Japanese video game development studio
Kemco Logo since 1999 |
| Company type | Brand of Kotobuki Solution Co., Ltd |
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| Industry | Video games |
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| Predecessor | Kotobuki System Co., Ltd. |
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| Founded | 1984; 40 years ago (1984) |
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| Headquarters | Kure, Hiroshima, Japan |
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Number of employees | 140[1] (2019) |
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| Website | kemco-games.com |
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Kemco (Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher established in 1984. It is headquartered in Kure, Hiroshima.[2][3]
Its best known franchises are the Kid Klown and Top Gear series, developed by Sheffield-based English developers Gremlin Graphics.[4]
History
Kemco was founded in 1984 as Kotobuki System Co., Ltd. to be the video game subsidiary of the multifaceted corporation Kotobuki Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (established in 1979).[5][6][7] The name represents the initial letters of Kotobuki Engineering Manufacturing Co.[5]
Kemco started by developing video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System.[5][7] Although technically called Kotobuki System until 2004, the company was already using the brand Kemco on its first game Dough Boy in 1985.[8]
From the late 1980s until the early 1990s, Kemco's video games were distributed in North America by Seika Corporation of Torrance, California, under the joint label of Kemco * Seika.[9]
In the 1990s, Kemco developed, ported, and published video games for several platforms including the NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy.[10] The company's first North American subsidiary, Kemco America, operated from October 2, 1991, to January 24, 2000.[11]
In 2001, Kemco USA was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kemco of Japan, especially targeting the American market.[7]
In 2004, Kotobuki's system development division split to become the company Kotobuki Solution Co., Ltd., keeping the Kemco video game brand in the spinoff.[5][3]
Since the 2010s, Kemco has been primarily known for its mobile games.[12] Kemco USA closed in 2007, but products continue to be released in North America through Kemco of Japan.[13][14]
