Koichi Nakamura
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese video game designer. A programming prodigy, Nakamura gained fame while still in high school; in 1982 he entered Enix
's national programming contest and claimed first place with his entry, Door Door
. In 1984, he founded the video game company Chunsoft
, of which he is currently President.
, Japan
. There he ported
the video game Galaxy Wars
to the BASIC
programming language on a Tandy
TRS-80
, among other projects.
In order to play games such as Galaxian
that were ported to the NEC
PC-8001 by Geimu Kyoujin from I/O magazine, Nakamura bought a PC-8001 using money he'd saved up by delivering newspapers
. It was on that PC-8001 that he developed his program submissions. He submitted a machine code
input tool to I/O magazine, which was published in the February, 1981 issue as his debut publication, earning him 20,000 yen
for his work.
From that experience, spring break of his first year in high school found Nakamura porting the arcade game
Space Panic
as ALIEN Part II, published in the May, 1981 issue. The program was released on cassette tape and brought in royalty income of 200,000 yen. Then in the January, 1982 issue, Scramble (later renamed to Attacker due to legal issues) was also released on cassette, earning royalties of 1 million yen. Furthermore, the port of River Patrol
called River Rescue was published in the Maikon Game Book 4 special edition of I/O, bringing Nakamura's total high school earnings from submissions to I/O to over 2 million yen. Due to his activities with I/O, he became preeminent among young PC enthusiasts.
With his royalty earnings, Nakamura purchased a PC-8801 and decided to become a professional Video game developer
, entering the 1st Annual Hobby Program Contest held by Enix
during his 3rd year of high school in 1982. Submitting his first original game, Door Door
, Nakamura was selected as the runner-up prize winner for programming excellence, and received 500,000 yen in prize money.
and entered the University of Electro-Communications
. Porting his prize-winning Door Door to various PC platforms, his annual royalties as a university student exceeded 10 million yen. After that, Nakamura released his 2nd PC game Newtron and founded the 5-person-strong Chunsoft
on April 9th, 1984, during spring break of his 2nd year of university. He started to work out of a room in a condominium
in Chōfu, Tokyo
. The first Chunsoft release was the 1985 PC-6001 version of Door Door mkII. Following that, joining Enix on the Famicom, Chunsoft began development on home video game consoles. While the PC version had sold 80,000 copies, the Famicom version recorded sales of 200,000 copies, leading subsequent development to focus on home consoles. From that, fellow Enix program contest winner Yuji Horii
joined Nakamura in collaborating on the Famicom port of Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
.
At the time, Nakamura and Horii were fans of the computer roleplaying games
Wizardry
and Ultima, and so set out to develop a full-blown Famicom RPG called Dragon Quest
. Nakamura continued development on the Dragon Quest series
through Dragon Quest V
before breaking away from Enix products.
marked Chunsoft's debut brand. Following that, successive genre-trailblazing titles Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon
, Kamaitachi no Yoru
, and Shiren the Wanderer
established the company's good reputation. Nakamura himself had to move away from programming in order to run the company.
For a time, the company's products were considered mediocre, but 3-Nen B-Gumi Kinpachi Sensei: Densetsu no Kyoudan ni Tate! was a hit that showed signs of recovery. Recently, Chunsoft has tied up with Sega
's home video game business. Nakamura served as producer for the Wii
game 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de.
According to an interview on TV Tokyo
's World Business Satellite in 2006, Nakamura had purchased an Australian-made cruiser for 120 million yen.
Enix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
's national programming contest and claimed first place with his entry, Door Door
Door Door
is a Japanese-developed puzzle-platformer video game designed by Koichi Nakamura and published by Enix. As Enix's debut title, Door Door first released in February 1983 for the NEC PC-8801 and was subsequently converted for other Japanese computers. The game's success prompted a Famicom port and an...
. In 1984, he founded the video game company Chunsoft
Chunsoft
is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix...
