Omega Force

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For other uses, see Omega Force (disambiguation).
Omega Force
Native name
オメガフォース
TypeDivision
IndustryVideo games
Founded1996; 27 years ago (1996)
FounderAkihiro Suzuki
Kenichi Ogasawara
Headquarters
Ashikaga, Tochigi
,
Japan
Key people
Tomohiko Sho (president)[1]
ProductsDynasty Warriors series
Samurai Warriors series
One Piece: Pirate Warriors series
ParentKoei (1996–2010)
Koei Tecmo (2010–present)

Omega Force (Japanese: オメガフォース) (stylised as ω-Force) is a Japanese video game developer and a division of Koei Tecmo, founded in 1996 by Akihiro Suzuki and Kenichi Ogasawara,[2][3] and is best known for the Dynasty Warriors video games.

History[edit]

Omega Force was founded in 1996 as the fourth Business Division of Koei, with the intention of widening the appeal of Koei's portfolio outside of their strategy and simulation games, such as Romance of Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition. Kenichi Ogasawra origimally joined Koei in hopes of being able to work on Nobunaga's Ambition as a planner, of which he was fan of. However, due to his lack of programming skills, was assigned to a training course to become a programmer, and to porting games from NEC PC-9801 to the Super Nintendo. Ogasawara, after being promoted to planner, was then tasked by Koei to create a 3D action game utilising the, at the time, new technology capabilities of the PlayStation, resulting in the development of Dynasty Warriors and the establishment of Omega Force.[4]

The studio was originally going to be named after the letter Z, however this idea never came to fruition, as the letter Z can have different meanings outside of Japanese culture. Wanting to keep the last letter of the alphabet, they settled for Omega from the Greek alphabet. However, because of copyright concerns with the clock manufacturing company Omega SA, Force was added – a Japanese homophone for "fourth" – representing that they are the fourth business division.[4]

WinBack, released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, pioneered the cover-based third-person shooter, inspiring games such as Kill Switch, Gears of War, and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. It also featured an early rendition of the laser sight mechanic, which would later be seen in games such as Resident Evil 4. The cover system has since become a staple of the third-person shooter genre.[5][6] With Winback, which was originally shown off at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo and later at the 1999 Nintendo Spaceworld trade show,[7] Omega Force was once again tasked by Koei to create a title it wasn't known for.[8]

In 2016, Kenichi Ogasawara mentioned in an interview with Famitsu, that the next entry in their key franchise Dynasty Warriors, dubbed Dynasty Warriors 9, was in the development. He hoped to have a greater impact with Dynasty Warriors 9, as he mentioned "the evolution from Dynasty Warriors 7 to 8 was insufficient".[9] Producers Masaki Furusawa and Akihiro Suzuki planned to overhaul the franchise's often criticized combat system.[10][11] In 2018, Omega Force released Dynasty Warriors 9, moving the franchise from its arena-based combat to an open-world.[10]

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, the third collaboration project between Omega Force and Nintendo, released in 2020, became the best-selling Warriors game,[12] as well as the developer's best-selling title, shipping over 4 million copies as January 2022.[13]

In 2022, Omega Force announced a partnership with Electronic Arts, along with its parent company Koei Tecmo. Their new game, Wild Hearts, would be published under their EA Originals label.[14] The game was officially announced on September 23, 2022.[15] Wild Hearts' director, Kotaro Hirata, mentioned that Dynasty Warriors has become a pillar franchise for Omega Force, and that with Wild Hearts, they wanted another strong pillar franchise for Omega Force, hoping to widen their audience, and create more internationally appealing titles.[16] EA's Andrew Wilson mentioned in an investor meeting, that the success of Monster Hunter led to EA greenlighting the title.[17]

Games[edit]

Koei, the main developer and publisher of Warriors series before being merged with Tecmo in 2009.

