Nippon Ichi

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Nippon Ichi Software Inc.
Type	Private company (JASDAQ: 3851)
Founded	1994
Headquarters	Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Industry	Computer and video game industry
Products	Disgaea series, etc
Revenue	N/A
Website	http://www.nippon1.co.jp/index.html

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.

Contents 1 About The Company 2 About The Games 2.1 Game Releases in Europe (by date) 2.2 Game Releases in North America (by date) 2.3 Game Releases in Japan (by date) 2.4 Cancelled Titles 2.5 Future releases 3 Other Media 3.1 Anime 3.2 Toys and figurines 4 References 5 External links

[edit] About The Company

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." ^[1]

[edit] About The 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.

[edit] Game Releases in Europe (by date)

• Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (Developer) (Published by Koei) - PS2 (05/28/04)
• La Pucelle: Tactics (Developer) (Published by Koei) - PS2 (04/01/05)
• Phantom Brave (Developer) (Published by Koei) - PS2 (02/04/05)
• Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (10/25/05)
• Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana (Developer) (Published by Koei) - PS2 (03/17/06)
• Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny (Developer) (Published by Koei) - PS2 (09/26/06)
• Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (11/03/06)
• Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light (Developed by Hit Maker) (Publisher) - PSP (02/09/07)
• Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (Developed by Gust) - PS2 (07/27/07)
• Generation of Chaos (Developer) (Publisher) - PSP (09/14/07)
• GrimGrimoire (Developed by Vanillaware) - PS2 (09/28/07)
• Soul Nomad and the World Eaters (Developer) - PS2 (06/20/08)

[edit] Game Releases in North America (by date)

• Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (Developer) (Published by Atlus) - PS1 (03/30/00)
• Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (Developer) (Published by Atlus) - PS2 (08/27/03)
• La Pucelle: Tactics (Developer) (Published by Mastiff) - PS2 (05/04/04)
• Phantom Brave (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (08/31/04)
• Phantom Brave - Special Edition (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (08/31/04)
• Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana (Developed by Gust) (Publisher) - PS2 (06/28/05)
• Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (07/26/05)
• Generation of Chaos (Developed by Idea Factory) (Publisher) - PSP (02/28/06)
• Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny (Developed by Gust) (Publisher) - PS2 (04/25/06)
• Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light (Developed by Hit Maker) (Publisher) - PSP (07/18/06)
• Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (08/29/06)
• Spectral Souls (Developed by Idea Factory) (Publisher) - PSP (09/26/06)
• Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia (Developed by Gust) (Publisher) - PS2 (2/7/2007)
• Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (Developed by Idea Factory) - PSP (05/24/07)
• Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (Developed by Gust) - PS2 (05/29/07)
• GrimGrimoire (Developed by Vanillaware) - PS2 (06/26/07)
• Dragoneer's Aria (Developed by Hit Maker) - PSP (08/21/07)
• Soul Nomad and the World Eaters (Developer) - PS2 (9/25/07)
• Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (Developer) - PSP (10/30/07)
• Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis (Developed by Gust) - PS2 (03/31/08)

[edit] Game Releases in Japan (by date)

• Jigsaw World (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (02/03/95)
• Oni Taiji, The: Mokushi Se! Ni Yome Momotarou (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (10/13/95)
• Jigsaw Land: Japan Graffiti (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (09/13/96)
• Souryu: Logical Mahjong (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (12/20/96)
• Doki Doki Shutter Chance (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (10/23/97)
• SatelliTV (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (01/08/98)
• Cooking Fighter (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (05/21/98)
• Adventure of Puppet Princess, The (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (12/17/98) localized as Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
• Logic Mahjong Souryu (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (05/04/99)
• Little Princess: Maru Oukoku no Ningyou Hime 2 (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (11/25/99)
• Tenshi no Present: Marle Oukoku Monogatari (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (12/21/00)
• Marl de Jigsaw (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (11/15/01)
• La Pucelle (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (01/31/02) localized as La Pucelle: Tactics
• Marl Jong!! (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (04/24/02)
• Makai Senki Disgaea (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (01/30/03) localized as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
• Marujan!! (Developer/Publisher) - PS1 (04/24/03)
• Phantom Brave (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (01/22/04) localized as Phantom Brave
• Iris no Atelier: Eternal Mana - Limited Edition (Developed by Gust) (Publisher) - PS2 (05/27/04) localized as Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
• Hayari Gami (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (08/05/04)
• La Pucelle: Hikari no Seijo Densetsu Nishuu (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (10/21/04)
• Phantom Kingdom (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (03/18/05) localized as Makai Kingdom: Chronicles Of The Sacred Tome
• Eien no Aseria: The Spirit of Eternity Sword (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (05/12/05)
• Hayarigami Revenge (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (07/14/05)
• Tristia of the Deep-Blue Sea (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (08/11/05)
• Rasetsu Alternative (Developer) (Published by Kogado Studio) - PS2 (10/13/05)
• Hayarigami Portable (Developer/Publisher) - PSP (12/15/05)
• Makai Senki Disgaea 2 (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (02/23/06) localized as Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
• Makai Senki Disgaea Portable (Developer) - PSP (11/30/06) localized as Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
• Soul Cradle (Developer) - PS2 (01/25/07) - localized as Soul Nomad & the World Eaters
• GrimGrimoire (Developed by Vanillaware) (Publisher) - PS2 (4/12/07)
• Hayarigami 2 (Developer/Publisher) - PS2 (11/15/07)
• Makai Senki Disgaea 3 (Developer/Publisher) - PS3 (January 31, 2008)

[edit] Cancelled Titles

• Makai Wars (Developer) - PS3, PSP

[edit] Future releases

• Disgaea: Hour of Darkness - (NIS) - Nintendo DS (July 2008)
• Puchi Puchi Virus - (NIS) - Nintendo DS (2008)
• A Witch's Tale - (NIS) Nintendo DS (October 2008)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Anime

• Makai Senki Disgaea (Studio - Rondo Robe) 12 episodes total
• Eien no Aseria - The Spirit of the Eternity Sword - 2 episodes (OVA) total

Makai Senki Disgaea has been completed and Geneon recently bought the U.S. distribution rights.

Disgaea 1-11 ep.

[edit] Toys and figurines

• NIS America sells toys and figurines related to their games at their official site.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Nippon Ichi Software official site in Japanese.
• NIS America official site in English.
• Nippon Ichi Strategy games at Hardcore Gaming 101.
• Tokidoki Journal's Interview with Tenpei Sato
• Tokidoki Journal's Interview with Souhei Niikawa
• Tokidoki Journal's Interview with Takehito Harada