Kabushiki-gaisha Kapukon, or just Capcom, is a Japanese developer and publisher of ,
History
The original companies that spawned Capcom's Japanese branch were I.R.M Corporation founded on May 30, 1979,
as well as its subsidiary Japan Capsule Computer Co., Ltd., both of which were devoted to the manufacturing and distribution of electronic game machines.
The two companies underwent a name change to Sambi Co., Ltd. in September 1981,
while Capcom Co., Ltd. itself was first established on June 11, 1983,
for the purpose of taking over the internal sales department.
In January 1989, the old affiliate company Capcom Co., Ltd. merged with Sambi Co., Ltd., resulting in the current Japanese branch.
While Capcom's first product was the coin-operated Little League from July 1983, its first real video game, the arcade title Vulgus, was released in May 1984.
In addition to the development and publishing of home, online, mobile, arcade, pachinko, and pachislo games, the company publishes ,
Games
Company structure
Development studios
In the first few years after its establishment, the Japanese branch of Capcom had three development groups referred to as "Planning Rooms", led by
Tokuro Fujiwara, Takashi Nishiyama and
Yoshiki Okamoto, respectively.
Later, games developed internally used to be created by several numbered "Production Studios", each assigned to different games.
Starting in 2002, the development process was reformed to better share technologies and expertise, and all of the individual studios were gradually restructured into bigger departments responsible for different tasks.
While there are self-contained departments for the creation of arcade, pachinko and pachislo, online, and mobile games, the Consumer Games R&D Division instead is an amalgamation of subsections in charge of various game development stages.
In addition to these internal teams, Capcom also commissions outside development studios to ensure a steady output of titles.
However, following bad sales of
Dark Void and
Bionic Commando, the company's management has decided to limit outsourcing to sequels and newer versions of installments in existing franchises, reserving the development of original titles for its in-house teams.
The production of games, budgets, and platforms supported are decided upon in development approval meetings, attended by the company management and the Marketing, Sales, and Quality Control Departments.
Branches and subsidiaries
Apart from the head office building and the R&D building of Capcom Co., Ltd., both located in
Chūō-ku, Osaka,
the Japanese parent company also has a branch office in the
Shinjuku Mitsui Building in
Nishi-Shinjuku,
Shinjuku, Tokyo.
[" Locations." Capcom. Retrieved on August 12, 2011. "3-1-3 Uchihirano-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
540-0037, Japan" and "Shinjuku Mitsui Building 2-1-1 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo"] It also has the Ueno Facility. a branch office in
Iga,
Mie Prefecture.
The international Capcom Group currently encompasses 15 subsidiaries in Japan, North America, Europe, and East Asia.
Affiliated companies include Koko Capcom Co., Ltd. in South Korea, Street Fighter Film, LLC in the United States, and Dellgamadas Co., Ltd.
|
-
theatrical film division of Capcom, Ltd.
-
produces and distributes films in Japan, USA & Europe.
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Co., Ltd.
-
holding company administering subsidiaries in the United States
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Co., Ltd.
-
renting, leasing, and operating real estate properties
-
originally a related company known as Yunika Co., Ltd.
|
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom U.S.A., Inc.
-
established to enhance and maximize management, distribution, and R&D in the United States
|
9th floor
George House
Hammersmith
London
[" Contact." Capcom. Retrieved on August 12, 2011. "UK:
CE Europe Ltd 26-28 Hammersmith Grove, 9th Floor London W6 7HA" and "Germany: CEG Interactive Entertainment GmbH Barmbeker Strasse 4 b 22303 Hamburg, Germany" and "France: Capcom Entertainment France 30 bis, rue du Viel Abreuvoir FR.78100 Saint Germain En Laye"][" Office Relocation for CE Europe to the Metro Building." Maris Interiors. May 2011. Retrieved on August 13, 2011. "Maris are pleased to announce the commencement of the office fit-out for CE Europe Ltd, who are relocating offices to the Metro Building, Hammersmith, London, W6." and "Maris are relocating CE Europe’s London operations from their present offices in George House, 26-28 Hammersmith Grove to Hammersmith’s Metro Building."] | |
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Co., Ltd.
-
holding company administering subsidiaries in the Philippines
|
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Interactive, Inc.
-
developing and distributing mobile phone games
-
originally an unrelated developer known as Cosmic Infinity, Inc. before it was acquired by Capcom
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom U.S.A., Inc.
-
distributing mobile phone games and integrating the wireless, online and console sectors
|
-
co-founded by Capcom Co., Ltd. and Dwango Co., Ltd.
-
managing a virtual theme park website, and operating and developing online games
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Co., Ltd.
-
selling home video games, and operating and developing online games
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Co., Ltd.
-
developing video games
|
-
developing home video games
-
originally an unrelated developer before it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Co., Ltd. through a stock exchange
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of CE Europe Ltd.
-
selling home video games
|
-
90% of shares owned by Capcom Co., Ltd.
-
developing, manufacturing and distributing arcade machines
|
|
Former subsidiaries
|
| |
-
non-life insurance agency also responsible for financial activities
-
closed for the purpose of achieving a sound financial structure
|
-
managed sales in Europe
-
closed
|
-
sold products in Mexico, Central and South America
-
closed for the purpose of improving the company's financial balance
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom U.S.A., Inc.
-
sold arcade game machines and operated amusement facilities
-
closed
|
-
originally established as Capcom Digital Studios, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom U.S.A., Inc.
-
also known as Production Studio 8
-
developed video games
-
acquired by Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
|
-
co-founded by four people, among them game designer Yoshiki Okamoto and screenwriter Noboru Sugimura
-
established for the purpose of enhancing the quality of game scenarios with the help of screenwriters experienced in the creation of film and television scripts
-
Okamoto and some other staff members left the company in 2003 to form Game Republic, Inc.,
-
company employed about 30 people and was acquired by Capcom Co., Ltd.
|
-
was the main base for the sale of home video games in Europe
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
-
closed with all operations transferred to CE Europe Ltd.
|
-
wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom Co., Ltd. before its closing
-
offered support services for communication tools like mobile phones
|
|
|
Controversy
Recently, Capcom has been criticised by fans for having to pay for additional content which is already available within the game's files.
A prime example is in the case of
Street Fighter X Tekken, where twelve characters advertised as downloadable content were found completed within the disc. Recently a spokesperson told fans that "While Capcom is sorry that some of its fans are not happy about the chosen method of delivery for the DLC, we believe that this method will provide more flexible and efficient gameplay throughout the game's lifecycle. There is effectively no distinction between the DLC being locked behind the disc and available for unlocking at a later date, or being available through a full download at a later date, other than delivery mechanism."
Capcom as of April 12, 2012 had a drop in their Better Business Bureau rating from an A , minus 4 points to a B-. It was incited due to customers being upset because of Street Fighter X Tekken and the new IP Asura's Wrath which didn't come packaged with the actual ending in the retail release and required an extra purchase of DLC to conclude the title. A total of 43 complaints were issued in a short period of time and the resolution brought their rating down. Capcom did not do anything to fix the issues but did offer a 30% off online purchase voucher for the Capcom store to an anonymous customer who's complaint was in issue with Street Fighter X Tekken which revolved around a 4 player co-op fighting system which was suggested would be available in both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions through previous media. Though only the PlayStation 3 version supported the gameplay, the manual for the Xbox 360 version still has info on the gameplay inside. Capcom doesn't believe it is an applicable form of advertising as this error is only in the manual which can't be viewed before purchase and thus wouldn't influence the customer's purchase.
See also
External links
