Prope

{{Infobox company

| name = Prope Limited

| logo = PROPE Ltd..PNG

| logo_size = 255px

| native_name = 株式会社プロペ

| romanized_name = Kabushiki-gaisha Purope

| type = Private

| industry = Video games

| foundation = May 23, 2006 (Foundation)
June 1, 2006 (Operations began)

{{Infobox | decat = yes | child = yes

| title =

| label3= Representative Director President

| data3= Hiroshi Nakai

}}

| defunct =

| fate =

| location = Tokyo, Japan

| key_people = Yuji Naka

| num_employees = 40 (until April 2017)

}}

Prope Ltd. (株式会社プロペ, Kabushiki-gaisha Purope) is a Japanese video game developer founded in 2006 by Yuji Naka, formerly of Sonic Team, and located in Tokyo. Its name means "near" or "beside" in Latin.

Formation

As part of Sega's "support program for independent game creators", Yuji Naka left Sega to start his own studio, along with ten Sonic Team members. It had a starting capital of ¥10 million, 10% of which came from Sega in exchange for the right of first refusal for publishing his studio's games.{{cite web|url=http://forums.idlethumbs.net/showthread.php?p=59275 |title=Yuji Naka forms new studio funded by SEGA |date=8 May 2006 |work=Idle Forums |accessdate=10 May 2022 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060617124909/http://forums.idlethumbs.net/showthread.php?p=59275 |archivedate=17 June 2006 }} Prope was founded on May 23, 2006 and began operations one week later, on June 1.{{Cite web |url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/705/705583p1.html |title=IGN: Yuji Naka Forms Prope |access-date=10 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715140025/http://wii.ign.com/articles/705/705583p1.html |archive-date=15 July 2007 |url-status=dead }}

Prope intended to create games with a graphical style that appealed to both children and adults, and to explore the possibilities of developing both 3D and 2D games.{{Cite web |url=https://www.neogaf.com/threads/prope-yuji-nakas-studio-website-relaunch.224701/ |title=Prope (Yuji Nakas studio) website relaunch - NeoGAF |access-date=2022-05-11 |archive-date=2023-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112055142/https://www.neogaf.com/threads/prope-yuji-nakas-studio-website-relaunch.224701/ |url-status=live }} Naka joined Square Enix in January 2018, leaving the status of Prope uncertain.{{cite web|last1=Phillips|first1=Tom|title=Sonic creator Yuji Naka joins Final Fantasy maker Square Enix|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/sonic-creator-yuji-naka-joins-final-fantasy-maker-square-enix|website=Eurogamer|access-date=10 May 2022|archive-date=18 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518052122/https://www.eurogamer.net/sonic-creator-yuji-naka-joins-final-fantasy-maker-square-enix|url-status=live}} In March 2019, Naka confirmed that Prope had been reduced to a one-person company since the end of April 2017.{{cite web|title=Yuji Naka On Prope's Status: Downsized To One-Person Company|url=https://www.siliconera.com/yuji-naka-on-propes-status-downsized-to-one-person-company/|website=Siliconera|access-date=25 March 2019|archive-date=17 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917223623/https://www.siliconera.com/yuji-naka-on-propes-status-downsized-to-one-person-company/|url-status=live}}

Naka released SHOT2048 under the Prope brand in December 2021, his first game following his departure from Square Enix back in April.{{cite news |last1=Shakir |first1=Umar |title=Former head of Sonic Team releases new self-made mobile game |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/20/22846465/yuji-naka-sega-sonic-team-shot2048-iphone-android |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=The Verge |date=20 December 2021 |language=en |archive-date=22 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222151640/https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/20/22846465/yuji-naka-sega-sonic-team-shot2048-iphone-android |url-status=live }}

