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Tose (company)#Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System

{{Short description|Japanese video game developer}}

{{About|the company|other uses|Tose (disambiguation){{!}}Tose}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Tose Co., Ltd.

| native_name = {{lang|ja|株式会社トーセ}}

| logo = File:Tose Software logo.svg

| type = Public

| fate =

| successor =

| foundation = {{start date and age|1979|11}}

| defunct =

| founder =

| location_city = Kyoto

| location_country = Japan

| key_people = {{ubl|Shigeru Saito (chairman & CEO)|Yasuhito Watanabe (president & COO)}}

| industry = Video games

| products = The Legendary Starfy series
Game & Watch Gallery series

| revenue =

| operating_income =

| net_income =

| num_employees = 657 (2024){{cite web|url=https://contents.xj-storage.jp/xcontents/AS05083/cf5974be/2b52/4b6b/9a40/1b5bec4695ac/20220608171711383s.pdf|access-date=3 July 2024|website=Tose Co., Ltd

|title=Company profile|date=May 31, 2024}}

| parent =

| homepage = {{official website|https://www.tose.co.jp/en|tose.co.jp}}

| logo_size = 200px

| traded_as = {{tyo|4728}}

}}

{{Nihongo foot|Tose Co., Ltd.|株式会社トーセ|Kabushiki-gaisha Tōse|group=lower-alpha|lead=yes}} (also called Tose Software) is a Japanese video game developer based in Kyoto. It is mostly known for developing Nintendo's Game & Watch Gallery series, various Dragon Ball games, as well as contract work or assistance to other developers. Tose has developed or co-developed over 1,000 games since the company's inception in 1979, but is virtually never credited in the games themselves (an exception to this is Scarlet Nexus with Bandai Namco, Game & Watch Gallery 4 and The Legendary Starfy series, as Tose shares the copyright with Nintendo).{{cite web | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/interview-tose-game-development-ninjas | title=Tose: Game Development Ninjas | publisher=Game Developer | access-date=2023-10-18 | date=2006-05-18 | first=Brandon | last=Sheffield}} Tose maintains a policy of having no creative input into the work they do, going so far as to refuse to put their names in the credits for most of the games they work on. As such, Tose has gained a reputation for being a "ghost developer".{{cite web | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-connection-is-made-developer-highlights-from-game-connection-2006-part-two- | title=The Connection is Made: Developer Highlights from Game Connection 2006 (Part Two) | publisher=Game Developer | access-date=2023-10-18 | date=2006-04-20 | first=Frank | last=Cifaldi}}

History

Tose was established in November 1979 in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, as an independent entity from Toa Seiko Co. Ltd. It moved its head office to Otokuni-gun, Kyoto Prefecture in May 1986. In July 1988, Tose moved its head office to Yamazaki, Kyoto. In May 1990, Tose began developing software for the Game Boy and the Super Famicom.

In August 1999, Tose was listed on the Osaka Securities Exchange 2nd Section and the Kyoto Stock Exchange. In October of that year, Tose's Kyoto Head office was opened at Shijo-Karasuma, which integrated its head office functions with the Karasuma CG Center. On 27 September 2000, Tose was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange 2nd Section.{{Cite web|date=2007-10-27|title=TOSE Software-Japan-|url=http://www.tose.co.jp/jp/ir/2000/000927.html|access-date=2023-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027055016/http://www.tose.co.jp/jp/ir/2000/000927.html |archive-date=2007-10-27 }} In August 2001, it was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange 1st Section and Osaka Securities Exchange 1st Section.

On December 18, 2007, Tose announced the leakage of its business information onto the Internet, which was discovered the day before. The leak included 10 pieces of information relating to customer names, development cases, development contents, development fees, and reception time.[http://www.tose.co.jp/jp/ir/pdf/20071218.pdf 業務情報の漏洩に関するお知らせ]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}

On September 1, 2011, Tose announced the separation of its amusement machine development business from its second game development department (ゲーム事業部開発2部) into a separate amusement machine developer (AM開発部).{{Cite web|date=2011-10-30|title=Archived copy|url=http://www.tose.co.jp/jp/ir/pdf/20110901.pdf|access-date=2023-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030210427/http://www.tose.co.jp/jp/ir/pdf/20110901.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-30 }}

In July 2024, it was reported that Tose was experiencing financial hardship due to a number of cancelled games from partners including Square Enix and Bandai Namco. For the period covering September 2023 to May 2024 the studio's net sales fell nearly 28%, leading to an operating loss of 599 million yen ($3.7 million).{{Cite web |last=Serin |first=Kaan |date=2024-07-04 |title=Prolific Japanese outsourcing studio that's quietly worked on Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Resident Evil for over 44 years is in trouble due to game cancellations |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/games/dragon-quest/prolific-japanese-outsourcing-studio-thats-quietly-worked-on-zelda-final-fantasy-and-resident-evil-for-over-44-years-is-in-trouble-due-to-game-cancellations/ |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=gamesradar |language=en}}

List of games developed by Tose

NOTE: Titles released before the official website was created must be verified with information compiled by various amateur and professional journalists. Some are merely believed or assumed to be developed by Tose. Some have not been officially confirmed as Tose-developed products by any of the games' publishers, co-developers, nor Tose itself until Tose created their website to document their work.

