Jaleco Explained

Jaleco
Type:Subsidiary
Fate:Dissolved
Founder:Yoshiaki Kanazawa
Location:Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Isin:-0031
Industry:Video game
Products:Video games
Arcade cabinets
Aquarium equipment
Divisions:Jaleco USA
JAQNO

was a corporate brand name that was used by two previously connected video game developers and publishers based in Japan. The original Jaleco company was founded in 1974 as Japan Leisure Company, founded by Yoshiaki Kanazawa, before being renamed to simply Jaleco in the early 1980s. This company was later acquired in 2000 by PCCW, who rebranded it as their Japanese game division, PCCW Japan, before reverting it to Jaleco in 2002. In 2006, Jaleco became independent from PCCW and renamed to Jaleco Holding, having their video game operations spun off into a new company, also called Jaleco. This new spin-off company was sold to mobile developer Game Yarou in 2009, with Jaleco Holding renaming itself to Encom Holdings shortly after.

Jaleco is known for its arcade and home console video games produced in the 1980s and early 1990s, including City Connection, Bases Loaded, Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, Exerion, Idol Janshi Suchie-Pai and Rushing Beat. Jaleco also produced arcade cabinets for other game developers, alongside redemption arcade games and UFO catcher claw machines. In the past, the company produced amusement park equipment and aquarium parts, under their JAQNO brand name. Their North American division, Jaleco USA, published a number of titles for the NES and SNES, including Maniac Mansion, Pinball Quest and R-Type III.

In 2014, Jaleco's parent company Game Yarou filed for bankruptcy, causing Jaleco to vanish from the video game industry. The company's video game assets would be purchased by City Connection, an indie Japanese studio that continues to use their games for other side projects and licensing deals (the company itself being named after one of Jaleco's games). The original Jaleco company, Encom Holdings, quit the video game business in 2009, citing stiff competition in the industry, instead dealing in real estate. Encom dissolved in 2013, and was delisted from the JASDAQ that same year.

History

Jaleco was founded by Japanese businessman Yoshiaki Kanazawa on October 3, 1974. They were originally known as the, producing equipment for both amusement parks and arcade centers across Japan. The company was originally based out of Setagaya-ku, Tokyo.

Japan Leisure began production of arcade video games by 1982, and changed their corporate name to Jaleco, taking the first two letters of each word of "Japan Leisure Co.", in March 1983. Jaleco began production of home console video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan. Towards the mid-1980s, Jaleco would begin production of equipment for aquarium tanks, which were released under their JAQNO brand name. A North American office, Jaleco USA, operated in Northbrook, Illinois.[1] This division sometimes published other third-party video games for both the NES and SNES consoles, notably Maniac Mansion and R-Type III, alongside distribution of Jaleco video games in the United States.[2] [3]

By 2000, Jaleco was struggling financially, being unable to produce a hit video game in several years. To keep the company afloat, Jaleco was acquired by Hong Kong-based company PCCW on November 1, 2000, where they became the Japanese division of the company, renamed to PCCW Japan.[4] Heavy company restructuring was performing, with Jaleco's arcade division shuttering in April 2001[5] while retaining their home console video game division. In April 2001, PCCW Japan purchased the VR-1 Group, the holder of North American MMO developer VR-1 Entertainment, in order to have their operations expand globally. In October 2002, PCCW Japan merged Jaleco USA and VR-1 Entertainment into a new company, Jaleco Entertainment, relocating to Buffalo, New York. PCCW Japan was renamed back to Jaleco in 2004. They would continue to operate for several years as a subsidiary of PCCW, producing video games for home consoles and Japanese mobile phones, alongside soundtrack albums and applications for web browsers.

