Namco Limited 株式会社ナムコ
Type	Private (subsidiary of Namco Bandai)
Founded	1955
Headquarters	Ōta, Tokyo, Japan Santa Clara, California, USA
Key people	Masaya Nakamura (Founder) Kyushiro Takagi (CEO)
Industry	Leisure industry
Products	(see List of Namco games)
Parent	Namco Bandai Holdings
Website	Namco official site

Namco Limited (株式会社ナムコ, Kabushiki Kaisha Namuko^?) is an amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for video games development. The term privately held company refers to ownership of a business company in two different ways first referring to ownership by non-governmental organizations and second This article is about the holding company and the group of companies it owns Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan.As of 2008 the ward has an estimated Population of 677341 and a density of 11360 persons per For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Santa Clara California (ˌsæntəˈklærə founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852 is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U The United States of America —commonly referred to as the is the founder of Namco, the third largest video game developing entity in Japan For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" The leisure industry are segment of the economy covering Entertainment, Recreation, and Tourism related products and services In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need This is a list of games by the company Namco and Namco Bandai Games. A holding company is a company that owns part all or a majority of other companies' outstanding Stock. This article is about the holding company and the group of companies it owns A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. ^[1]

On September 29, 2005, Namco officially merged with Japanese toymaker Bandai to form Namco Bandai Holdings Inc (NBHD), one of the largest entertainment companies in Japan. Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. is a Japanese Toy making company as well as the producer of a large number of Plastic model kits This article is about the holding company and the group of companies it owns ^[2]Namco became a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company. Although officially the merger was absorption, "Under the holding company, Namco, Bandai and other affiliated companies will mutually cooperate and contribute to the growth of the whole group based on their respective business strategies. "^[3]

Under the holding company, on March 31, 2006, Namco merged with Bandai's video game operations and was renamed Namco Bandai Games Inc. (NBGI), which is also the head of NBHD's Game Contents Strategic Business Unit (SBU). Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. is a Japanese Toy making company as well as the producer of a large number of Plastic model kits is an arcade and home Video game producer which is the product of a merger between Bandai 's video game division and the game development division of the original Strategic Business Unit or SBU is understood as a Business unit within the overall Corporate identity which is distinguishable from other business because

Namco Ltd. 's arcade venue, theme park and exploratory businesses as well as the Namco Ltd. corporate name and logo were spun off to create a new sister company. (Namco 2: see below). It is the head of NBHD's Amusement SBU.

Some of the company's most famous games include Pac-Man, Galaxian, Klonoa, Rally-X, Galaga, Bosconian, Dig Dug, Pole Position, Xevious, Mappy, Soul series, Time Crisis, Tekken, Taiko no Tatsujin, Tales series, Xenosaga, Ace Combat, Katamari Damacy and Ridge Racer. is an Arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution Galaxian is a 1979 Fixed shooter Arcade game by Namco and released by Midway Mfg is a video game series created by Namco and Klonoa Works. Overview Setting The games take place in the world of Phantomile Rally-X is a maze Arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. Galaga is a Fixed shooter Arcade game and the sequel to Galaxian. Bosconian is a multi-directional shooter Arcade game that was made by Namco in 1981 Dig Dug is an Arcade game released by Namco in 1982 for Namco Galaga hardware Pole Position is a racing Video game released in 1982 by Namco. is a vertical Scrolling shooter Arcade game by Namco, released in 1982. Mappy is a 1983 Arcade game by Namco. In the US, it was manufactured and distributed by Bally/Midway. Soul is a Weapon -based Fighting game series by Namco. The series revolves around a sword that after years of bloodshed and hatred gained Time Crisis is a Video game initially available in arcades and later released for the PlayStation and Cell phones. is a series of Fighting games developed and published by Namco. is a series of rhythm games created by Namco. The series has seen releases for the arcade, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, --> TC --> is primarily a series of Science fiction Ace Combat is an arcade style Flight Action Video game series published by the Japanese company Bandai Namco Games. is a third-person puzzle-action Video game that is published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 Video game console. Ridge Racer is a series of arcade Racing games developed and published by Namco for both the arcade and various consoles.

History

Namco 1: now Namco Bandai Games

This section mainly describes the history of the original Namco Ltd. which was renamed Namco Bandai Games Inc. on March 31, 2006. See Namco Bandai Games for the history after the renaming. is an arcade and home Video game producer which is the product of a merger between Bandai 's video game division and the game development division of the original

Namco was founded in Tokyo in 1955, by Masaya Nakamura under the name Nakamura Manufacturing Ltd. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) is the founder of Namco, the third largest video game developing entity in Japan It began by producing mechanical rocking-horses and similar children's rides, which were installed in a number of department stores in Yokohama and Nihonbashi. is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, located in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshū and is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the Bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the It continued this line of production through the 1960s, and expanded with the addition of rides modeled after Walt Disney characters in 1966. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar.

