Aruze
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manufacturer of pachinko
, slot machine
s, arcade game
s and other gaming products, and a publisher of video games. Aruze possesses licenses to both manufacture and distribute casino machines in the American states of Nevada, Mississippi and New Jersey. The company's corporate headquarters are in Tokyo
. Aruze are also the licence holder of the video game franchise Shadow Hearts
.
Aruze Gaming America is a 100%-owned subsidiary based in Las Vegas. It owns 21% of Wynn Resorts
. The company also maintains affiliates in Australia (Aruze Gaming Australia, formerly Pacific Gaming Pty. Ltd.) and South Africa (Aruze Gaming Africa (Pty) Ltd., formerly Universal Distributors of Nevada South Africa).
in 1982, which spawned four sequels. Lady Bug
was also a successful game, as well as the arcade adaption of Space Panic
. Cashing-in on the success of laserdisc video game
s, Universal released Super Don Quix-ote
in 1984, on a new standardized laserdisc video game system they called the Universal System 1. A new game was planned every six months for the Universal System 1, including a laserdisc adventure game based on Mr. Do!
, but the company stopped producing arcade games in 1985, and Super Don Quix-ote ended up being the only game released for the system. In January 2005, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Aruze.
, maker of the Neo-Geo
. In exchange for the use of SNK's popular characters on their pachinko and slot machines, and a few games for the Neo-Geo, Aruze promised financial backing for the failing SNK. Instead Aruze instituted a program to liquidate SNK's assets and cut costs. This included licensing out popular IP
to other companies (Metal Slug series, The King of Fighters series, Sengoku series), closing underperforming divisions, discontinuing distribution outside of Japan, ending support for the Neo Geo arcade platform and selling off warehoused inventory. By 2001 it was clear to many SNK's employees that Aruze was not planning to preserve SNK and was simply going to let the company implode after liquidating most of its useful assets. So Eikichi Kawasaki and many other executives from SNK left to form Playmore in August 2001. Over this period many rank and file employees left to join other arcade developers or form their own companies.
In October 2001 Aruze allowed SNK to file for bankruptcy and all of its assets went up for bidding. Kawasaki's Playmore stepped in and bought up most of the auctioned assets and set itself up to re-enter the video game market as the successor to SNK. Playmore also acquired some of the companies formed by ex-SNK employees, namely Brezzasoft and Noise Factory, to jumpstart development of more titles for the Neo Geo arcade system. Playmore quickly went about re-establishing themselves in the market; they opened new branches in North America and Europe, announced development of new titles for the Neo Geo arcade system, started developing games for console and portable systems for the first time in years and re-established distribution channels to sell inventory for the Neo Geo home and pocket systems. To further establish themselves as a reborn SNK they official changed their name to SNK Playmore in 2003.
In October 2002, Aruze was sued by SNK Playmore founder Eikichi Kawasaki for copyright infringement over SNK's intellectual properties, claiming their use was unauthorized by Playmore. In January 2004, a preliminary decision was handed down by the Osaka
District Court favoring SNK Playmore and was awarded 5.64 billion yen (USD $57,627,468) in damages.
List of games by Universal
Pachinko
is a type of game originating in Japan, and used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a niche in gambling in Japan comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but...
, slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s, arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s and other gaming products, and a publisher of video games. Aruze possesses licenses to both manufacture and distribute casino machines in the American states of Nevada, Mississippi and New Jersey. The company's corporate headquarters are in Tokyo
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...
. Aruze are also the licence holder of the video game franchise Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts
is a series of role playing games for the PlayStation 2. The original Shadow Hearts was developed by Sacnoth and released by Midway in the United States on December 11, 2001. The sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant , was also made by the same group, although Sacnoth reformed itself into a company...
.
Aruze Gaming America is a 100%-owned subsidiary based in Las Vegas. It owns 21% of Wynn Resorts
Wynn Resorts
Wynn Resorts Limited is a publicly traded corporation based in Paradise, Nevada that is a developer and operator of high end hotels and casinos. It was formed on October 25, 2002 by former Mirage Resorts Chairman and CEO Stephen A...