, of which he is currently President.
Amateur projects
Nakamura was a member of the math club at Marugame High School in Kagawa PrefectureKagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...
, Japan
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...
. There he ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
the video game Galaxy Wars
Galaxy Wars
Galaxy Wars is an arcade video game developed by Universal , and manufactured by Taito in 1979.-Gameplay:Depress the fire button for a missile. The missile speed increases when depressing the fire button continuously. Guide the missile from a stationary launch pad to the top of the screen to blow...
to the BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
programming language on a Tandy
Tandy Corporation
Tandy Corporation was a family-owned leather goods company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Tandy was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store, and acquired RadioShack in 1963. The Tandy name was dropped in May 2000, when RadioShack Corporation was made the official name.-History:Tandy began in 1919...
TRS-80
TRS-80
TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
, among other projects.
In order to play games such as Galaxian
Galaxian
is an arcade game developed by Namco in 1979. It was published by Namco in Japan and was imported to North America by Midway in 1980. A fixed shooter-style game in which the player controls a spaceship at the bottom of the screen and shoots enemies descending in various directions, it was designed...
that were ported to the NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
PC-8001 by Geimu Kyoujin from I/O magazine, Nakamura bought a PC-8001 using money he'd saved up by delivering newspapers
Paperboy
A paperboy is the general name for a person employed by a newspaper, They are often used around the office to run low end errands. They make copies and distribute them. Paperboys traditionally were and are still often portrayed on television and movies as preteen boys, often on a bicycle...
. It was on that PC-8001 that he developed his program submissions. He submitted a machine code
Machine code
Machine code or machine language is a system of impartible instructions executed directly by a computer's central processing unit. Each instruction performs a very specific task, typically either an operation on a unit of data Machine code or machine language is a system of impartible instructions...
input tool to I/O magazine, which was published in the February, 1981 issue as his debut publication, earning him 20,000 yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
for his work.
From that experience, spring break of his first year in high school found Nakamura porting the 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...
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...
as ALIEN Part II, published in the May, 1981 issue. The program was released on cassette tape and brought in royalty income of 200,000 yen. Then in the January, 1982 issue, Scramble (later renamed to Attacker due to legal issues) was also released on cassette, earning royalties of 1 million yen. Furthermore, the port of River Patrol
River Patrol
River Patrol is a 1981 arcade game released by Orca and licensed to Kestern for distribution in the United States.-Plot:Players take the role of the captain of a river patrol ship in this top-down game. Their mission: to save the poor souls who fell into the river. In the ship's way lay boulders,...
called River Rescue was published in the Maikon Game Book 4 special edition of I/O, bringing Nakamura's total high school earnings from submissions to I/O to over 2 million yen. Due to his activities with I/O, he became preeminent among young PC enthusiasts.
With his royalty earnings, Nakamura purchased a PC-8801 and decided to become a professional 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...
, entering the 1st Annual Hobby Program Contest held by Enix
Enix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
during his 3rd year of high school in 1982. Submitting his first original game, Door Door
Door Door
is a Japanese-developed puzzle-platformer video game designed by Koichi Nakamura and published by Enix. As Enix's debut title, Door Door first released in February 1983 for the NEC PC-8801 and was subsequently converted for other Japanese computers. The game's success prompted a Famicom port and an...
, Nakamura was selected as the runner-up prize winner for programming excellence, and received 500,000 yen in prize money.
Enix
In 1983, Nakamura moved to TokyoTokyo
, ; 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...
and entered the University of Electro-Communications
University of Electro-Communications
The is a national university in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. It specialises in the disciplines of computer science, the physical sciences, engineering and technology. It was founded in 1918 .-Graduate schools:*Graduate School of Electro-Communications...
