Data East
Encyclopedia
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japan
ese video game developer
and publisher
. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy
. Their main headquarters were located in Suginami
, Tokyo
, The American subsidiary, Data East USA, had been headquartered in San Jose, California
.
company which focused on integrating interchangeable
tapes inside arcade game devices, allowing video games operators to replace a game from a machine without having to replace the cabinet itself. Realizing the money that could be made within the interactive content, Data East began developing arcade video games in 1978 starting with their first arcade game, Super Break, while they established a U.S division in 1979, after most of their chief competitors like Sega
and Taito
had already established a market presence. While making games, Data East released a series of interchangeable systems compatible with their arcade games, notably the DECO Cassette System
and the Multi Conversion Kit, but these products soon became infamous among their users due to their numerous technical problems. By 1985 Data East had shifted away from interchangeability to concentrate themselves on video games only.
Data East proved to be one of the more successful and long-lasting companies in the business, surviving the video game crash of 1983
in reasonably good shape and going on to release dozens of games for both arcade and home console systems over the next two decades. Their first video game was Super Break, which was developed and released in 1978. Some of their most famous games from their 1980s heyday included Karate Champ
, Heavy Barrel
, BurgerTime
, Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja, Sly Spy
, RoboCop
, Bump 'n' Jump
, Karnov
and Atomic Runner Chelnov
. Karate Champ was the subject of the litigation Data East USA, Inc. v. Epyx, Inc.
, in which Data East alleged that Epyx's International Karate
infringed the copyright in Karate Champ.
Data East also purchased licenses to manufacture and sell arcade games created by other companies. Their most successful licensed games included Kid Niki: Radical Ninja
, Kung Fu Master
and Vigilante, all licensed from Irem
, and Commando, licensed from Capcom
. They had a brief stint as a Neo-Geo
arcade licensee in the mid-1990s.
Data East also made pinball
tables from 1987 through 1994, and included innovations such as the first pinball to have stereo
sound, the first usage of a small dot matrix display
in Checkpoint
along with the first usage of a big DMD (192x64) in Maverick
. In designing pinball machines they showed a strong preference for using high-profile (but expensive) licensed properties, rather than creating totally original machines, which did not help the financial difficulties the company began experiencing from 1990 on. Some of the properties that Data East licensed for their pinball tables included Guns N' Roses
, Star Wars, Back to the Future, Batman, RoboCop, The Simpsons
, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
. Data East is the only company that manufactured custom pinball games (e.g. for Aaron Spelling
, the movie Richie Rich, or Michael Jordan
), though these were basically mods of existing or soon to be released pinball machines (e.g. Lethal Weapon 3
). The pinball division was created in 1985 by purchasing the pinball division of Stern Electronics and its factory and assets. Amidst plummeting sales across the entire pinball market, Data East chose to exit the pinball business and sold the factory to Sega
in 1994. By the end of the 1990s, the company's American division, Data East USA, had been liquidated and Data East had ceased to exist outside of Japan.
Unable to escape their mounting financial problems, Data East filed for reorganization in 1999 and resumed making video games. For the following three and a half years, Data East sold negative ion generators and licensed some of their old games to other companies; all of this in hope of collecting enough money to be able to make video games again and return to the competition. Nonetheless, the company's restructuring efforts were not enough to put back the financial problems brought by the 1990s and in April 2003 Data East filed for bankruptcy
and were finally declared bankrupt by a Tokyo district court on June 25, 2003.The news was released to the public two weeks later, on July 8.
Most of Data East's intellectual properties
were acquired in February 2004 by G-Mode
, a Japanese mobile game content
provider. However some of Data East's assets, including Karnov
, Chelnov
and the Glory of Heracles series are owned by Paon Corporation instead of G-Mode. Likewise, G-Mode does not own rights to the Metal Max series
and the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series which were retained by Createch and WorkJam respectively. Ownership rights is unknown for some of the DECO Cassette games as well as for games that were created from licensed properties (such as Robocop and Captain America and the Avengers
).
