Native name
|
株式会社カプコン |
---|---|
Romanized name
|
Kabushiki-gaisha Kapukon |
Public | |
Traded as | : |
Industry | Video games, entertainment |
Founded | May 30, 1979 (as I.R.M Corporation) June 11, 1983 (as Capcom) |
Headquarters | Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan |
Key people
|
Kenzo Tsujimoto (Chairman and CEO) Haruhiro Tsujimoto (President and COO) |
Products | Complete list of games |
Revenue | ¥25.9 billion / US$239.6 million (2014) |
¥2.9 billion / US$26.8 million (2014) | |
Number of employees
|
2,601 (2014) |
Subsidiaries | Capcom Vancouver |
Website | www |
Capcom Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 株式会社カプコン Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Kapukon?), or Capcom, is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Mega Man, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Ace Attorney, and Monster Hunter, as well as games based on the Disney animated properties. Originally established in 1979, it has since become an international enterprise with subsidiaries in North America, Europe, and East Asia.
Capcom's first predecessor, I.R.M Corporation, was founded on May 30, 1979 by Kenzo Tsujimoto. Tsujimoto named I.R.M after his other company Irem Corporation which he founded earlier in 1974 and remained with until 1983.
The original companies that spawned Capcom's Japanese branch were I.R.M as well as its subsidiary Japan Capsule Computers Co., Ltd., both of which were devoted to the manufacturing and distribution of electronic game machines. The two companies underwent a name change to Sambi Co., Ltd. in September 1981, while Capcom Co., Ltd. was first established on June 11, 1983 by Kenzo Tsujimoto, for the purpose of taking over the internal sales department.
In January 1989, the old affiliate company Capcom Co., Ltd. merged with Sambi Co., Ltd., resulting in the current Japanese branch. The name Capcom is a clipped compound of "Capsule Computers", a term coined by the company to describe the arcade machines it solely manufactured in its early years, designed to set themselves apart from personal computers that were becoming widespread at that time. The word capsule alludes to how Capcom likened its game software to "a capsule packed to the brim with gaming fun", as well as to the company's desire to protect its intellectual property with a hard outer shell, preventing illegal copies and inferior imitations.