After the company's brand name was changed to Namco in 1971, it acquired the Japanese division of Atari in 1974, thus bringing Namco into the coin-operated video game market. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment Namco Enterprises Asia Ltd. was established in Hong Kong and was soon followed by Namco America, Inc. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders , based in California. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. In 1978, Namco released its first arcade video game Gee Bee which was designed by Toru Iwatani. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Gee Bee is Namco 's very first Arcade game, released in 1978. is a former Japanese video game designer and created one of the most popular Arcade games of all time Pac-Man. He also designed two sequels, Bomb Bee and Cutie Q, which were released in 1979. Bomb Bee is an Arcade game that was released by Namco in 1979. Cutie Q is an Arcade game that was released by Namco in 1979. The year 1980, saw the introduction of the company's most famous coin-operated arcade game, Pac-Man, which was also developed by Iwatani. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) is an Arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution The main character, Pac-Man, has now been made the company's official mascot. When Nintendo began producing its Famicom home console unit, Namco started the development of game titles for it, beginning with Galaxian, which had first been introduced to arcades in 1979. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on The Nintendo Entertainment System (often abbreviated as NES or simply Nintendo) is an 8-bit Video game console that was released by Galaxian is a 1979 Fixed shooter Arcade game by Namco and released by Midway Mfg Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Video games for this console were released in Japan under the moniker Namcot (with the letter t at the end). T is the twentieth letter in the modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled tee or occasionally te (tiː

Namco was the industry's first manufacturer to develop and release a multi-player, multi-cabinet competitive game, Final Lap, in 1987. Final Lap is a Video game in the Racing game genre released by Namco and Atari Games (for the Americas in 1987 which Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) This game allowed up to 8 players to compete when four 2-player cabinets were linked in a simple network. By 1988, the company's capital exceeded 5,500 million Yen. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) In 1989, another racing simulation game, Winning Run, was released; that same year, the company's expertise with driving simulation matured with the development of the Eunos Roadster Driving Simulator, a joint venture with the Mazda Motor Corporation, followed by an educational program for traffic safety developed with Mitsubishi. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) ( is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan. The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi On the other hand in the vision of barrier-free amusement Namco started up business for the eldery and the disabled with "Talking Aid" in 1985 . Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar)

In the 1990s, Namco began directly selling coin-operated arcade games in the United States through subsidiary Namco America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Sennichimae Plabo was opened in Osaka, featuring a new concept of large-scale arcade amusement, and Namco Wonder Eggs, a theme park, was opened in Tokyo. is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū Additional amusement parks were opened, including Namco Wonder Park Sagamihara and Namco Wonder City.

In 1993, Namco merged its US arcade operation, Namco Operations, Inc. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) , with the newly acquired Aladdin's Castle, Inc. to form Namco Cybertainment, Incorporated, bringing the company to the forefront as the largest arcade company in the world. Namco Cybertainment Inc is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA Inc In subsequent years, Namco Cybertainment, Inc. (NCI) purchased several other arcade operators, further strengthening the company's overall arcade operation. NCI now operates arcades under the names Time Out, CyberStation, Aladdin's Castle, Diamond Jim's, Space Port, and Pocket Change. Throughout the 2000s Namco Cybertainment has continued to grow. They are the only operator of national scope. They manage over 1,000 locations in forty-eight states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} See also Culture of the Virgin Islands Music of the Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Creole On any given day, customers play games over three-quarters of a million times in locations they manage. They have nearly 30,000 games in their inventory, far surpassing any other operator. If the games were stood end to end, they would stretch nearly 40 miles. Namco Cybertainment owns the largest number of the most popular manufactured games in North America, including Sega, Midway, Konami, ICE, and NAMCO AMERICA. is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer Midway Games ( (formerly Midway Manufacturing) is an American Video game publisher. () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines They are generally a coin-op manufacturer's largest customer.

