Chunsoft

Japan · Founded 1984 · Developer / Publisher

Koichi Nakamura's studio programmed the first five Dragon Quest games, invented the "sound novel" with Otogirisō, and started the Mystery Dungeon roguelike series.

Koichi Nakamura founded Chunsoft in 1984. The name comes from his surname: the first character of Nakamura, 中, is read "chun" in Japanese mahjong. Nakamura had first come to attention through Enix's programming contest with the puzzle game Door Door, and Chunsoft began its life working with Enix. Its most consequential work was Dragon Quest. Chunsoft developed the first five games in the series between 1986 and 1992, programming the template of the Japanese console RPG alongside designer Yuji Horii. In the 1990s the company also created two genres of its own. Otogirisō (1992) began its "sound novel" series — text-driven interactive mysteries that combined prose with music, sound and atmospheric images — and Kamaitachi no Yoru (1994) became the best-known example. Torneko no Daibōken (1993), starring the merchant Torneko from Dragon Quest IV, adapted the roguelike for console players and began the Mystery Dungeon series, continued with Shiren the Wanderer (1995) and later licensed spin-offs. In 2012 Chunsoft merged with its sister company Spike to form Spike Chunsoft, which continues to develop and publish games.