Hudson Soft

Hudson Soft
	File:Hudson Soft logo.svg Hudson Soft logo
Company type	Subsidiary (formerly)
Industry	Video games
Founded	May 18, 1973; 53 years ago in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Japan
Founder	Yuji Kudo, Hiroshi Kudo
Defunct	March 1, 2012
Fate	Merged into Konami Digital Entertainment
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Bomberman, Adventure Island, Star Soldier, Bonk, Bloody Roar, Mario Party (development)
Owner	Konami (from 2005 majority stake; full ownership from 2011)
Parent	Konami Digital Entertainment (from 2011)

was a Japanese company specializing in video game development, recognized for a wide range of titles across video game consoles, personal computers, and mobile devices. Its headquarters were located in Midtown Tower, Tokyo, with an additional branch situated in the Hudson Building, Sapporo. Established on May 18, 1973, Hudson initially concentrated on personal computer products before broadening its scope to include video game creation, publishing, hardware accessories, and music production.

The firm gained prominence through popular series such as Bomberman, Adventure Island, Star Soldier, Bonk, and Bloody Roar. Beyond its own titles, Hudson also developed games for other companies, most notably contributing to the Mario Party franchise for Nintendo. Collaborating with NEC, Hudson co-developed the TurboGrafx-16, TurboExpress, and PC-FX consoles. These products competed with offerings from Nintendo, Sega, SNK, Atari, Philips, and Sony, while Hudson continued producing games independently as a third-party developer.

Hudson Soft entered the public stock market in 2000. In 2005, Konami acquired a majority stake of 55%, eventually completing full ownership on April 1, 2011. Subsequently, on March 1, 2012, Hudson merged into Konami Digital Entertainment, which now manages its extensive game library and periodically reissues classic Hudson titles.

History

Hudson Soft Ltd. was established in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Japan on May 18, 1973, by brothers Yuji and Hiroshi Kudo. The company’s name was inspired by their admiration for Hudson locomotives, while its mascot—a bee named Hachisuke—drew influence from the Hudson Hornet automobile.

Originally operating under the name CQ Hudson, the company functioned as an amateur radio shop selling telecommunications equipment and artistic photographs. Although Yuji Kudo initially intended to open a café, he pivoted to wireless radio sales due to local competition. Despite their university education, neither founder had formal training in business management, which contributed to frequent financial setbacks during this early phase.

By September 1975, Hudson expanded into the personal computer market and began producing video game software packages by March 1978. This shift mirrored a broader trend where amateur radio retailers transitioned toward personal computer sales because of overlapping electronic components. CQ Hudson remained active until it was shut down in May 2001.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Hudson emphasized volume over refinement, releasing as many as 30 software titles monthly but failing to achieve significant commercial success. This approach changed in late 1983 when the company prioritized quality and became Nintendo’s first third-party developer for the Family Computer. Their 1984 release of Lode Runner achieved sales of 1.2 million copies.

Hudson created games not only for Famicom but also for computer platforms such as the MSX, NEC PC-8801, and ZX Spectrum. The launch of Bomberman in December 1983 marked a major milestone for the company.

In July 1987, Hudson developed the "C62 System" and collaborated with NEC to produce the PC Engine console, which ranked second in popularity behind Famicom within Japan. However, its North American counterpart—the TurboGrafx-16—faced stiff competition from Nintendo’s Super NES and Sega’s Genesis consoles. By 1990, Hudson was creating software across various platforms. In 1994, they independently engineered the 32-bit semiconductor chip "HuC62" utilized in NEC’s PC-FX console.

In 2004, Hudson formed a joint venture with Flying Tiger Entertainment to develop 25 titles.

The company's headquarters moved to Tokyo in 2005 while maintaining a secondary office in Sapporo.

Beginning in the mid-2000s, Hudson experienced departures of key staff members: co-founder Hiroshi Kudo left in November 2004 following financial difficulties; Shinichi Nakamoto—the creator of the Bomberman series—exited in 2006; and veteran developer Takahashi Meijin resigned in May 2011 after nearly thirty years with the firm. Around 2010–2011, numerous employees transitioned to Nintendo’s NDcube subsidiary under former Hudson president Hidetoshi Endo.

Collaboration with Konami

Hudson Soft's association with Konami began in 1985 when Hudson adapted Konami's arcade title Pooyan for the MSX and Famicom platforms. The path toward acquisition started in 2001 after Hudson faced financial difficulties following the failure of its primary banking partner, Hokkaido Takushoku. To raise capital, Hudson went public in December 2000 by listing on the NASDAQ Japan Exchange. Subsequently, in August 2001, Konami acquired 5.6 million shares, becoming Hudson's largest shareholder. Hudson also took over Konami Computer Entertainment Studio's Sapporo branch, which was rebranded as Hudson Studio.