Also in 1993, Ridge Racer, a driving simulation game, entered arcades, featuring 3D computer graphics; the game was later released for the Sony PlayStation. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) 3D computer graphics (in contrast to 2D computer graphics) are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console Another of the company's most famous games, Tekken, was released in 1994, which was also soon ported to the PlayStation. For other meanings see Tekken. Tekken is a Fighting game and is the first of the series of the same name Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) In 1995 the game Soul Edge (Soul Blade in the PAL region) was released. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 This article is about the game For the weapon Soul Edge (weapon is the first installment in the Soul series of Fighting games developed and This article is about the game For the weapon Soul Edge (weapon is the first installment in the Soul series of Fighting games developed and The PAL region is a Video game publication territory which covers Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and varying European countries This was the second game to feature weapons in a three-dimensional fighting environment on a console system (Battle Arena Toshinden was the first). is a Weapons based fighting game for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC. With its Tekken and Soul franchises, Namco has been dominating the 3D fighting game market. A fighting game (also referred as a versus fighting game, competitive fighting game, tournament fighting game or head-to-head fighting game) They also released Cyber Sled, a futuristic 3-D battle tank game, which was also ported to PlayStation. Cyber Sled is a two-player arcade Video game released by Namco in 1993. Some light gun games were also released such as Point Blank and Time Crisis. A light gun is a Pointing device for Computers and a control device for arcade and video games. Point Blank (original Japanese title Gun Bullet) is an Arcade game first made by Namco in 1994. Time Crisis is a Video game initially available in arcades and later released for the PlayStation and Cell phones.

In 1996 it acquired the controlling share of the Japanese movie company Nikkatsu. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) is Japanese entertainment company well known for its Film and Television productions

On September 7 2005, it span-out Nikkatsu to Index Holding.

In September 2005, Namco merged with Bandai to become "Namco Bandai Holdings", the 3rd largest video game entity in Japan. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. is a Japanese Toy making company as well as the producer of a large number of Plastic model kits For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. As such, Namco is now a part of the Namco Bandai Group.

In January 2006, a Namco Bandai subsidiary was established in the U. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. S. to handle mobile games in North America, called Namco Networks America Inc. Working with the new 'next-gen' platform, Namco is able to port many of their time-tested arcade games to cell phones.

In March 2006, Namco Networks also opened an e-commerce operation, www. clubNAMCO. com offering official merchandise based on Namco games.

Under the parent Namco Bandai Holdings (NBHD), it absorbed Bandai's video game operations and was renamed "Namco Bandai Games Inc. is a Japanese Toy making company as well as the producer of a large number of Plastic model kits " on March 31, 2006. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. See Namco Bandai Games for the further development. is an arcade and home Video game producer which is the product of a merger between Bandai 's video game division and the game development division of the original

Other businesses (theme parks and exploratory) were transferred to a new NBHD subsidiary which was also transferred its old corporate name of "Namco Ltd. " as well. See the "Namco 2" section below for the subsidiary.

Namco 2: amusement facility developer and operator

On March 31, 2006, Namco Ltd. 's amusement venue and incubation businesses including rehabilitainment (a contraction of rehabilitation and entertainment) were transferred to the newly created NBHD subsidiary which inherited the Namco Ltd. Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R or physiatry, is a branch of Medicine dealing with functional restoration of a person affected by physical disability corporate name.

It is the head of NBHD's Amusement SBU. Namco Ltd. itself operates within Japan and delegates overseas operations for the regional/field based sister companies in the Amusement SBU.

Namco Cybertainment Inc. Namco Cybertainment Inc is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA Inc , the American arcade division of Namco Ltd. , is the largest chain of arcades in North America.

Currently Namco's operations include:

Amusement

• Amusement: game arcades, internet cafes and character theme parks
• Food theme parks: food courts each specialized to a single kind of foods (e. A food court is a plaza that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining g. ramen)
• Internet shop. is a Japanese Noodle dish that originated in China. It tends to be served in a meat-based broth and uses toppings such as,, Kamaboko, green onions

Incubation

• Hustle Club: development and sales of apparatus for the aged and disabled.
• Travel Entertainment Business: Namco Travel portal site.

References

See also

• List of Namco games
• Namco Tales Studio

External links

For the complete list of Namco Bandai group companies and the SBUs, see Group Company. This is a list of games by the company Namco and Namco Bandai Games. is a Japanese Video game development company founded in March 2003.

For the Game Contents SBU companies, see Namco Bandai Games#External links. is an arcade and home Video game producer which is the product of a merger between Bandai 's video game division and the game development division of the original

For further information on specific Namco games, see Namco Central

Amusement SBU companies (Incomplete)

• Namco Ltd (Namco 2: Amusement company)
• Namco Cybertainment Inc American arcade division
• Namco Operations Europe Ltd European arcade division