Nintendo is a worldwide video game corporation headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It creates, publishes, and sells video games and video game consoles. Fusajiro Yamauchi, a craftsman, created Nintendo in 1889 as Nintendo Karuta and initially produced handcrafted "hanafuda" playing cards. After diversifying its operations in the 1960s and obtaining legal standing as a public corporation, Nintendo released its first system, the Color TV Game, in 1977. With the debut of Donkey Kong in 1981 and the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Mario Bros. in 1985, it garnered international popularity.

Since then, Nintendo has manufactured some of the most successful video game consoles, including the Game Boy, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo DS, Wii, and Switch. Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Kirby, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Star Fox, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Super Smash Bros are just a few of the famous franchises it has developed. Mario, Nintendo's mascot, is well-known around the world. As of March 2023, the firm had sold over 5.592 billion video games and over 882.6 million hardware units worldwide, including Color TV-Game and Game & Watch sales.

Founded: 1889
Founder: Fusajiro Yamauchi
Most Famous Games: The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario Kart 8, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros: Ultimate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nintendo_jp/
Website: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/

Square Enix ranks second on the list of the best Japanese gaming companies. Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational holding company that also operates as a production firm and an entertainment conglomerate. It publishes a variety of RPG franchises, including Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Star Ocean, and Kingdom Hearts. Aside from video game publishing and production, it also sells products, operates arcades, and publishes manga under the Gangan Comics brand.

Square Enix's main focus is video gaming, and the company is best recognized for its role-playing video game brands. The Final Fantasy franchise, which began in 1987, is the most successful, with total worldwide sales of over 173 million units as of March 2022. The Dragon Quest franchise, which began in 1986, is also the best-selling; it is considered one of the most popular game series in Japan, and new editions consistently outsell other games at the time of their release, with a total worldwide sales of over 85 million units. In addition to impressive revenue figures, numerous Square Enix games have received positive reviews; 27 Square Enix games were listed in Famitsu magazine's 2006 "Top 100 Games Ever," with 7 ranking in the top 10 and Final Fantasy X ranking first.

Founded: 2003
Founder: Yasuhiro Fukushima
Most Famous Games: Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Quest XI, Kingdom Hearts III, Nier Automata
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SquareEnix/
Website: https://www.square-enix.com/

Capcom is another famous company on the list of the best Japanese gaming companies. This company began as a manufacturer and distributor of electronic game equipment in Japan in 1979. Capcom Co., Ltd. was founded in 1983 and quickly established a reputation for providing cutting-edge technology and software to the video game market. Capcom's history of classic franchises in home and arcade gaming is testament to an unequaled commitment to quality in the video game industry.

Capcom launched the Street Fighter series in 1987. The fighting game series is one of the most popular in its genre. It is one of Capcom's signature titles, having sold nearly 50 million copies. In 1987, the business also released the Mega Man series, which has sold around 40 million copies. In 1996, the firm launched the first installment in its Resident Evil survival horror series, which went on to become its most popular game series, selling over 130 million copies. Although the firm frequently relies on established franchises, it has also published and created various products based on original intellectual property for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii, including Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Dead Rising, Dragon's Dogma, Asura's Wrath, and Zack and Wiki.

Founded: 1979
Founder: Kenzo Tsujimoto
Most Famous Games: Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter 2, Monster Hunter: Worlds, MegaMan X, Devil May Cry
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capcomusa/
Website: https://www.capcom.com/

FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing firm based in Tokyo. Naotoshi Zin founded the company in November 1986, initially developing business software until publishing their first video game, King's Field, for the PlayStation in 1994. With its success, FromSoftware moved its focus entirely to video games, developing two more King's Field games before launching the mecha battle series Armored Core (1997), one of their trademark franchises.

By the 2000s, FromSoftware's portfolio had expanded to include the Echo Night, Shadow Tower, Lost Kingdoms, Otogi, and Another Century's Episode series. Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), the latter being the first chapter in a trilogy whose success led to the formation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslikes, would propel the studio to breakout success in the 2010s. These include Bloodborne (2015), Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019), and Elden Ring (2022), all of which are frequently ranked among the best video games of all time.

Founded: 1986
Founder: Naotoshi Zin
Most Famous Games: Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Metal Wolf Chaos
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromsoftware/
Website: https://www.fromsoftware.jp/ww/

Konami Group Corporation is a Japanese multinational video gaming and entertainment corporation based in Tokyo. Trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets are also produced and distributed by the corporation. Konami offers health and fitness facilities throughout Japan and has casinos all over the world. Konami's arcade game popularity began in the early 1980s with Scramble (1981), followed by hits such as Frogger (1981), Super Cobra (1981), Time Pilot (1982), Roc'n Rope (1983), Track & Field (1983), and Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985).

Konami began as a jukebox rental company before becoming synonymous with the famed Konami Code. A far cry from the humorous yet sharply philosophical Metal Gear (which was the early birth of the stealth genre as well as breaching the fourth wall so brutally it could never be repaired) and Silent Hill, proving that games, too, can tackle mature subjects and psychological terror. Their amazing production dates back to the early console days with Castlevania, a franchise that helped pioneer the Metroidvania genre. The Konami rabbit hole is a wonderful one for any gamer to explore.

