Roundtable". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
26. Winkler, Chris (2003-06-18). "Shadow Hearts 2 Details Announced". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2017-11-27. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
27. "Shadow Hearts -From the New World- Original Soundtrack Commentary". Video Game Music Online. 2013-05-09. Archived from the original on 2015-03-29. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
28. ^ Nutt, Christian (2005-09-22). "Shadow Hearts: From the New World TGS Roundtable". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2016-06-04. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
29. ^ Winkler, Chris (2007-02-20). "Exclusive: Aruze Talks Shadow Hearts". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
30. Yip, Spencer (2006-03-06). "Shadow Hearts rises again". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2010-10-18. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
31. "Shadow Hearts: From The New World". Ghostlight. 2007-04-02. Archived from the original on 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
32. "Information Regarding Business Realignment" (PDF) (Press release). Aruze. 2007-10-03. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
33. ^ Sterling, Jim (2007-12-06). "Shadow Hearts team is behind Lost Odyssey: They kept this quiet, why?". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
34. "Announcent Regarding the Absorbtion Type Merger (Simplified/Short Form Merger) of a Consolidated Subsidiary (Aruze Marketing Japan Corporation)" (PDF) (Press release). Aruze. 2009-04-27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2022-08-09. {{cite press release}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2022-08-08 suggested (help)
35. Yip, Spencer (2008-12-18). "Shadow Hearts Lives On As A Slot Machine". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2014-07-23. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
36. Yip, Spencer (2009-12-01). "Lost Odyssey Developer Making No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
37. Ciolke, Todd (2013-02-06). "The X Button - Squared Circle". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
38. Parish, Jeremy (2014-10-28). "Neo Geo Pocket Color: The Portable That Changed Everything". USgamer. Archived from the original on 2014-10-31. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
39. "Neo Geo Pocket Gamer - Perfect Ten Games". Retro Gamer. No. 20. Imagine Publishing. August 2005. p. 55.
40. Alonso, Álvaro (February 2, 2014). "Reportaje: Los 20 mejores juegos de Neo Geo Pocket/NGP Color" [Feature: Top 20 Neo Geo Pocket/NGP Color Games]. HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
41. Wallace, Kimberley (2012-12-14). "Remembering Shadow Hearts". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
42. Breault, Chris (2016-04-22). "The Immortal Weirdness of Shadow Hearts". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
43. ダイヴアラート [Dive Alert] (in Japanese). SNK. Archived from the original on 2000-03-03. Retrieved 2018-12-24.

1. Japanese: 株式会社サクノス, Hepburn: Kabushiki gaisha Sakunosu
2. Japanese: ノーチラス株式会社, Hepburn: Nōchirasu Kabushiki gaisha
3. Japanese: アルゼグローバルトレーディング株式会社, Hepburn: Aruze Gurōbaru Torēdingu Kabushiki gaisha

External links

• Official website (archived 2000)

• Companies
• Japan
• Video games

• 1997 establishments in Japan
• 2000 mergers and acquisitions
• 2007 disestablishments in Japan
• Defunct video game companies of Japan
• SNK
• Software companies based in Tokyo
• Video game companies established in 1997
• Video game companies disestablished in 2009
• Video game development companies