In September 2009, Majesco Entertainment
has announced that it would release a collection of arcade games from Data East called Data East Arcade Classics
for the Wii
console under license from G-Mode.
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...
ese video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
and publisher
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. Their main headquarters were located in Suginami
Suginami, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Suginami City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 538,703, with 301,277 households, and a density of 15,834.39 persons per km². The total area is 34.02 km².-Geography:Suginami occupies the...
, 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...
, The American subsidiary, Data East USA, had been headquartered in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
History
Data East was founded by on April 20, 1976 as an electronic engineeringElectronic engineering
Electronics engineering, also referred to as electronic engineering, is an engineering discipline where non-linear and active electrical components such as electron tubes, and semiconductor devices, especially transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, are utilized to design electronic...
company which focused on integrating interchangeable
Interchangeable parts
Interchangeable parts are parts that are, for practical purposes, identical. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any device of the same type. One such part can freely replace another, without any custom fitting...
tapes inside arcade game devices, allowing video games operators to replace a game from a machine without having to replace the cabinet itself. Realizing the money that could be made within the interactive content, Data East began developing arcade video games in 1978 starting with their first arcade game, Super Break, while they established a U.S division in 1979, after most of their chief competitors like Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
and Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
had already established a market presence. While making games, Data East released a series of interchangeable systems compatible with their arcade games, notably the DECO Cassette System
DECO Cassette System
The DECO Cassette System was introduced in 1980 by Data East and was the first standardised arcade system that allowed arcade owners to change games.The arcade owner would buy a cabinet, while the games were stored on standard audio cassettes...
and the Multi Conversion Kit, but these products soon became infamous among their users due to their numerous technical problems. By 1985 Data East had shifted away from interchangeability to concentrate themselves on video games only.
Data East proved to be one of the more successful and long-lasting companies in the business, surviving the video game crash of 1983
Video game crash of 1983
The North American video game crash was a serious event that brought an abrupt end to what is considered the second generation of console video gaming in North America. Beginning in 1983, the crash almost destroyed the then-fledgling industry and led to the bankruptcy of several companies producing...
in reasonably good shape and going on to release dozens of games for both arcade and home console systems over the next two decades. Their first video game was Super Break, which was developed and released in 1978. Some of their most famous games from their 1980s heyday included Karate Champ
Karate Champ
Karate Champ, known in Japan as is a arcade game developed by Technos Japan Corporation for Data East. It is one of the first fighting games, and has been believed to be the first to use today's common side-perspective...
, Heavy Barrel
Heavy Barrel
is a 1987 overhead run and gun arcade game by Data East.-Gameplay:thumb|left|Arcade ScreenshotTerrorists have seized the underground control complex of a nuclear missile site, and it is up to the player to infiltrate the base and kill the enemy leader. Players begin armed with a laser gun with...
, BurgerTime
Burgertime
is a 1982 arcade game created by Data East for its DECO Cassette System. The game's original title, Hamburger, was changed to BurgerTime before its introduction to the US. The player is chef Peter Pepper, who must walk over hamburger ingredients located across a maze of platforms while avoiding...
, Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja, Sly Spy
Sly Spy
Sly Spy, known in Japan as and known in Europe as Sly Spy: Secret Agent, is an arcade game developed and published by Data East in 1989...
, RoboCop
RoboCop (video game)
RoboCop is a 1987 action movie set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future. RoboCop centres a police officer that is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg, otherwise known as a "RoboCop"...
, Bump 'n' Jump
Bump 'n' Jump
Bump 'n' Jump, known in Japan as , is a 1982 Japanese arcade game created by Data East Corporation for its DECO Cassette System. The game was also published by Bally Midway....
