Hudson Soft

Japan · Founded 1973 · Developer / Publisher / Hardware Partner

Hudson Soft grew from a Sapporo radio parts shop into the creator of Bomberman and a key hardware partner for NEC's TurboGrafx-16, producing dozens of beloved NES and PC Engine titles.

Yuji and Hiroshi Maekawa founded Hudson Soft in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 1973 as a small radio parts retailer before discovering a passion for software in the late 1970s. The company became one of the first third-party developers for the NEC PC-8801 and Sharp X1 home computers, producing Lode Runner (1983) and other ports that demonstrated exceptional technical skill. Hudson's relationship with Nintendo resulted in dozens of NES titles, but the company's most significant hardware contribution came through its partnership with NEC on the TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine in Japan, 1987), for which Hudson designed the custom CPU and supplied much of the launch software library. The Bomberman franchise, which Hudson developed from an obscure 1983 home computer title into a celebrated multiplayer series, became one of gaming's most enduring party game concepts, selling over ten million units across its sequels. Adventure Island, a Japan-only Famicom title based on Sega's Wonder Boy arcade game, became a Hudson-exclusive franchise with seven entries. Konami acquired a controlling stake in Hudson in 2000 and fully absorbed the company in 2012, retiring the Hudson brand.