.gif)
ASCII (company)
Encyclopedia
was a publishing company based in Tokyo
, Japan
. It became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Group Holdings
in 2004, and merged with another Kadokawa subsidiary MediaWorks
on April 1, 2008, and became ASCII Media Works
. The company published Monthly ASCII as the main publication. ASCII
, The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a previously dominant character encoding
for the Latin alphabet
.
and Keiichiro Tsukamoto in 1977. Originally a publisher of a magazine with the same name ASCII, talks between Bill Gates
and Nishi led to a creation of Microsoft's
first overseas sales office, ASCII Microsoft, in 1979.Nishi was also known for being the creator of the MSX in 1983, an 8 bits standard computers well known in the former USSR and Japan. In 1984, ASCII engaged itself in semiconductor business, followed by a further expansion into commercial online service in 1985 under the brand of ASCII-NET. As the popularity of home video game systems soared in the 1980s, ASCII became active in the development and publishing of software for popular consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System
and Sega Mega Drive
. After Microsoft's public stock offering in 1986, ASCII Microsoft was dissolved. At around the same time, the company was also obliged to reform itself as a result of its aggressive diversification in the first half of 1980s. The company went public in 1989.
ASCII had become popular in the software market that it branched out and created an American
satellite
in 1991 known as ASCII Entertainment. To focus on supporting the interactive entertainment channel in America, startup company Agetec
(for "Ascii Game Entertainment TEChnology") was spun off as an independent corporation in 1998 and later became a fully independent publisher one year later. Co-founder Tsukamoto had left ASCII to create a company of his own in 1992, named Impress.
businesses. The transfer was approved on 2001-12-21.. As a part of deal, ASCII's outstanding debt owed to CSK was forgiven, and under Unison's control, the ASCII's Enterbrain and IT publishing divisions would maintain autonomy, while ASCII was restructured to concentrate on PC and IT publishing businesses.
On 2002-05-28, Unison Media Partners announced ASCII Corporation would became its fully owned subsidiary of via share exchange, and ASCII would be delisted, effective on 2002-10-1.
On 2002-11-18, the Astroarts subsidiary was renamed to ASCII Corporation, while ASCII Corporation was renamed to MediaLeaves, Inc. (株式会社メディアリーヴス). The former Astroarts subsidiary would inherit the publishing business of the former ASCII Corporation.
, to be completed on 2004-03.
announced the merger between subsidiaries MediaWorks Inc.
and ASCII Corporation under the name ASCII Media Works, Inc.
(株式会社アスキー・メディアワークス), effective on 2008-04-01. The merger was approved in 2008.
On 2010-10-1, the formerly named ASCII Corporation company MediaLeaves, Inc. was merged into Enterbrain Inc., dissolving the last of the ASCII Corporation entity.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Group Holdings
Kadokawa Group Holdings
is a Japanese holding company of the Kadokawa Group under Kadokawa Shoten. The company was founded on April 2, 1954 and is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan...
in 2004, and merged with another Kadokawa subsidiary MediaWorks
MediaWorks (publisher)
was a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group known for their brand magazines and book labels. These included such well-known magazines as Dengeki Daioh, and Dengeki G's Magazine, along with MediaWorks' main light novel publishing imprint Dengeki Bunko. The company was merged with ASCII...
on April 1, 2008, and became ASCII Media Works
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...
. The company published Monthly ASCII as the main publication. ASCII
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
, The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a previously dominant character encoding
Character encoding
A character encoding system consists of a code that pairs each character from a given repertoire with something else, such as a sequence of natural numbers, octets or electrical pulses, in order to facilitate the transmission of data through telecommunication networks or storage of text in...
for the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
.