, Karnov
Karnov
is a 1987 platform arcade game developed and published by Data East. It is the debut of Data East's mascot of the same name. After Data East became defunct due to bankruptcy in 2003, Paon, a company comprised with former Data East staff, acquired the rights to Karnov, along with multiple other Data...
and Atomic Runner Chelnov
Chelnov
, also known as Atomic Runner or fully titled as , is a Japanese side-scrolling action-arcade game developed and published by Data East in 1988...
. Karate Champ was the subject of the litigation Data East USA, Inc. v. Epyx, Inc.
Data East USA, Inc. v. Epyx, Inc.
Data East USA, Inc. v. Epyx, Inc. 862 F.2d 204, 9 U.S.P.Q.2d 1322 is a court case in which Data East, a video game manufacturer, contended that Epyx, a competing video game manufacturer, licensed and distributed a video game, International Karate, that infringed on the copyright of a video game...
, in which Data East alleged that Epyx's International Karate
International Karate
International Karate is a karate fighting game created and published by System 3 for various home computers. Of these versions the 1986 releases for Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers, created by Archer MacLean with music by Rob Hubbard, stand out for their good playability and overall high...
infringed the copyright in Karate Champ.
Data East also purchased licenses to manufacture and sell arcade games created by other companies. Their most successful licensed games included Kid Niki: Radical Ninja
Kid Niki: Radical Ninja
Kid Niki: Radical Ninja, known in Japan as , is an arcade game developed and published by Irem in 1986, and was later published outside of Japan by Data East in 1987. The arcade game runs on Irem-62 Hardware, the same as Kung-Fu Master....
, Kung Fu Master
Kung Fu Master
Kung-Fu Master, known in Japan as , is a beat 'em up arcade game developed and published in Japan by Irem. It was later published in North America by Data East. The Japanese version was based on the Jackie Chan movie Wheels on Meals, known as Spartan X in Japan, and credited "Paragon Films Ltd.,...
and Vigilante, all licensed from Irem
Irem (company)
is a Japanese video game console developer and publisher, and formerly a developer and manufacturer of arcade games as well. The company has its headquarters in Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture....
, and Commando, licensed from Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. They had a brief stint as a 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...
arcade licensee in the mid-1990s.
Data East also made pinball
Pinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
tables from 1987 through 1994, and included innovations such as the first pinball to have stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
sound, the first usage of a small dot matrix display
Dot matrix display
A dot matrix display is a display device used to display information on machines, clocks, railway departure indicators and many other devices requiring a simple display device of limited resolution...
in Checkpoint
Checkpoint (pinball)
Checkpoint is a 1991 pinball machine released by Data East. The game had the first dot matrix display ever used on a pinball game. It used a "half-height" DMD as compared to the standard DMD used by Williams.-Gameplay:...
along with the first usage of a big DMD (192x64) in Maverick
Maverick (pinball)
Maverick is a pinball machine produced initially by Data East Pinball, and then by Sega Pinball. It is based on the motion picture of the same name. It was the first pinball machine to use a bigger DMD and the last pinball machine produced by Data East....
. In designing pinball machines they showed a strong preference for using high-profile (but expensive) licensed properties, rather than creating totally original machines, which did not help the financial difficulties the company began experiencing from 1990 on. Some of the properties that Data East licensed for their pinball tables included Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses (pinball)
Guns N' Roses was a pinball machine based on the rock group Guns N' Roses. The artwork featured photos by Robert John from his book Guns N' Roses: The Photographic History. This game was a widebody pinball game with several unique twists. Among them, was an old fashioned revolver, which players...
, Star Wars, Back to the Future, Batman, RoboCop, The Simpsons
The Simpsons (pinball)
The Simpsons is a 1990 pinball game released by Data East Pinball. It is based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons and features many elements from the series, such as character voices and music. The game was popular in the United States, becoming a hit for Data East Pinball. It has been cited as...
, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (pinball)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1991 pinball machine designed by Joe Kaminkow and Ed Cebula. It is based on the comic book series of the same name, and was preceded by a related TV series and feature film...