In April 2005, Konami expanded its ownership to 53.99%, thus becoming the majority shareholder and parent company of Hudson. While Hudson continued developing and publishing games, Konami handled their distribution within Japan.

On April 1, 2011, Hudson became a fully owned subsidiary of Konami; its American branch, Hudson Entertainment, was dissolved. Later, on March 1, 2012, Hudson merged into Konami Digital Entertainment, with its music division integrated into KME Corporation. This strategic merger unified operations under the Konami umbrella.

Although Hudson Soft ceased to exist as an independent company, Konami intended to maintain product development under the Hudson brand and initially kept the Hudson website active. However, by early 2014, the website was discontinued. The former Hudson headquarters in Sapporo functioned as a Konami office until its closure in 2014; the property was subsequently sold in 2015.

Caravan tournaments

Between 1985 and 2000, Hudson Soft organized the annual "Hudson All-Japan Caravan Festival," a nationwide gaming contest held throughout Japan. The early competitions (1985–1992, excluding 1988) predominantly showcased shoot 'em ups, highlighting Hudson’s dominance in this genre during that period. In later years, the focus shifted toward more accessible games, with the well-known Bomberman series becoming a central feature.

The initial shoot 'em up titles included built-in practice modes lasting two and five minutes to aid participants in preparation.

1985 – The summer competition series debuted with Star Force on Famicom.
1986 – Star Soldier for Famicom was featured as the second title.
1987 – Starship Hector (also known as Hector '87) was the final Famicom game before moving to PC Engine platforms. These first three titles were later compiled into collections for Super Famicom and Game Boy Advance.
1988 – Power League (rebranded as World Class Baseball in North America) marked the first PC Engine competition game and stood out as a sports title amidst predominantly shooter-focused contests.
1989 – Gunhed (known as Blazing Lazers) for PC Engine was released with limited-edition cartridges that have become rare collector’s items.
1990 – Super Star Soldier
1991 – Final Soldier
1992 – Soldier Blade, which concluded the popular Caravan competition era before transitioning toward more casual games like Bomberman. The PC Engine titles from 1990 to 1992 were later reissued as the PC Engine Best Collection – Soldier Collection for PSP.

Hudson Studio

Located in Sapporo, Hudson Studio was initially a division of Konami Computer Entertainment Studio before being acquired by Hudson on July 26, 2001.

Hudson Soft USA

Hudson Soft established its initial North American publishing branch in 1988, with its first office located in South San Francisco, California. The division's early titles featured Adventure Island, Milon's Secret Castle, Bomberman, and Starship Hector for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Towards the end of 1995, Hudson Soft USA transferred the rights of all unreleased projects to Acclaim Entertainment, subsequently relocating its headquarters to Seattle, Washington. The company ceased operations before the close of that year.

Hudson Soft Europe

Hudson Soft Europe GmbH was founded on July 25, 1991, with its base in Hamburg, Germany.

Hudson Entertainment, Inc.

In November 2003, Hudson Soft revived its North American publishing presence through a new division named Hudson Entertainment, Inc., led by John Brandstetter of Flying Tiger. Initially situated in Brea, California, the company later moved to San Mateo, California. This entity managed both mobile and console gaming sectors.

On July 23, 2003, Hudson Soft introduced GameMaster, a mobile Java gaming service developed by Flying Tiger for AT&T's mMode and NTT DoCoMo platforms, which officially launched on July 28, 2003.

Hudson Entertainment terminated its operations on March 31, 2011, following the acquisition of its parent company by Konami.

Hudson Music Entertainment

Hudson Soft’s music label was integrated into KME Corporation—the music division of Konami Digital Entertainment—on March 1, 2012.

Video game releases

Hudson Soft is recognized for creating prominent franchises such as Bomberman, Bonk, Star Soldier, and Adventure Island.

In Japan, the company produced the well-received RPG series Far East of Eden, set against a fictionalized feudal Japanese backdrop. This series progressed to a fourth main installment prior to Hudson’s merger with Konami. Its second title is especially notable, ranking 12th on Famitsu’s list of top Japanese games. Additionally, Hudson developed the enduring Momotaro Dentetsu franchise—a board game-style series centered around business dealings—with 16 entries released exclusively in Japan. Before its absorption into Konami, Hudson reissued classic games like Adventure Island, Star Soldier, and Lode Runner for the GameCube market in Japan.

The company also collaborated with other firms on various projects; most prominently, it was responsible for developing the first eight console versions and two handheld spin-offs of Nintendo's Mario Party series. After Konami acquired Hudson, development responsibilities for this series transitioned to Nintendo’s subsidiary NDcube, which comprises many former Hudson staff members. Furthermore, Hudson developed Fuzion Frenzy 2 for Microsoft’s Xbox 360, released in January 2007. Notably, unlike previous Nintendo-published titles, Bomberman 64: The Second Attack was published by Vatical Entertainment.

External links

Archived official site