Early ASCII (1977-1990)
ASCII was co-founded by Kazuhiko NishiKazuhiko Nishi
worked for Microsoft during the 1980s as Vice President of the Far East operations.In 1986, Kazuhiko Nishi left Microsoft to devote himself mostly to ASCII Corporation to develop the MSX standard together with NEC executive Kazuya Watanabe...
and Keiichiro Tsukamoto in 1977. Originally a publisher of a magazine with the same name ASCII, talks between Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
and Nishi led to a creation of Microsoft's
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
first overseas sales office, ASCII Microsoft, in 1979.Nishi was also known for being the creator of the MSX in 1983, an 8 bits standard computers well known in the former USSR and Japan. In 1984, ASCII engaged itself in semiconductor business, followed by a further expansion into commercial online service in 1985 under the brand of ASCII-NET. As the popularity of home video game systems soared in the 1980s, ASCII became active in the development and publishing of software for popular consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
. After Microsoft's public stock offering in 1986, ASCII Microsoft was dissolved. At around the same time, the company was also obliged to reform itself as a result of its aggressive diversification in the first half of 1980s. The company went public in 1989.
ASCII in the 1990s
ASCII's revenue in its fiscal year ending March 1996 was 56 billion yen, broken down by sectors: Publication (52.5% or 27.0 billion yen), Game entertainment (27.8% or 14.3 billion yen), Systems & semiconductors (10.8% or 6 billion yen) and others. Despite its struggles to remain focused on its core businesses, the company continued to suffer from accumulated debts, until an arrangement was set up that CSK Corporation execute a major investment into ASCII in 1997.ASCII had become popular in the software market that it branched out and created an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
in 1991 known as ASCII Entertainment. To focus on supporting the interactive entertainment channel in America, startup company Agetec
Agetec
Agetec is a US based video game publishing company that is best known for bringing Japanese titles to the US, including their flagship series Armored Core, and the King's Field RPG series, as well as their "designer series" of RPG Maker and Fighter Maker...
(for "Ascii Game Entertainment TEChnology") was spun off as an independent corporation in 1998 and later became a fully independent publisher one year later. Co-founder Tsukamoto had left ASCII to create a company of his own in 1992, named Impress.
ASCII beyond 2000
On 2001-11-26, CSK Corporation and Unison Capital Partners L.P. announced the approval of transferring the control of its subsidiary ASCII Corporation to Unison Capital Partners L.P., effective on 2002-03-30, as part of the strategy to focus the CSK's group operations on B2BBusiness-to-business
Business-to-business describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer...
businesses. The transfer was approved on 2001-12-21.. As a part of deal, ASCII's outstanding debt owed to CSK was forgiven, and under Unison's control, the ASCII's Enterbrain and IT publishing divisions would maintain autonomy, while ASCII was restructured to concentrate on PC and IT publishing businesses.
On 2002-05-28, Unison Media Partners announced ASCII Corporation would became its fully owned subsidiary of via share exchange, and ASCII would be delisted, effective on 2002-10-1.
On 2002-11-18, the Astroarts subsidiary was renamed to ASCII Corporation, while ASCII Corporation was renamed to MediaLeaves, Inc. (株式会社メディアリーヴス). The former Astroarts subsidiary would inherit the publishing business of the former ASCII Corporation.
Astroarts era
On 2004-01-29, Unison Capital Partners, L.P. announced the sale of ASCII Corporation's parent company MediaLeaves, Inc. to Kadokawa Group HoldingsKadokawa Group Holdings
is a Japanese holding company of the Kadokawa Group under Kadokawa Shoten. The company was founded on April 2, 1954 and is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan...
, to be completed on 2004-03.
Merger and dissolution
On 2007-09-27, Kadokawa Group HoldingsKadokawa Group Holdings
is a Japanese holding company of the Kadokawa Group under Kadokawa Shoten. The company was founded on April 2, 1954 and is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan...
announced the merger between subsidiaries MediaWorks Inc.
MediaWorks (publisher)
was a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group known for their brand magazines and book labels. These included such well-known magazines as Dengeki Daioh, and Dengeki G's Magazine, along with MediaWorks' main light novel publishing imprint Dengeki Bunko. The company was merged with ASCII...
and ASCII Corporation under the name ASCII Media Works, Inc.
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...
(株式会社アスキー・メディアワークス), effective on 2008-04-01. The merger was approved in 2008.
On 2010-10-1, the formerly named ASCII Corporation company MediaLeaves, Inc. was merged into Enterbrain Inc., dissolving the last of the ASCII Corporation entity.