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Artoon

From Alfawiki
Artoon Co., Ltd.
Company typeSubsidiary (former)
IndustryVideo games
FoundedAugust 27, 1999; 27 years ago (1999-08-27) in Japan
FounderNaoto Ohshima, Yoji Ishii
Defunct2010 (2010)
FateMerged into AQ Interactive
SuccessorArzest (by former members)
Headquarters
Yokohama, Kanagawa
,
Japan
Area served
Primarily American market, Japan
Key people
Yoji Ishii (President and CEO at AQ Interactive after acquisition)
ProductsVideo games for Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo platforms
OwnerAQ Interactive (from May 2004)
Number of employees
Approximately 85 (Unknown)
ParentAQ Interactive (from May 2004)

Artoon Co., Ltd. (株式会社アートゥーン Kabushiki-Gaisha Ātūn) was a Japanese video game developer established in 1999 by ex-Sega personnel Naoto Ohshima and Yoji Ishii. The company is chiefly recognized for its work on Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms targeting the American market, while also partnering with Hudson Soft and Nintendo across multiple gaming systems.

Headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, with an additional branch in Naha, Okinawa, Artoon became a subsidiary of AQ Interactive in May 2004, followed by full acquisition by June 2005. Around 2010, it was merged into AQ alongside other studios such as Feelplus and Cavia.

Foundation and initial phase (1999–2004)

On August 27, 1999, former Sega employees Yoji Ishii and Naoto Ohshima founded Artoon, attracting several other ex-Sega developers including Manabu Kusunoki, Hidetoshi Takeshita, Yutaka Sugano, Masamichi Harada, and Takuya Matsumoto. Many team members had backgrounds with Sonic Team or contributed to the Panzer Dragoon series at Team Andromeda. The company's name is inspired by the word "cartoon." Artoon operated with approximately 85 staff members. Its first released game was Pinobee: Wings of Adventure, published by Hudson Soft in 2001.

When Microsoft introduced the Xbox in Japan in February 2002, Artoon was selected among Japanese developers to assist in localizing titles to support market entry. This collaboration led to the creation of Blinx: The Time Sweeper, which launched in Japan on December 12, 2002.

Acquisition by AQ Interactive and subsequent developments (2004–2010)

In May 2004, Artoon was acquired by publisher AQ Interactive, initially becoming a subsidiary and fully integrated by June 2005 along with studios Feelplus and Cavia. Following this transition, co-founder Ishii assumed the role of President and CEO at AQ. Several of Artoon's later projects were released under AQ's banner in Japan.

Artoon played a significant role in developing Blue Dragon for the Xbox 360, collaborating closely with Hironobu Sakaguchi's company Mistwalker. The studio also renewed its partnership with Nintendo for the title Yoshi's Island DS.

During its later period, Artoon worked alongside Sony Computer Entertainment on Echoshift and collaborated with Disney Interactive Studios on Club Penguin: Game Day!

In June 2010, Yoji Ishii resigned from AQ Interactive. Around this time, Artoon along with Feelplus and Cavia were absorbed into AQ's operations. The studio’s final release was FlingSmash in 2010.

After Artoon's closure, Ohshima, Ishii, and other former team members established a new development company named Arzest, operating from Artoon's previous location.

Games developed

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Year Title Publisher(s) Platform(s)
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|| Pinobee: Wings of Adventure || rowspan="2"| Hudson Soft || Game Boy Advance, PlayStation
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|| The King of Fighters EX: Neo-Blood || Game Boy Advance
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|| Ghost Vibration || Eidos Japan
Infogrames Europe || PlayStation 2
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|| Pinobee and Phoebee || Hudson Soft || rowspan="2"| Game Boy Advance
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|| Ghost Trap || Eidos Interactive
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|| Blinx: The Time Sweeper || rowspan="2"| Microsoft Game Studios || rowspan="2"| Xbox
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|| Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space
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|| Yoshi Topsy-Turvy || Nintendo || Game Boy Advance
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|| Swords of Destiny || Marvelous Entertainment || PlayStation 2
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|| Blue Dragon || Microsoft Game Studios || Xbox 360
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|| Vampire Rain || AQ Interactive || Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
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|| Yoshi's Island DS || Nintendo || Nintendo DS
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|| The World of Golden Eggs: Nori Nori Rhythm-kei || rowspan="3"| AQ Interactive || Wii
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|| Away: Shuffle Dungeon || rowspan="2"| Nintendo DS
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|| The World of Golden Eggs: Nori Nori Uta Dekichatte Kei
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|| Echoshift || Sony Interactive Entertainment || PlayStation Portable
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|| Club Penguin: Game Day! || Disney Interactive Studios || rowspan="3"| Wii

||FlingSmash|| rowspan="2" | Nintendo ||

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||The Last Story||


See also

References

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