. The company also maintains affiliates in Australia (Aruze Gaming Australia, formerly Pacific Gaming Pty. Ltd.) and South Africa (Aruze Gaming Africa (Pty) Ltd., formerly Universal Distributors of Nevada South Africa).
Universal
Universal Lease Co., Ltd was established in December 1969. It later changed its name to Universal Distributing of Nevada (UDN). Universal's greatest hit game was Mr. Do!Mr. Do!
Mr. Do! is an arcade game created by Universal in 1982. Remotely similar in gameplay to Namco's popular Dig Dug title, Mr. Do! was also popular and saw release on a variety of home video game consoles and systems. It is the first game in the Mr...
in 1982, which spawned four sequels. Lady Bug
Lady Bug (arcade game)
Lady Bug is a Pac-Man-like maze-based insect-themed arcade game produced by Universal Games and released in 1981.-Description:The goal of Lady Bug is to eat all dots, hearts and letters in the maze while avoiding other insects. The player is represented by a red, yellow, and green character...
was also a successful game, as well as the arcade adaption of Space Panic
Space Panic
Space Panic is a 1980 arcade game designed by Universal, which Chris Crawford calls the first ever platform game, as it pre-dates Nintendo's Donkey Kong which is often cited as the original platform game. Space Panic lacks Donkey Kongs jump mechanic, disqualifying it as a platformer for some...
. Cashing-in on the success of laserdisc video game
Laserdisc video game
A laserdisc video game is an arcade game that uses pre-recorded video played from a laserdisc, either as the entirety of the graphics, or as part of the graphics.-History:...
s, Universal released Super Don Quix-ote
Super Don Quix-ote
Super Don Quix-ote is a laserdisc video game released by Universal in . Although the game was made by a Japanese company, it features Western animation.-Plot:...
in 1984, on a new standardized laserdisc video game system they called the Universal System 1. A new game was planned every six months for the Universal System 1, including a laserdisc adventure game based on Mr. Do!
Mr. Do!
Mr. Do! is an arcade game created by Universal in 1982. Remotely similar in gameplay to Namco's popular Dig Dug title, Mr. Do! was also popular and saw release on a variety of home video game consoles and systems. It is the first game in the Mr...
, but the company stopped producing arcade games in 1985, and Super Don Quix-ote ended up being the only game released for the system. In January 2005, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Aruze.
Relationship with SNK
In 2000, Aruze bought out SNK CorporationSNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
, maker of the Neo-Geo
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
. In exchange for the use of SNK's popular characters on their pachinko and slot machines, and a few games for the Neo-Geo, Aruze promised financial backing for the failing SNK. Instead Aruze instituted a program to liquidate SNK's assets and cut costs. This included licensing out popular IP
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
to other companies (Metal Slug series, The King of Fighters series, Sengoku series), closing underperforming divisions, discontinuing distribution outside of Japan, ending support for the Neo Geo arcade platform and selling off warehoused inventory. By 2001 it was clear to many SNK's employees that Aruze was not planning to preserve SNK and was simply going to let the company implode after liquidating most of its useful assets. So Eikichi Kawasaki and many other executives from SNK left to form Playmore in August 2001. Over this period many rank and file employees left to join other arcade developers or form their own companies.
In October 2001 Aruze allowed SNK to file for bankruptcy and all of its assets went up for bidding. Kawasaki's Playmore stepped in and bought up most of the auctioned assets and set itself up to re-enter the video game market as the successor to SNK. Playmore also acquired some of the companies formed by ex-SNK employees, namely Brezzasoft and Noise Factory, to jumpstart development of more titles for the Neo Geo arcade system. Playmore quickly went about re-establishing themselves in the market; they opened new branches in North America and Europe, announced development of new titles for the Neo Geo arcade system, started developing games for console and portable systems for the first time in years and re-established distribution channels to sell inventory for the Neo Geo home and pocket systems. To further establish themselves as a reborn SNK they official changed their name to SNK Playmore in 2003.