In August 2005, PCCW sold off Jaleco to Sandringham Fund SPC, alongside the subsidiary company Hyperlink Investments Group. On May 31, 2006, Jaleco's board of directors announced that the company would be renamed to Jaleco Holding and become an holding company effective on July 3. On that same date, the video game operations would spun-off into a new company known as Jaleco, which would become a subsidiary of Jaleco Holding.[6] The corporate restructure was done to reflect the company's diversified portfolio which no longer limited to video games and included activities such as real estate and financial services.[7] In October 2007, Hyperlink Investments Group sold its stock in Jaleco Holding to Game Yarou, a Japanese mobile phone developer, and two South Korean corporations, STIC Pioneer Fund and A2i. Jaleco Holdings dissolved two subsidiary companies, FFBC Investment and J Consulting, in early 2008. Jaleco's North American division, Jaleco Entertainment, closed their doors later that year.

On January 15, 2009, Jaleco Holding sold off Jaleco to Game Yarou for a total of ¥1 (US$0.01); however, Game Yarou soon assumed ¥700,000,000 ($7.736 million) of Jaleco Holding's ¥16,000,000,000 ($17.68 million) loan.[8] A spokesperson for Jaleco Holding cited "increasing competition in recent years in the video game market" as the reason for the company's retirement in the industry, which was proving to be difficult for the company to stay afloat.[9] Under ownership from Game Yarou, Jaleco produced video games for Japanese mobile phones and web browsers, alongside licensing many of their older video games to third-party developers for use in other projects. On March 2, 2009, Jaleco announced that it would release a video game for the Wii, Ougon no Kizuna, on May 28 of that year.[10]

By 2012, Game Yarou was in a financial crisis due to high debt and poor sales of their mobile titles – they were officially declared bankrupt by the Tokyo District Court on May 21, 2014. Jaleco would soon vanish from the video game industry, with their video games being acquired later that year by Japanese company City Connection, formerly known as Clarice Disk. The company continues to use Jaleco video games for a number of projects, alongside licensing them out to other developers for use in other products. Jaleco Holding renamed itself to Encom Holdings in April 2009, focusing on real estate and finance business in Japan and no longer being involved with video games. Encom Holdings dissolved on May 13, 2013, and was delisted from the JASDAQ that same day, due to poor reputation and loss of income.

Legacy

Games

Arcade

PC

MSX

NES/Famicom

Super NES/Super Famicom

GameCube

Wii

Game Boy

Game Boy Color

Game Boy Advance

Nintendo DS

PlayStation

PlayStation 2

Xbox

Sega Saturn

Sega Dreamcast

WonderSwan

3DO

Mobile

Prototypes/cancelled games

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.nintendoplayer.com/features/protos/neslicenseeaddressbook.txt
  2. Web site: NES Games . Nintendo of America . August 9, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140611225644/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/nes_games.pdf . June 11, 2014 .
  3. Web site: Super NES Games . Nintendo of America . April 12, 2023 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140611225644/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf . June 11, 2014 .
  4. Web site: PCCW to take 81% stake in Jaleco . . News2u Holdings . November 26, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190517163444/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2000/08/11/business/pccw-to-take-81-stake-in-jaleco/ . May 17, 2019 . August 11, 2000.
  5. PCCWJ Leaves Coin-Op Biz. Game Machine. 655. Amusement Press, Inc.. 2002-04-01. 18. ja.
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20060904001613/http://www.jaleco.co.jp/ir/indeximege/20060531-2.pdf
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20060715205558/http://www.jaleco.co.jp/corporate/about.html
  8. Web site: Ashcraft . Brian . Yes, Yes, The Jaleco Name Lives On . . . November 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201128192113/https://kotaku.com/yes-yes-the-jaleco-name-lives-on-5183240 . November 28, 2020 . March 25, 2009.
  9. Web site: Jaleco Leaves Games Biz Due To 'Increasing Competition'. David Jenkins. Gamasutra. https://web.archive.org/web/20090124012656/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21930. January 24, 2009. dead.
  10. Web site: Anderson . John . Exclusive: Jaleco Not Closing, Preps Kizuna For Wii Release . . . November 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190909194526/https://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22804 . September 9, 2019 . March 23, 2009.
  11. Web site: JALECO License Catalog . 2023-11-19 . JALECO License Catalog . en.
  12. 15 October 1983. Best Hit Games 25. Game Machine. Amusement Press, Inc.. 222. 35. ja.
  13. Coin Ops . . 117 (November 1991) . 62–63 . 15 October 1991.

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