Warriors games[edit]

The Warriors series, known in Japan as the Musō (無双, lit. "Unrivalled") series, is an action game series created by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo. The meta-series contains various series, such as the Dynasty Warriors games, the One Piece: Pirate Warriors games, and various spin-offs.

Dynasty Warriors[edit]

Main article: Dynasty Warriors

Dynasty Warriors, known in Japan as Sangokumusou (三國無双, Sangokumusō, lit. "Three Kingdoms Unrivalled"), is the first and the largest Warriors subseries. In Japanese, all games after Dynasty Warriors 2 carry the Shin · Sangokumusou (真・三國無双, Shin · Sangokumusō, lit. "True · Three Kingdom Unrivalled") title, but English localizations continue to use Dynasty Warriors, putting all international releases a number ahead of their Japanese counterparts.

Logo of Koei Tecmo after the merger in 2009, introduced in 2016.
Main series[edit]
Title Release year Genre Platform(s) Notes
Dynasty Warriors 1997[18] Fighting game PlayStation Known as Sangokumusou (三國無双, Sangoku Musō) in Japan.
Dynasty Warriors 2 2000[19] Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3[20] Known as Shin · Sangokumusou (真・三國無双) in Japan.
Dynasty Warriors 3 2001[21][22] Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, Xbox An expansion Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends (known as Shin · Sangokumusou 2 Moushouden in Japan) was released in 2002
Dynasty Warriors 4 2003[23] Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows Several expansions were released: Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends, Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires and Dynasty Warriors 4: Hyper
Dynasty Warriors 5 2005 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows Several expansions were released: Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends, Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires and Dynasty Warriors 5: Special
Dynasty Warriors 6 2007[24][25][26] Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable,[27] Xbox 360 Several expansions were released: Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires and Dynasty Warriors 6: Special
Dynasty Warriors 7 2011 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows[28] Several expansions were released: Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires and Dynasty Warriors 7: Special
Dynasty Warriors 8 2013[29][30] Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows Several expansions were released: Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends and Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires
Dynasty Warriors 9 2018[31][32][33] Action, Hack and slash Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows An expansion Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires was released
Spin-offs[edit]
Title Release year Genre Platform(s) Notes
Dynasty Warriors 2004 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation Portable Known as Shin · Sangokumusō (真・三國無双) in Japan.
Shin · Sangokumusō BB MMORPG Microsoft Windows
Dynasty Warriors Advance 2005 Action, Hack and slash Game Boy Advance
Dynasty Warriors Online 2006 MMORPG PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation Portable
Jan · Sangokumusō Mahjong game PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS
Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighter's Battle 2007 Action, Hack and slash Nintendo DS
Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce 2009 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360[34]
Shin · Sangokumusō Multi Raid 2 2010 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation Portable
Dynasty Warriors Next 2011[35] Action, Hack and slash PlayStation Vita
Shin · Sangokumusō Vs 2012 Action, Hack and slash Nintendo 3DS
Shin · Sangokumusō Blast 2014 Tactical role-playing Android, iOS
Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers 2016 Tactical role-playing PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita

Samurai Warriors[edit]

Samurai Warriors, known as Sengokumusou (戦国無双, Sengoku Musō, lit. "Unrivaled Warring States") is the series based loosely around the Sengoku ("Warring States") period of Japanese history.

Title Release year Genre Platform(s) Notes
Samurai Warriors 2004 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox An expansion released: Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends.
Samurai Warriors 2 2006 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows Several expansions were released: Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, Samurai Warriors 2: Empires.
Samurai Warriors: Katana 2007 Rail shooter Nintendo Wii
Samurai Warriors 3 2009 Action, Hack and slash Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable Several expansions were released: Samurai Warriors 3: Moushouden, Samurai Warriors 3: Empires
Samurai Warriors: Chronicles 2011 Action, Hack and slash Nintendo 3DS
Sengoku Musō Chronicles 2nd 2012 Action, Hack and slash Nintendo 3DS
Sengoku Musou Shoot 2014 Arcade Android, iOS
Samurai Warriors 4 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch An expansion was released: Samurai Warriors 4: Empires
Samurai Warriors: Chronicles 3 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS
Samurai Warriors 4-II 2015 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows
Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada 2016 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows Known as Sengoku Musou ~Sanada Maru~ (戦国無双 ～真田丸～) in Japan.
Samurai Warriors 5 2021 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Warriors Orochi and Warriors All-Stars[edit]

Warriors Orochi, known as Musou Orochi (無双OROCHI, Musō Orochi) in Japan, is a series developed by Koei and Omega Force. It is a crossover of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors.