. Porting his prize-winning Door Door to various PC platforms, his annual royalties as a university student exceeded 10 million yen. After that, Nakamura released his 2nd PC game Newtron and founded the 5-person-strong Chunsoft
Chunsoft
is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix...
on April 9th, 1984, during spring break of his 2nd year of university. He started to work out of a room in a condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
in Chōfu, Tokyo
Chofu, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 224,878 and a population density of 10,440 persons per km². The total area was 21.53 km². Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J. League teams: F.C...
. The first Chunsoft release was the 1985 PC-6001 version of Door Door mkII. Following that, joining Enix on the Famicom, Chunsoft began development on home video game consoles. While the PC version had sold 80,000 copies, the Famicom version recorded sales of 200,000 copies, leading subsequent development to focus on home consoles. From that, fellow Enix program contest winner Yuji Horii
Yuji Horii
is a Japanese video game designer and scenario writer best known as the creator of the Dragon Quest series of console role-playing games, as well as the visual novel adventure game Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken.-History:Dragon Quest is recognized as the first role-playing game to posit the idea...
joined Nakamura in collaborating on the Famicom port of Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
, is an adventure game designed by Yuji Horii and published by Enix . It was first released on the NEC PC-6001 in June 1983, and later ported to other personal computers...
.
At the time, Nakamura and Horii were fans of the computer roleplaying games
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
Wizardry
Wizardry
Wizardry is a series of computer role-playing games, developed by Sir-Tech, which were highly influential in the development of modern console and computer role playing games. The original Wizardry was a significant influence to early console RPGs, such as Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. ...
and Ultima, and so set out to develop a full-blown Famicom RPG called Dragon Quest
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Warrior, known as in Japan, is the first role-playing video game in the Dragon Quest media franchise. It was developed by Chunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System and published by Enix in Japan in 1986...
. Nakamura continued development on the Dragon Quest series
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
through Dragon Quest V
Dragon Quest V
, known as Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride in Europe, is a console role-playing game and the fifth installment in the Dragon Quest video game series...
before breaking away from Enix products.
Post-Enix
OtogirisōOtogirisō
is a sound novel developed and published by ChunSoft. The game was first released on March 7, 1992 in Japan. It became available on the Virtual Console on August 28, 2007.- Story :...
marked Chunsoft's debut brand. Following that, successive genre-trailblazing titles Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon
Torneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeon
is the first game in the Mysterious Dungeon series. This installment features Torneko , the merchant from Dragon Warrior IV...
, Kamaitachi no Yoru
Kamaitachi no Yoru
is a sound novel developed and published by Chunsoft. The game was first released on November 25, 1994 for the Super Famicom. It became available on the Virtual Console in February, 2007 for 800 Wii Points...
, and Shiren the Wanderer
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer is a graphical roguelike by Chunsoft. It is the second videogame in the Mystery Dungeon series, and the first game in the series to feature all original characters...
established the company's good reputation. Nakamura himself had to move away from programming in order to run the company.
For a time, the company's products were considered mediocre, but 3-Nen B-Gumi Kinpachi Sensei: Densetsu no Kyoudan ni Tate! was a hit that showed signs of recovery. Recently, Chunsoft has tied up with 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...
's home video game business. Nakamura served as producer 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...
game 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de.
According to an interview on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
's World Business Satellite in 2006, Nakamura had purchased an Australian-made cruiser for 120 million yen.
Game credits
- Door DoorDoor Dooris a Japanese-developed puzzle-platformer video game designed by Koichi Nakamura and published by Enix. As Enix's debut title, Door Door first released in February 1983 for the NEC PC-8801 and was subsequently converted for other Japanese computers. The game's success prompted a Famicom port and an...
- Door Door mkII
- Newtron
- Portopia Renzoku Satsujin JikenPortopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken, is an adventure game designed by Yuji Horii and published by Enix . It was first released on the NEC PC-6001 in June 1983, and later ported to other personal computers...
- Dragon QuestDragon WarriorDragon Warrior, known as in Japan, is the first role-playing video game in the Dragon Quest media franchise. It was developed by Chunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System and published by Enix in Japan in 1986...