In October 2002, Aruze was sued by SNK Playmore founder Eikichi Kawasaki for copyright infringement over SNK's intellectual properties, claiming their use was unauthorized by Playmore. In January 2004, a preliminary decision was handed down by the Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
District Court favoring SNK Playmore and was awarded 5.64 billion yen (USD $57,627,468) in damages.
List of games published by Aruze
| Title | First release | Developer(s) | Console |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku | June 3, 1999 | Aruze | PlayStation |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku Pocket: Hanabi | October 21, 1999 | Aruze | NeoGeo Pocket Color |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku 2 | November 25, 1999 | Aruze | PlayStation |
| Azteca | February 10, 2000 | NeoGeo Pocket Color | |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku 3 | July 19, 2000 | Aruze | PlayStation |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku Porcano 2 | July 20, 2000 | Aruze | NeoGeo Pocket Color |
| Pachisuro Aruze Oogoku Ohanabi | December 14, 2000 | Aruze | NeoGeo Pocket Color |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku 4 | December 14, 2000 | Aruze | PlayStation |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku Pocket: DH2 | January 15, 2001 | Aruze | NeoGeo Pocket Color |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku 5 | November 15, 2001 | Aruze | PlayStation |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku 6 | December 13, 2001 | Aruze | PlayStation 2 |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku 7 | August 8, 2002 | Aruze | PlayStation 2 |
| Shadow Hearts Shadow Hearts is a series of role playing games for the PlayStation 2. The original Shadow Hearts was developed by Sacnoth and released by Midway in the United States on December 11, 2001. The sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant , was also made by the same group, although Sacnoth reformed itself into a company... |
November 6, 2003 | Sacnoth Sacnoth Sacnoth was a small Japanese based video games developer.Sacnoth’s high profile games include Koudelka for the PlayStation, the three Shadow Hearts games for the PlayStation 2, and Faselei! for the Neo Geo Pocket Color... |
PlayStation 2 |
| Shadow Hearts: Covenant Shadow Hearts: Covenant Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a console role-playing game developed by Nautilus and published by Midway in 2004. It is a direct continuation of Shadow Hearts and the second official game in the Shadow Hearts series. The game features two DVD-ROM discs instead of the usual one, which provides,... |
February 19, 2004 | Nautilus Sacnoth Sacnoth was a small Japanese based video games developer.Sacnoth’s high profile games include Koudelka for the PlayStation, the three Shadow Hearts games for the PlayStation 2, and Faselei! for the Neo Geo Pocket Color... |
PlayStation 2 |
| Hanabi Hyakkei Advance | July 29, 2004 | Game Boy Advance | |
| Don-Chan Puzzle: Hanabi de Don! Advance | July 29, 2004 | Game Boy Advance | |
| Aleck Bordon Adventure: Tower & Shaft Advance | November 26, 2004 | Game Boy Advance | |
| Cool 104 Joker & Setline | December 2, 2004 | DS | |
| Type Tunes - Chase the Music! | 2005 | Arcade | |
| Guts da!! Mori no Ishimatsu | March 31, 2005 | PlayStation 2 | |
| Shadow Hearts: From the New World Shadow Hearts: From The New World is a console role-playing game developed by Nautilus and published by XSEED Games in 2005. It is the third official game in the Shadow Hearts series.... |
July 28, 2005 | Nautilus Sacnoth Sacnoth was a small Japanese based video games developer.Sacnoth’s high profile games include Koudelka for the PlayStation, the three Shadow Hearts games for the PlayStation 2, and Faselei! for the Neo Geo Pocket Color... |
PlayStation 2 |
| Pachi-Slot Aruze Oukoku 8 | 2005 | Aruze | PlayStation 2 |
| Aoi Don: Hanabi no Kiwami & Hanabi no Takumi | TBA 2010 | Aruze | DS |
| Pachinko Aruze Oukoku | Cancelled | PlayStation | |
| The Splizer | Cancelled | PlayStation 2 |
External links
Official website English part of official websiteList of games by Universal