Title Release year Genre Platform(s) Notes
Warriors Orochi 2007 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Warriors Orochi 2 2008 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 Known as Musou Orochi Maou Sairin (無双OROCHI 魔王再臨, Musō Orochi Maō Sairin, lit. "Unrivalled Orochi Demon Lord Rebrith") in Japan.
Musou Orochi Z 2009 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
Warriors Orochi 3 2011 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Known as Musou Orochi 2 (無双OROCHI 2, Musō Orochi Tsū) in Japan.
Warriors All-Stars 2017 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows Crossover between multiple Koei Tecmo franchises such as Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, Toukiden and Atelier.[36]
Warriors Orochi 4 2018 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

Licensed Warriors Games[edit]

Title Release year Genre Platform(s) Notes
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2007 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Known as Gundammusou (ガンダム無双) in Japan, published by Bandai Namco.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 2008 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Published by Bandai Namco.
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2010 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Known as Hokutomusou (北斗無双) in Japan.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Published by Bandai Namco.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2012 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii U Known as Shin · Hokutomusou (真・北斗無双) in Japan.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 2013 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita Published by Bandai Namco.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita Known as Shin · Gundammusou (真・ガンダム無双) in Japan, published by Bandai Namco.
Hyrule Warriors 2014 Action, Hack and slash Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch Co-developed with Team Ninja, published by Nintendo outside of Japan.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 2015 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows Published by Bandai Namco.
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk 2016 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita Microsoft Windows Known as Berserk Musou (ベルセルク無双, Beruseruku Musō) in Japan
Fire Emblem Warriors 2017 Action, Hack and slash New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch Co-developed with Team Ninja, published by Nintendo outside of Japan.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 2020 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Published by Bandai Namco.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Action, Hack and slash Nintendo Switch Published by Nintendo outside of Japan.
Touken Ranbu Warriors 2022 Action, Hack and slash, Otome Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows Published by DMM Games in Japan, and co-developed with Ruby Party.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Action, Hack and slash Nintendo Switch Published by Nintendo outside of Japan.

Other[edit]

Title Release year Genre Platform(s) Notes
Enigma 1998 Adventure game PlayStation
Destrega Fighting game PlayStation
WinBack 1999 Third-person shooter Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War 2007 Real-time tactics PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Saihai no Yukue 2008 Strategy, adventure Nintendo DS
Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll 2010 Role-playing PlayStation 3
Toukiden: The Age of Demons 2013 Action role-playing PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows
Quiz Battle Toukiden 2014 Party Android, iOS
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below 2015 Action role-playing, hack and slash Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows Published by Square Enix
Attack on Titan 2016 Action, hack and slash PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Based on Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan
Dragon Quest Heroes II Action role-playing, hack and slash Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows Published by Square Enix
Toukiden 2 Action role-playing PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows
Attack on Titan 2 2018 Action, Hack and slash PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Dragon Quest Builders 2 Action role-playing, sandbox Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One Co-developed and published by Square Enix
Persona 5 Strikers 2020 Action role-playing Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One Published by Atlus.
Wild Hearts[37][38] 2023 Action role-playing PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S Published by Electronic Arts under EA Originals label
Fate/Samurai Remnant 2023 Action role-playing Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Dragon Quest Champions TBA Role-playing Android, iOS Published by Square Enix

References[edit]

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External links[edit]

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