Treasure (company)
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Template:Nihongo foot is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo known for its action, platform, and shoot 'em up games. The company was founded in 1992 by former Konami employees seeking to explore original game concepts and free themselves from Konami's reliance on sequels. Their first game, Gunstar Heroes (1993) on the Sega Genesis, was a critical success and established a creative and action-oriented design style that would continue to characterize their output. Treasure's philosophy in game development has always been to make games they enjoy, not necessarily those that have the greatest commercial viability.
Treasure grew a cult following for their action games developed during the 1990s, and though initially exclusive to Sega platforms, they expanded to other platforms in 1997. The company earned recognition from critics, being called one of the best Japanese indie studios and 2D game developers. The company's output decreased in the 2010s, with their most recent release being Gaist Crusher God in 2014.
HistoryEdit
Origins and 16-bit eraEdit
Treasure founder and president Masato Maegawa dreamed of working in the video game industry when he was young and began learning computer programming in junior high school. He studied programming in college and was hired by developer and publisher Konami after graduating.<ref name="works4" /> At Konami, Maegawa and associates that would later establish Treasure worked on a variety of games including arcade titles The Simpsons (1991) and Bucky O'Hare (1992), and Super NES games Super Castlevania IV (1991), Contra III: The Alien Wars (1992), and Axelay (1992).<ref name=":0" /><ref name="EDGE44">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1991, Maegawa and several other Konami employees began planning an original game that would become Gunstar Heroes (1993),<ref name=":4">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":12">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (Abridged translation Template:Webarchive)</ref> but their concept was rejected by Konami.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Maegawa and his team were growing frustrated with Konami's growing reliance on sequels to established franchises such as their Castlevania and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.<ref name=":0" /> The team felt consumers wanted original games,<ref name=":0" /> and so they left Konami in 1992 to establish Treasure and continue development on Gunstar Heroes.<ref name="works4">Template:Cite book</ref>
Treasure was founded on June 19, 1992;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the company name came from wanting to be a "treasure" to the industry.<ref name=":0" /> Around the time of founding, the company had just over ten people.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Even though most of the staff made games for the Super NES at Konami, they wanted to develop Gunstar Heroes for the Sega Genesis because the system's Motorola 68000 microprocessor was necessary for the visuals and gameplay they were striving for.<ref name=":0" /> Treasure approached Sega for a publishing contract.<ref name=":4" /> At first, they were not granted approval because they lacked a track record, but Sega instead contracted them to develop McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (1993).<ref name=":12" /> Several months into development, they were granted approval to work on Gunstar Heroes.<ref name=":12" /> Treasure staff was split into two teams to work on both games in parallel.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":12" /> They had a staff of around 18 people at the time, most being ex-Konami programmers.<ref name=":0" /> The staff felt they had more freedom working under Sega than Konami.<ref name=":0" />
McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure was completed first, but Treasure decided to finish and release Gunstar Heroes first because they wanted their debut to be an original game.<ref name=":12" /> North American magazine GameFan were enthralled with the game and secured the first English language interview with Treasure that year.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure was released next, initiating a trend for Treasure of developing games based on licensed properties. As a small studio, Treasure required the revenue from licensed games to develop original projects.<ref name=":1" /> Treasure continued to develop games for the Genesis for the remainder of the 16-bit era because of the system's smooth sprite movement, and grew a following among Sega fans.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> After Gunstar Heroes, Treasure was divided into four teams to develop (in order of release): platformer Dynamite Headdy (1994), fighting game Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen (1994), run and gun Alien Soldier (1995), and action-adventure Light Crusader (1995).<ref name=":12" /> The variety among these games illustrated unevenness and unpredictability in Treasure's output that would become characteristic of them.<ref name=":1" />
32-bit eraEdit
In 1994, Sega introduced the Sega Saturn technology to Treasure. Treasure were impressed with the system's ability to handle a large number of sprites. They also knew their fan base consisted entirely of Sega gamers, so as the 32-bit era began, they moved development to the Saturn.<ref name=":2" /> Even though the Saturn was capable of 3D graphics, they continued to develop 2D games because they had built up 2D sprite know-how. Competition from 3D games did not concern them.<ref name=":2" /> First on Saturn was Guardian Heroes (1996), a beat 'em up that combines elements from fighting games and RPGs.<ref name=":1" /> Treasure worked on their next two releases concurrently, side-scrolling platformers Mischief Makers (1997) and Silhouette Mirage (1997).<ref name=":1" /> Mischief Makers was released on the Nintendo 64 and published by Enix, Treasure's first game published by a company other than Sega and released on non-Sega hardware.<ref name=":1" /> Treasure chose to develop for the Nintendo 64 because they were interested in the hardware's capabilities.<ref name="EDGE44"/> Enix had heard of Treasure's reputation for action games and requested to publish for them in the past, but it was not until Treasure was developing for a non-Sega platform that they sought Enix's cooperation.<ref name="EDGE44"/> Mischief Makers was followed by Silhouette Mirage, which was initially released on the Saturn then ported to the PlayStation in 1998.<ref name=":1" />
