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ASCII Corporation

From Alfawiki
ASCII Corporation, Ltd.
Company typePublic (former)
IndustryPublishing, Video games, Software
Founded1977
FounderKazuhiko Nishi, Akio Gunji, Keiichiro Tsukamoto
Defunct2008
FateMerged with MediaWorks to form ASCII Media Works
SuccessorASCII Media Works
Headquarters
Chiyoda, Tokyo
,
Japan
Area served
Japan (and some international markets)
Key people
Kazuhiko Nishi (founder, Microsoft Japan VP of Sales for Far East)
ProductsMonthly ASCII magazine, Derby Stallion series, MSX computer standard, RPG Maker software suite
OwnerKadokawa Group Holdings (from 2004)
ParentKadokawa Group Holdings (from 2004)

ASCII Corporation, Ltd. (株式会社アスキー, Kabushiki kaisha Asukī) was a publishing firm based in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1977 originally as the Japanese sales branch for Microsoft, their collaboration concluded in 1986 with the formation of Microsoft Japan.

In 2004, ASCII became part of Kadokawa Group Holdings and later merged with Kadokawa's subsidiary MediaWorks on April 1, 2008, resulting in the creation of ASCII Media Works. Its prominent publication was Monthly ASCII. ASCII gained recognition for its significant impact on the video game and software industries, particularly through titles like the Derby Stallion series, the development of the MSX computer standard, and the RPG Maker software suite.

1977–1990: Establishment and early initiatives

Founded in 1977 by Kazuhiko Nishi, Akio Gunji, and Keiichiro Tsukamoto, ASCII took its name from the ASCII character encoding system. The company began by publishing the magazine ASCII. Following discussions between Bill Gates and Nishi, ASCII launched Microsoft's first overseas sales office under the name ASCII Microsoft in 1978. By 1980, licensing of Microsoft BASIC generated revenues of 1.2 billion yen for ASCII, representing 40% of Microsoft's global sales at that time. Nishi served as Microsoft's Vice President of Sales for the Far East region. In 1983, ASCII collaborated with Microsoft to introduce the MSX, a standardized specification for 8-bit home computers. The company diversified into semiconductor manufacturing in 1984 and introduced commercial online services with ASCII-NET in 1985. Leveraging the surge in home video gaming during the 1980s, ASCII developed software and hardware accessories for platforms such as the Family Computer and Mega Drive. After Microsoft's initial public offering in 1986, it established its own Japanese entity, Microsoft Co., Ltd., thereby ending its partnership with ASCII. Around this period, ASCII underwent corporate restructuring due to rapid diversification earlier in the decade and went public in 1989.

1989–2000: Expansion and subsequent ventures

For the fiscal year ending March 1996, ASCII recorded revenues totaling 56 billion yen, distributed among publications (52.5%, approximately 27 billion yen), game entertainment (27.8%, about 14.3 billion yen), systems and semiconductors (10.8%, near 6 billion yen), and other sectors. Despite strategic efforts to concentrate on primary business areas, mounting debts prompted a significant capital injection from CSK Corporation in 1997.

During the mid-1990s, ASCII acquired Something Good and rebranded it as ASCII Something Good, which developed three titles for the Sega Saturn: AI Shogi (1995), AI Igo (1997), and AI Shogi 2 (1998).

Initially employing Nexoft for early releases in the United States market, ASCII rebranded this division as ASCII Entertainment in 1991; some products were also released under the Asciiware label. To better target the American interactive entertainment sector, a spin-off named Agetec ("Ascii Game Entertainment Technology") was established in 1998 and became fully independent by 1999. Co-founder Tsukamoto left ASCII in 1992 to found Impress.

2000–2008: Changes in Ownership and Company Dissolution

On November 26, 2001, CSK Corporation and Unison Capital Partners L.P. agreed to transfer control of their subsidiary ASCII to Unison, with the transition set for March 30, 2002. This move was part of CSK's strategic shift toward concentrating on B2B operations. The transaction was officially completed on December 21, 2001. As a condition of the agreement, ASCII’s outstanding debt owed to CSK was canceled. Following the acquisition by Unison, the Enterbrain and IT publishing divisions maintained their independence while ASCII underwent restructuring to prioritize PC and IT-related publishing activities.

Unison Media Partners declared on May 28, 2002, that ASCII had become a wholly owned subsidiary through a share exchange and planned its delisting effective October 1, 2002. Subsequently, on November 18, 2002, the subsidiary Astroarts was rebranded as ASCII and assumed responsibility for the original ASCII’s publishing operations; concurrently, the initial ASCII entity adopted the new name MediaLeaves. On January 29, 2004, Unison disclosed the sale of MediaLeaves to Kadokawa Group Holdings, a deal finalized by March of that year.

On September 27, 2007, Kadokawa Group Holdings announced the integration of its subsidiaries MediaWorks and ASCII into a new entity named ASCII Media Works, effective April 1, 2008; this consolidation received formal approval within that year. Ultimately, on January 10, 2010, MediaLeaves (the former ASCII) merged into Enterbrain, marking the end of the last surviving ASCII company.

MSX

MSX refers to a standardized home computer architecture jointly introduced by Microsoft and ASCII on June 16, 1983. The concept was developed and promoted by Kazuhiko Nishi, who served as vice-president at Microsoft Japan and director at ASCII Corporation at the time. The goal was to establish a common standard among various home computer manufacturers. MSX hardware gained significant traction in Japan and several other nations, with sales reaching around five million units domestically. Despite Microsoft's involvement in its creation, MSX machines were rarely launched in the United States market. Before Nintendo's Family Computer achieved widespread success, MSX served as a key platform for prominent Japanese game developers such as Konami and Hudson Soft. Notably, the Metal Gear series was originally designed for MSX systems.

See also

External links

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