Games

Previously, the studio had been consistently linked with a sequel to Nights into Dreams...,{{Cite web |url=http://www.cubed3.com/news/7099/1/Naka_Says_No_to_NiGHTS_on_Wii |title=C3 News :: Nintendo News {{!}} Naka Says No to NiGHTS on Wii |access-date=2007-03-23 |archive-date=2007-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328191047/http://www.cubed3.com/news/7099/1/Naka_Says_No_to_NiGHTS_on_Wii |url-status=live }} though Nights: Journey of Dreams was ultimately developed by Sega Studio USA. Naka has claimed in an interview that he presently has no intention to revisit any of his former Sega properties.{{Cite news|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=160837|title=GamesRadar+|work=gamesradar|access-date=2018-01-29|language=en|archive-date=2010-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904172330/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=160837|url-status=live}}

Prope's first two titles, the Wii rhythm game Let's Tap, and the WiiWare game Let's Catch, were both released in December 2008. Both games were published by Sega.

After a series of simplistic iOS games such as 10 Count Boxer and Fluffy Bear, under the iPrope label, Prope's next major game Ivy the Kiwi? was released in November 2009 exclusively for Windows Phone, with Microsoft publishing it. In April 2009, it was ported to WiiWare and DSiWare and published by Bandai Namco in Japan, Xseed Games in America and Rising Star Games in Europe as Prope's parent company Sega refused to publish the game and Bandai Namco decided not to publish the game outside Asia. In 2010, an expanded physical release (in contrast to a digital one) was released for Wii and Nintendo DS, featuring 50 levels (whereas the downloadable version featured 25) as well as original backgrounds and music for each level.

In 2011, Prope released Real Ski Jump, which, as of 2014, had been downloaded 4 million times.{{Cite web|url=http://iprope.com/news.html|title=株式会社プロペ公式サイト|website=iprope.com|language=ja|access-date=2018-01-29|archive-date=2018-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130013728/http://iprope.com/news.html|url-status=live}}

=iOS/Android=

Published under the iPrope and aPrope label respectively

Let's Tap (2009)
10 Count Boxer (2009)
Fluffy Bear (2009)
Just Half (2010)
PD -prope discoverer- (2011)
Real Ski Jump HD
Get the Time (2011)
Past Camera (2011) (photography app - not a video game)
Power of Coin (2011)
Nine Dungeon (2011)
Real Animals HD (2011)
Flick Pig (2011)
Real SkiJump Battle (2012)
Ivy the Kiwi? (2012)
Buddy Monster (2012)
Real Whales (2013)
E-Anbai Just Right (2014)
Samurai Santaro (2014)
Kodama (2015)
Real Whales (2015)
Shock Maze VR (2015)
Crazy Open Car (2016)
God & the Bell Kitty (2016)
10 Battle (2016)
Pirates of Coin (2016)
Kizumon (2017)
Shot2048 (2021)

=Nintendo DS=

Ivy the Kiwi? (2010)

=Nintendo 3DS=

=PlayStation 3=

Digimon All-Star Rumble (2014)

=PlayStation Portable=

Digimon Adventure (2013){{cite web |last1=Ransom |first1=Ko |title=Sonic Creator's Prope Studio Develops Digimon Adventure RPG |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-08-22/sonic-creator-prope-studio-develops-digimon-adventure-rpg |website=Anime News Network |language=en |access-date=2018-12-23 |archive-date=2021-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126052938/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-08-22/sonic-creator-prope-studio-develops-digimon-adventure-rpg |url-status=live }}

=Wii=

Let's Catch (2008)
Let's Tap (2008)
Ivy the Kiwi? (2010)
Fishing Resort (2011)
Rodea the Sky Soldier (2015)

=Windows Mobile=

Ivy the Kiwi? (2009)

=Xbox 360=

Digimon All-Star Rumble (2014)

References

External links

[http://www.prope.jp/ Prope Official WebSite (Japanese)]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080923120530/http://prope.sega.jp/ SEGA x PROPE]
[http://iprope.com iPrope Official Website (English)]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20081010125832/http://games.ign.com/objects/827/827912.html IGN: Prope]

Category:Video game companies of Japan

Category:Video game development companies

Category:Video game companies established in 2006

Category:Japanese companies established in 2006