In 1998, Treasure released their first arcade game, the shoot 'em up Radiant Silvergun. Treasure had been hesitant to develop an arcade game for years because of concerns with their commercial viability, but the staff felt Radiant Silvergun had potential and they were eager to develop it.<ref name=":22">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The game was ported to the Saturn later that year.<ref name=":1" /> Enix published Treasure's next game for the PlayStation, fighting game Rakugaki Showtime (1999), but had to pull it from shelves shortly after release because of a lawsuit filed against them.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">Template:Cite magazine</ref> This was followed by the multidirectional shooter Bangai-O (1999) which received a limited release on the Nintendo 64, but was later modified and re-released for the Dreamcast.<ref name=":1" /> By 1999, most of the founding Treasure staff were still with the company.<ref name=":10">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2000sEdit
Treasure began the 2000s with some early troubles.<ref name=":1" /> Gun Beat, a racing game they were developing for Sega's NAOMI arcade platform, was canceled with little explanation.<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Also, Silpheed: The Lost Planet (2000) and Stretch Panic (2001) for the PlayStation 2 both weren't received very well.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> Despite these hiccups, Treasure did find success with Sin and Punishment (2000),<ref name=":1" /> a rail shooter co-developed with Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 and later released on the iQue in China.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The game was not released in western territories but grew a cult following among import gamers.<ref name=":11">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While Sin and Punishment was still in development, Treasure started development on a spiritual sequel to Radiant Silvergun titled Ikaruga (2001).<ref name="shump2001">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The arcade shooter was co-developed with G.rev,<ref name=":3" /> and ported to the Dreamcast and saw a worldwide release on the GameCube.<ref name=":1" />
Treasure next embarked on a series of licensed projects.<ref name=":1" /> Two of these were based on the Tiny Toon Adventures franchise, Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Bad Dream (2002) for the Game Boy Advance and the unreleased Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe for the PlayStation 2.<ref name=":1" /> Other licensed games during this period included Game Boy Advance games Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! (2003) and Astro Boy: Omega Factor (2003), as well as GameCube games Wario World (2003) and Dragon Drive: D-Masters Shot (2003).<ref name=":1" /> Astro Boy: Omega Factor was co-developed with Hitmaker<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was critically praised for returning to Treasure's classic side-scrolling action style that had been missing from their recent output.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> Their next game was Gradius V (2004) which like Ikaruga before it, was co-developed with G.rev.<ref name=":3" /> The companies worked under contract for Konami, and the game helped cement Treasure's return to critical successes following a slew of mediocre licensed games.<ref name=":1" />
Treasure developed sequels on the Game Boy Advance for their earlier successes, Advance Guardian Heroes (2004) and Gunstar Super Heroes (2005).<ref name=":1" /> Treasure followed this with a series of licensed Bleach games for the Nintendo DS.<ref name=":3" /> Maegawa explained that his company experiences challenges in developing games based on licensed properties like Bleach, saying that the staff wants to be original but cannot detract too far from the source material and risk disappointing fans.<ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By 2009, the company had 20-30 employees.<ref name=":7" />
2010sEdit
The number of employees at Treasure had dropped to 16 by 2011.<ref name=":3" /> In a 2011 interview, Maegawa explained that Treasure now uses middleware to develop games, no longer using custom programming to push the hardware to their maximum levels.<ref name=":3" /> The company was also putting an increased focus on rereleasing their back catalog as downloadable games on the Virtual Console, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live.<ref name=":3" /> Treasure has not released any new games since 2014 apart from re-releases of games like Ikaruga.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2020sEdit
On June 19, 2022, its 30th anniversary, Treasure announced it was working on a "highly requested" game.<ref name="VGCHighlyRequested">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They had less than 10 staff by 2022.<ref name="VGCHighlyRequested" />
Staff and design philosophyEdit