:See also :Category:Tose (company) games

{{Incomplete list|date=October 2011}}

= Android, iOS =

  • Fight League (2017){{Cite web |title=Supported the development of smartphone app, "Fight League（TM）". {{!}} News {{!}} TOSE CO., LTD. |url=https://tose.co.jp/en/news/2017706000331.html |access-date=2022-08-13 |website=www.tose.co.jp}}
  • Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D (2018)
  • Nijigasaki High School Idol Club TOKIMEKI RunRuns (2022){{Cite web |title=TOSE group developed "Nijigasaki High School idol club TOKIMEKI RunRuns", one of LOVE LIVE! series. {{!}} News {{!}} TOSE CO., LTD. |url=http://www.tose.co.jp/en/news/2022622000518.html |access-date=2022-08-13 |website=www.tose.co.jp}}
  • Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince (Co-developed with Square Enix, 2024)

=Arcade=

=Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System=

= Family Computer Disk System =

=Super Famicom/Super NES=

=Game Boy=

=Game Boy Color=

=Game Boy Advance=

= Virtual Boy =

=Sega Mega Drive/Genesis=

=Sega Mega CD/Sega CD=

=Sega Saturn=

=PlayStation=

  • Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 (1995)
  • Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout (1997)
  • Theme Aquarium (1998){{cite web |last1=Rose |first1=Mike |title=What the heck is Bullfrog's Theme Aquarium? |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/what-the-heck-is-bullfrog-s-theme-aquarium- |website=Gamasutra |publisher=UBM Technology Group |access-date=2024-02-25 |date=May 1, 2013}}{{cite web |title=Aquarium (1998) PlayStation release dates |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/aquarium/release-info |website=MobyGames |publisher=Blue Flame Labs |access-date=7 January 2019}}
  • Thousand Arms (1998){{cite web | author=Hill, Doug | date=October 14, 1999 | title=Tose to develop for Playstation 2 | url=http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-1999/101499c.html | work=RPGamer.com | access-date=2009-08-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930194147/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-1999/101499c.html | archive-date=2012-09-30 | url-status=dead}}
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (1998){{cite web | author=Caoili, Eric | date=December 29, 2010 | title=Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers' Fan-Translation Trailer | url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/12/devil_summoner_soul_hackers_fa.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108044741/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/12/devil_summoner_soul_hackers_fa.php | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 8, 2011 | work=GameSetWatch | access-date=2015-05-13}}
  • Resident Evil Survivor (2000)
  • Bass Landing (2000)
  • Bass Landing 2 (2001)

= Dreamcast =

=PlayStation 2=

=GameCube=

=PlayStation 3=

=PlayStation 4=

=PlayStation 5=

=PlayStation Portable=

=PlayStation Vita=

=Nintendo DS=

=Wii=

=Nintendo 3DS=

= Wii U =

= Nintendo Switch =

  • Splatoon 2 (2017){{Cite web |title=Supported the development of "Splatoon2" for Nintendo Switch (TM). {{!}} News {{!}} TOSE CO., LTD. |url=https://tose.co.jp/en/news/2017721000332.html |access-date=2022-08-13 |website=www.tose.co.jp}}
  • World of Final Fantasy (co-developed with Square Enix, 2018)
  • The Battle Cats Unite! (2018)
  • Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020)
  • Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir (Remake) (2021)
  • WarioWare: Get It Together! (Co-developed with Intelligent Systems, 2021)
  • Dragon Quest Treasures (Co-developed with Square Enix, 2022)
  • Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion (co-developed with Square Enix, 2022)
  • Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince (Co-developed with Square Enix, 2023){{Cite web |title=3rd Quarter of Fiscal Year Ending August 31, 2023 |url=https://contents.xj-storage.jp/xcontents/AS05083/4219fa62/4b7f/4161/b7f7/c8025accdc77/20230707142738394s.pdf |publisher=Tose Co, Ltd.}}
  • Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2024){{cite web|url=https://www.tose.co.jp/en/workslist.html |title=Works {{!}} TOSE CO., LTD. |access-date=July 14, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240705093709/https://www.tose.co.jp/en/workslist.html |archive-date = July 5, 2024}}
  • Karaoke Joysound (2024){{Cite web |title=「カラオケJOYSOUND for Nintendo Switch」の追加機能を開発させていただきました。 {{!}} 新着情報一覧 {{!}} 株式会社トーセ |url=https://www.tose.co.jp/news/2025120000646.html |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=www.tose.co.jp}}
  • Tales of Graces f Remastered (2025){{Cite web |title=「テイルズ オブ グレイセス エフ リマスター」の開発をさせていただきました。 {{!}} 新着情報一覧 {{!}} 株式会社トーセ |url=https://www.tose.co.jp/news/2025116000640.html |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=www.tose.co.jp}}

=PC=

=WonderSwan=

  • Super Robot Wars Compact (1999)
  • Super Robot Wars Compact 2 (2000-2001)

=Xbox 360=

=Xbox One=

=Xbox Series X/S=

= 3DO Interactive Multiplayer =

Games ported by Tose

Tose has ported a few games, including Square and Enix games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES.

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Category:Amusement companies of Japan

Category:Companies based in Kyoto

Category:Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange

Category:Video game companies of Japan

Category:Video game development companies

Category:Video game companies established in 1979

Category:Japanese companies established in 1979