Founded: 1969
Founder: Kagemasa Kzuki
Most Famous Games: Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania: Symphony of The Night, Silent Hill 2, Bomberman, Contra III
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konami/
Website: https://www.konami.com/en/

Atlus is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, arcade maker, and distributor. The firm is well known for video game franchises such as Megami Tensei, Persona, Etrian Odyssey, and Trauma Center, as well as Print Club (Purikura) arcade machines. It is a subsidiary of Sega. Jack Frost, a snowman-like figure from their Shin Megami Tensei series, serves as its corporate mascot. Aside from video games, the company is well-known for its Purikura arcade machines, which are popular in East Asia as selfie photo sticker booths.

Altus was founded in April 1986 and spent its early years as a video game developer for other firms. It formed its own video game publisher in 1989 and continued to exist until October 2010, when it was absorbed by Index Corporation. Following the breakup, the name Atlus was utilized by Index Corporation for video game publishing until 2013, when it was purchased by Sega and relaunched as a company, first under the name Sega Dream Corporation.

Founded: 1986

Founder: N/A

Most Famous Games: Persona 4, Persona 5, Shin Megami Tensei V, Catherine, Etrian Odyssey IV

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atlus_west/

Website: https://atlus.com/

Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. is a Japanese multinational video game publisher based in Tokyo's Minato-ku neighborhood. This company ranks 8th on the list of the best Japanese gaming companies. Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Europe are its foreign subsidiaries, with headquarters in Irvine, California, and Lyon, France, respectively. It is a completely owned subsidiary of the entertainment company Bandai Namco Holdings.

Bandai once ruled the arcades with their iconoclastic output and is responsible for one of the most instantly recognizable sounds in video game history, as well as directly inspiring the 1982 hit song and seminal anthem Pac-Man Fever. They have since gone on to cultivate a diverse yet always appealing catalog of games, ranging from fantasy to fighting games. The key to Bandai's success appears to be diversity: from DragonBall's dangerously high power levels to the crazily political sky thriller Ace Combat, they have maintained a heritage of high-quality, long-running series and a large licensed catalog, which is great news for many anime fans.

Founded: 2006
Founder: Masaya Nakamura
Most Famous Games: Tekken 7, Soul Calibur V, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Klonoa, Pac-Man
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bandainamcous/
Website: https://www.bandainamcoent.com/

PlatinumGames Inc. is a Japanese video game company that was formed in October 2007 by the combination of two firms, Seeds Inc. and Odd Inc. Seeds Inc. was formed by Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya following the closure of Capcom's Clover Studio, while Odd Inc. was founded by Tatsuya Minami. Sega stated a year after the studio's inception that it would publish four of the company's intellectual properties: MadWorld, Infinite Space, Bayonetta, and Vanquish.

Platinum, which sprung from the ashes of the venerable Clover Studios, opened its doors in 2007 and rapidly made a name for itself with the groundbreaking action series Bayonetta, in which players may take on God himself while wearing gun-addled high heels. The company has since made it their mission to push spectacle and flair to new levels with both original works and partnerships with large businesses like Nintendo and SEGA, spearheaded by the undisputed king of badass and bona fide oddball Hideki Kamiya.

Founded: 2007
Founder: Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, Hideki Kamiya, Tatsuya Minami
Most Famous Games: Nier Automata, Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Astral Chain, The Wonderful 101
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platinumgames_official/
Website: https://www.platinumgames.com/

Koei Tecmo Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game, amusement, and animation holding corporation formed in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns various firms, the most important of which is its flagship game developer and publisher, Koei Tecmo Games, which was formed in 1978 as Koei. Koei Europe was the first subsidiary to change its name to Tecmo Koei Europe, Ltd. and produce video games under the new name.

Koei, which has a convoluted historical genealogy with the now-defunct company Tecmo, has been releasing great Japanese titles in a wide range of styles and genres since its inception. They specialize in high-quality action and power fantasy delivered with classic Japanese flair, from the violent limb-lopping action of Ninja Gaiden to the huge "It's Lu Bu!" battlefields of Dynasty Warriors. Koei Tecmo has recently worked with significant licenses like Zelda, Persona, and even Final Fantasy, implying that there is something for practically any game fan.

Founded: 2009
Founder: Yoichi Erikawa
Most Famous Games: Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Nioh 2, Dead or Alive, Dynasty Warriors 8, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koeitecmous/
Website: https://www.koeitecmo.co.jp/e/

Arc System Works, or ArcSys, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher based in Yokohama. Minoru Kidooka founded the firm in 1988, and it is most known for its 2D fighting game titles such as Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, as well as license-based fighting games for Dragon Ball, Persona 4 Arena (Ultimax), Granblue Fantasy Versus (Rising), and others. Executor for the PlayStation was their first title, released in 1995.

After years of remarkable licensing work, including handling Sailor Moon, they are now known for their distinct and highly regarded combat games. With a collection that demonstrates both extreme flair and depth, they have built their original goods into competitive mainstays throughout the years. Fighting aficionados adore their games for their distinct and eye-catching anime style, as well as their forward-thinking approach to attracting newcomers. They are one of the few studios that had numerous titles premiere at the popular esports event, Evo.

Founded: 1988

Founder: Minoru Kidooka

Most Famous Games: Dragon Ball Fighter Z, Guilty Gear: Strive, BlazBlue: CrossTag Battle, Granblue Fantasy Versus, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcsystemworksu/

Website: https://www.arcsystemworks.com/