Treasure does not have a rigid hierarchy.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3" /> Maegawa explained that Treasure operates differently from other companies by not assigning lead designers. While a project leader may create a project plan, most of the game design is done collaboratively between the programmers and artists.<ref name=":6" /> Most permanent employees and part-time contractors drift in and out of projects as required.<ref name=":3" /> Some individuals have been important figures in Treasure's history:<ref name=":3" />
- Masato Maegawa – Founder, company president, and lead producer on all games.<ref name=":6" /> He was programmer for some of the company's Genesis games.<ref name=":3" />
- Hideyuki Suganami – Programmer on Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, Mischief Makers, and Sin and Punishment. Suganami has left the company but worked as a freelancer on Gunstar Super Heroes and Sin and Punishment: Star Successor.<ref name=":3" />
- Hiroshi Iuchi – Director for Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, and Gradius V<ref name=":3" />
- Mitsuru Yaida – Programmer for the Bangai-O games<ref name=":3" />
- Koichi Kimura - Director and Artist for Dynamite Headdy, McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure, Stretch Panic, and Wario World
- Tetsuhiko Kikuchi – Frequent artist and character designer. Led development of Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen, Guardian Heroes, Rakugaki Showtime and Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe.<ref name=":3" />
- Norio Hanzawa – Frequent composer<ref name=":3" />
- Yasushi Suzuki – Artist for Radiant Silvergun, Sin and Punishment, and Ikaruga<ref name=":3" />
Treasure places emphasis on creating original games in the action, platform, and shooter genres.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> They do not have a preference on gaming platforms or 2D vs. 3D gameplay, preferring to choose the most suitable depending on the game they are designing.<ref name=":8" /> The company has never viewed sales as much of a concern. They would prefer making the games they want to make, and not what will more likely sell well.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> Maegawa has preferred to always keep the company small to keep an "independent-minded" mentality, and help the developers' personalities shine through their games.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":6" />
They expressed disinterest in sequels early in their history, but became more open to it later.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8">Template:Cite journal</ref> They pride themselves in creating original ideas and avoiding imitating other works or being associated with games already on the market.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":7" /> They have made games based on licensed properties to generate revenue to pursue original projects.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> Explaining the Treasure design philosophy, Maegawa said it "simply, to create the games we want to make"<ref name=":3" /> and "creating the things we love in the way we like."<ref name="works4"/> The company has generally employed around 20 to 30 people at any given time.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":9" />
ReputationEdit
Treasure was one of the most celebrated developers of the 16-bit era and grew a cult following during the period.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":9" /> USgamer called them "one of Japan's pioneering indie developers" and explained the "sense of integrity" in their 1990s work that was not seen in other games of the era.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Maximum: The Video Game Magazine called them "one of the most respected programming houses in the world" in 1996.<ref name=":2" /> Gamers' Republic agreed in 1998, writing: "Any action or platform gamer worth his salt recognizes Treasure as one of the finest development houses in the world."<ref name=":8" /> In 2005, 1UP.com called Treasure "one of Japan's most famous independent development houses [...] releasing some of the most finely crafted, creative, and offbeat action games the world has ever seen."<ref name=":1" /> Treasure did not have any large commercial successes, which influenced Retro Gamer to describe their output as "critically acclaimed yet commercially unsuccessful."<ref name=":6" /> Because of the loyal fan base but low sales, prices of Treasure games such as Rakugaki Showtime and Radiant Silvergun have climbed on the secondary market.<ref name=":3" />
The company established a signature style early on that became consistent across their work.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":3" /> Their first game, Gunstar Heroes, established what 1UP.com called Treasure's key themes: "creativity, weirdness, and a tendency toward completely absurd levels of action."<ref name=":1" /> Wireframe called their style "fast, aggressive [...] featuring bold graphics and surreal dashes of humour."<ref name=":9" /> Retro Gamer wrote that they have "consistently excellent art direction"<ref name=":3" /> and are renowned for their "action-packed" and "explosive" gameplay.<ref name=":6" /> They explained that Treasure is "at the very cutting edge of artistic freedom, forging its own very particular path and creating a softography guided by nothing other than the whims of the creators."<ref name=":3" /> The company is known for taking risks within established genres, borrowing conventional ideas and adding their own creative touches to create something new and innovative.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":9" /> They became recognized for their prowess in 2D game design,<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /> with Gamers' Republic calling their output "the finest 2D platform games on the planet."<ref name=":8" /> Treasure is also known for technological innovation; several of their games pushed the hardware to their limits.<ref name=":3" />
Games developedEdit
Cancelled gamesEdit
- Gun Beat (Arcade, cancelled 2000)
- Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe (GameCube & PlayStation 2, cancelled 2002)