(director, programmer)- Dragon Quest IIDragon Warrior IIDragon Warrior II, known as in Japan, is a console role-playing game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix in 1987 for the MSX and Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Dragon Quest series .The game's story centers on the prince on Midenhall who is ordered to stop an evil...
(director, main programmer) - Dragon Quest IIIDragon Warrior IIIDragon Warrior III, known in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix . It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series , first released for the Famicom in Japan, and then the NES in North America...
(director) - Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (director)
- Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (supervisor)
- Dragon Quest II
- Famicom Jump II: Saikyō no ShichininFamicom Jump II: Saikyo no Shichininis a 1991 RPG for the Nintendo Family Computer published by Bandai. The sequel to Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden, the game features seven main characters from different Weekly Shonen Jump manga serialized at the time. Only four of the 16 represented titles from the original are brought back, while...
(director) - OtogirisōOtogirisōis a sound novel developed and published by ChunSoft. The game was first released on March 7, 1992 in Japan. It became available on the Virtual Console on August 28, 2007.- Story :...
(director, producer) - Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no DungeonTorneko no Daiboken: Fushigi no Dungeonis the first game in the Mysterious Dungeon series. This installment features Torneko , the merchant from Dragon Warrior IV...
(producer)- Torneko: The Last HopeTorneko: The Last HopeTorneko: The Last Hope, known as in Japan, is a console role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation.The game was co-developed by Chunsoft and Matrix Software and published by Enix in both Japan and North America in 1999 and 2000 respectively....
(executive producer) - Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibōken 3Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daiboken 3is the third game in the Torneko series. It is part of the Mystery Dungeon series and contains randomly generated dungeons and uses turn-based action combat. It is the third Dragon Quest spin-off game in the Mystery Dungeon series...
(executive producer)
- Torneko: The Last Hope
- Kamaitachi no YoruKamaitachi no Yoruis a sound novel developed and published by Chunsoft. The game was first released on November 25, 1994 for the Super Famicom. It became available on the Virtual Console in February, 2007 for 800 Wii Points...
(producer)- Kamaitachi no Yoru 2: Kangoku-jima no Warabe Uta (executive producer)
- Kamaitachi no Yoru x 3: Mikatzuki-jima Jiken no Shinsō (producer)
- Shiren the WandererMystery Dungeon: Shiren the WandererMystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer is a graphical roguelike by Chunsoft. It is the second videogame in the Mystery Dungeon series, and the first game in the series to feature all original characters...
(producer)- Shiren the Wanderer GB (producer)
- Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 2: Oni Shūrai! Siren-jō! (executive producer)
- Shiren the Wanderer GB 2 (executive producer)
- Shiren the Wanderer Gaiden (supervising director)
- Shiren Monsters Netsal (producer)
- Chocobo's Dungeon (supervising director)
- Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (supervising director)
- MachiMachi (video game)Machi is a visual novel adventure game developed and published by Chunsoft and released exclusively in Japan for the Sega Saturn in 1998 and then for the Sony PlayStation in 1999...
(producer) - 3-Nen B-Gumi Kinpachi Sensei: Densetsu no Kyoudan ni Tate! (producer)
- HomelandHomeland (video game)is a role-playing video game for the Nintendo GameCube developed by Chunsoft and released in Japan only.The game can be played offline in single-player mode or online in multiplayer mode over the internet or on a LAN. In online mode the player can assume the role of gamemaster and create an online...
(producer) - Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of DarknessPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darknessand are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS. The two games were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008...
(producer) - ImabikisōImabikisois a visual novel developed by Chunsoft for the PlayStation 3. It is the first visual novel to be released on a seventh generation console. The game imagery consists mostly of static or animated photographs, though live-action clips scattered throughout....
(executive producer) - 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de (producer)
- Trick × Logic (executive producer)
External links
- Koichi Nakamura 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...