. Data East is the only company that manufactured custom pinball games (e.g. for Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
, the movie Richie Rich, or Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
), though these were basically mods of existing or soon to be released pinball machines (e.g. Lethal Weapon 3
Lethal Weapon 3 (pinball)
Lethal Weapon 3 is a pinball machine produced by Data East Pinball. It is based on the first three movies of the Lethal Weapon motion picture franchise.-External links:**...
). The pinball division was created in 1985 by purchasing the pinball division of Stern Electronics and its factory and assets. Amidst plummeting sales across the entire pinball market, Data East chose to exit the pinball business and sold the factory to Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
in 1994. By the end of the 1990s, the company's American division, Data East USA, had been liquidated and Data East had ceased to exist outside of Japan.
Unable to escape their mounting financial problems, Data East filed for reorganization in 1999 and resumed making video games. For the following three and a half years, Data East sold negative ion generators and licensed some of their old games to other companies; all of this in hope of collecting enough money to be able to make video games again and return to the competition. Nonetheless, the company's restructuring efforts were not enough to put back the financial problems brought by the 1990s and in April 2003 Data East filed for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and were finally declared bankrupt by a Tokyo district court on June 25, 2003.The news was released to the public two weeks later, on July 8.
Most of Data East's intellectual properties
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...
were acquired in February 2004 by G-Mode
G-Mode
is a Japanese company that provides mobile network game contents that specialize in Java game software in Japan. It develops and distributes games for Java-compatible mobile phones. The company also licenses contents for mobile telecommunications operators, as well as involves in the original...
, a Japanese mobile game content
Mobile content
Mobile content is any type of media which is viewed or used on mobile phones, like ringtones, graphics, discount offers, games, movies, and GPS navigation. As mobile phone use has grown since the mid 1990s, the significance of the devices in everyday life has grown accordingly...
provider. However some of Data East's assets, including Karnov
Karnov
is a 1987 platform arcade game developed and published by Data East. It is the debut of Data East's mascot of the same name. After Data East became defunct due to bankruptcy in 2003, Paon, a company comprised with former Data East staff, acquired the rights to Karnov, along with multiple other Data...
, Chelnov
Chelnov
, also known as Atomic Runner or fully titled as , is a Japanese side-scrolling action-arcade game developed and published by Data East in 1988...
and the Glory of Heracles series are owned by Paon Corporation instead of G-Mode. Likewise, G-Mode does not own rights to the Metal Max series
Metal Max (series)
is a series of post-apocalyptic, vehicle combat, role-playing video games dating back to 1991. They have been developed by Crea-Tech and released for the NES, Super NES, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS platforms. As the trademark dispute, series use to release games until get trademark rights...
and the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series which were retained by Createch and WorkJam respectively. Ownership rights is unknown for some of the DECO Cassette games as well as for games that were created from licensed properties (such as Robocop and Captain America and the Avengers
Captain America and the Avengers
Captain America and the Avengers is an arcade game released by Data East in 1991. It features the Marvel Comics characters The Avengers in a side-scrolling brawling and shooting adventure to defeat the evil Red Skull.-Gameplay:...
).
In September 2009, Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
has announced that it would release a collection of arcade games from Data East called Data East Arcade Classics
Data East Arcade Classics
Data East Arcade Classics is a compilation of video games created by the now-defunct Japanese video game company Data East. The collection disc is developed by G1M2 and published, and released by Majesco Entertainment for the Wii on February 19, 2010...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
console under license from G-Mode.
Products
- For a list of video and pinball games released by Data East, see List of games released by Data East.
External links
- Official website in Japanese and English (maintained by the Internet Archives Wayback MachineWayback machineThe WABAC Machine refers to a fictional machine from the cartoon segment Peabody's Improbable History, an ongoing feature of the 1960's cartoon series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The WABAC Machine is a plot device used to transport the characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman back in time...
) - G-Mode's Data East webpage (or alternate website)
- The Data East Pinball Archive
- Data East Corporation profile at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- DEEP: The Data East Emustatus Project