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Nippon Ichi Software

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Nippon Ichi Software Inc.
Company typePrivate company (JASDAQ: 3851)
IndustryComputer and video game industry
Founded1994
HeadquartersGifu Prefecture, Japan
Santa Ana, California, United States[1]
ProductsDisgaea series, etc
RevenueN/A
Websitehttp://www.nippon1.co.jp/index.html
http://www.nisamerica.com/

Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. (日本一ソフトウェア, Nippon Ichi Sofutowea) is a Japanese developer and publisher of game software titles such as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics, and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.

History

Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. was founded in 1994 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, as an entertainment software company. Since then Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. has grown into an international company focused on creating video game products across modern console platforms. NIS America, Inc. subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. of Japan, established its North American operations on December 24, 2003. Based in Santa Ana, California, NIS America, Inc. handles operations including localization, marketing, and publishing of Nippon Ichi titles.

NIS America was the result of the company's wish to focus on internal publication of their works in the US, given the increased popularity of their titles. Prior to the creation of this subsidiary, NIS software titles that appeared in the US were localized and distributed by outside publishers. Notable examples would be Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, published in North America by Atlus and in Europe by Koei, La Pucelle, published in North America by Mastiff Inc, and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure which was also published in North America by Atlus.

Nippon Ichi, meaning "Japan's Best" or "#1 in Japan," is often abbreviated as "N1." [2]

Games

Though the company has developed a number of traditional RPGs (such as those found in the Marl Kingdom series), Nippon Ichi's latest releases have primarily been a series of turn-based strategy games. Many characters from previous titles make their way into later games as secret characters, even though their respective titles may not be directly connected.

Other games of separate genre, such as Cooking Fighter Hao, have been published by Nippon Ichi though they have never been released outside Japan. The most popular games are the Disgaea games, La Pucelle Tactics, Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom, Rhapsody-A Musical Adventure and the other Marl Kingdom games. All of these games have connections to each other, whether it be the same world, dimensional travel, same creatures, or the same uber hard tyrant, Baal.

Game Releases in Europe (by date)

Game Releases in North America (by date)

Game Releases in Japan (by date)

Cancelled Titles

Future releases

Other Media

Nippon Ichi have begun to branch out into different media recently. Their first project is an anime based loosely on the story from Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. The success of the Disgaea anime has influenced N1 to consider adapting some of their other properties to the small screen. Possible projects are La Pucelle, Phantom Brave, and Makai Kingdom.

Anime

Toys and figurines

References

  1. ^ "NIS, America Inc. -- About NISA". NIS, America Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  2. ^ Kurt Kalata (2006). "NIS games at Hardcore Gaming 101". Retrieved January 26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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