Nihon Falcom

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Nihon Falcom
Native name
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Nihon farukomu kabushiki kaisha
Company type
Public
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HeadquartersTachikawa, Japan
Key people
Toshihiro Kondo (president)
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Number of employees
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Websitewww.falcom.co.jp

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Script error: No such module "Nihongo". is a Japanese video game developer, best known for its Ys, The Legend of Heroes, and Trails series. They are credited with pioneering the action role-playing and Japanese role-playing game genres, as well as popularizing the use of personal computers in Japan.

History

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Company president Toshihiro Kondo in 2014

Nihon Falcom was founded by Masayuki Kato in 1981.[2] They are credited with laying the foundations for the action role-playing and Japanese role-playing game genres.[3][4][5] The word Falcom comes from the Millennium Falcon; the "n" was changed to an "m" to fit the naming trends of the time. The word Nihon, one of the native names of Japan, was added to make the name sound complete.[6]

Falcom's first role-playing game (RPG) was Panorama Toh, released for the PC-8801 in 1983 and created by Yoshio Kiya, who would go on to create the Dragon Slayer and Brandish franchises. While its RPG elements were limited, lacking traditional statistical or leveling systems, the game featured real-time combat with a gun, bringing it close to the action RPG formula that Falcom would later be known for. Set on a desert island, the game's overworld was presented as a hex grid and featured a day-night cycle. There were also indigenous non-player characters (NPCs) whom the player could attack, talk with, or give money for items, though NPCs could choose to run away with the money. To survive on the island, the player needed to find and consume rations, as every normal action consumed hit points. The island also had traps, which required calling NPCs for help. The player could also be bit by snakes that poison and paralyze the player, requiring medicine to heal or calling for help from NPCs.[7]

Falcom later went on to create its flagship franchises, including the Dragon Slayer, The Legend of Heroes and Ys series. The original Dragon Slayer set the template for the action role-playing genre.[8] Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu (1985) sold more than 400,000 copies,[9] making it the best-selling PC game up until that time.[10][failed verification]

While most of Falcom's games have been ported to various video game consoles of all generations, they have developed few non-PC video games themselves.[11] The company's decision to develop mainly for PCs set it apart from its main rivals, Enix and Square, but limited its popularity in the Western world and its growth potential in the 1990s.[4][12] By the early 2010s, the Ys series was second only to the Final Fantasy series as the largest Japanese role-playing game franchise in terms of the overall number of game releases.[13]

In 1991, Falcom co-founded a joint-venture with Sega named Script error: No such module "Nihongo". of which Sega owned 55% and Falcom 45%.[14] Its initial purpose was to develop CD-based games for Sega's consoles to help Sega recover its share of the 16-bit console market.[15] A series of news sections regarding Sega Falcom titled Script error: No such module "Nihongo". ran in Beep! MegaDrive from its November 1991 issue[16] to its February 1994 issue.[17] Games developed by the company include Popful Mail for the Mega-CD as well as Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu, Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes, and Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II for the Mega Drive. In 2007, Toshihiro Kondo became president of the company, succeeding founder Masayuki Kato.[18]

Falcom was also a pioneer in video game music, with its early soundtracks mostly composed by chiptune musicians Yuzo Koshiro and Mieko Ishikawa.[19][20][21][13]

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Toshihiro Kondo : « Que d'autres s'inspirent de nous, c'est quelque chose qui nous honore »" (in français). Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wen, Alan (October 6, 2019). "Hot on the Trails of Falcom, Japan's longest-running RPG developer". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Massey, Tom (February 9, 2014). "Chronicles of Ys: A Series Retrospective". eurogamer.net. Gamer Network.
  4. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Szczepaniak, John (July 7, 2011). "Falcom: Legacy of Ys". GamesTM (111): 153. (cf. Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Szczepaniak, John (July 8, 2011). "History of Ys interviews". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 6, 2011.)
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.John Harris (July 2, 2009). "Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs - Dragon Slayer". Gamasutra. p. 13. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yamashita, Akira. "Nihon Falcom – Ys Developer Interview". Shmuplations. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Derboo, Sam (June 2, 2013). "Dark Age of JRPGs (7): Panorama Toh ぱのらま島 - PC-88 (1983)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bailey, Kat (May 18, 2010). "Hack and Slash: What Makes a Good Action RPG?". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Xanadu Next home page" (in 日本語). Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2008. (Translation)
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hendricks, Fayyaad (December 22, 2011). "A complete history of role-playing videogames: Part 2". EL33TONLINE. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Massey, Tom (February 9, 2014). "Inside Ys: Nihon Falcom Interview". eurogamer.net. Gamer Network.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gifford, Kevin (September 7, 2011). "The Trail of Nihon Falcom: The president of Japan's oldest existing RPG maker speaks". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  13. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Szczepaniak, John (July 7, 2011). "Falcom: Legacy of Ys". GamesTM (111): 152–159 [154]. Retrieved September 8, 2011.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) (cf. Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Szczepaniak, John (July 8, 2011). "History of Ys interviews". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 8, 2011.)
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."セガ・ファルコム". MegaDrive Fan. Vol. 3, no. 11. Tokuma Shoten Intermedia. November 1991. p. 97.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sega in joint CD venture". New Computer Express. No. 147. Future Publishing. August 31, 1991. p. 8.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sega Falcom ACT 1". Beep! MegaDrive. Vol. 7, no. 11. SoftBank. November 1991. p. 54.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sega Falcom ACT.28". Beep! MegaDrive. Vol. 10, no. 2. SoftBank. February 1994. p. 73.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Q&A With Nihon Falcom's Toshihiro Kondo - Tech-Gaming". tech-gaming.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chris Greening & Don Kotowski (February 2011). "Interview with Yuzo Koshiro". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kalata, Kurt (February 2014). "Ys". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ryan Mattich. "Falcom Classics II". RPGFan. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2011.

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