Difference between revisions of "Hitmaker"

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{{Company
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{{CompanyBob
 
| logo=Hitmaker Logo.svg
 
| logo=Hitmaker Logo.svg
 
| width=300
 
| width=300
| founded=2000
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| founded=2000-04-21{{fileref|IR EN 2003-07-30.pdf|page=3}}
| defunct=
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| defunct=2004-07-01{{fileref|IR EN 2004-05-18.pdf}}
| tseries=
 
| mergedwith=
 
| mergedinto=
 
 
| headquarters=Japan
 
| headquarters=Japan
 +
| prevdate=2000-04-21
 +
| prev=[[Sega Software R&D Dept. 3]]
 +
| nextdate=2004-07-01
 +
| next=[[Sega AM3 (2005-2008)|Sega AM3]]
 
}}
 
}}
'''Hitmaker''' is a former internal development studio owned by [[Sega]]. It was founded in 2000 largely on the remains of [[Sega AM3]].
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'''Hitmaker''' (ヒットメーカー) is a former internal development studio owned by [[Sega]]. It was founded in 2000 largely on the remains of '''Sega Software R&D Dept. 3''' (formerly [[Sega AM3]]), and was one of the ten that was spun off during the 2000 restructure.
  
AM3 was a dominant force within Sega throughout the 1990s, however had been very much arcade-orientated by design. With Hitmaker, this focus shifted more towards home consoles, but as the arcade section did not go away, this led to Hitmaker producing a large chunk of Sega games during the 2000-2004 period.
+
AM3 was a dominant force within Sega throughout the 1990s, however had been arcade-orientated by design. With Hitmaker, this focus shifted more towards home consoles, but as the arcade section did not go away, this led to Hitmaker producing a large proportion of Sega games during the 2000-2004 period.
  
Hitmaker even had their own record label, [[Hitmaker Records]], for a short period.
+
The biggest international successes for Hitmaker were ''[[Crazy Taxi]]'' and ''[[Virtua Tennis]]'', popular on their original arcade releases and subsequent [[Dreamcast]] ports. In Japan, however, the studio also changed the Japanese arcade landscape, with ''[[World Club Champion Football: Serie A 2001-2002]]'' and
 +
''[[The Key of Avalon: The Wizard Master]]''. These titles, alongside [[Sega AM2]]'s ''[[Virtua Fighter 4]]'' and [[Mirai R&D]]'s ''[[Mushiking: The King of Beetles]]'', popularised new features and dynamics with cards and internet usage.
  
==Softography==
+
In October 2003, [[Sega Rosso]] was merged back into the studio.{{fileref|IR EN 2003-07-30.pdf|page=3}}
{{multicol|
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===[[NAOMI]]===
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Hitmaker had their own record label, [[Hitmaker Records]], for a short period.
*''[[Confidential Mission]]'' (2000)
 
*''[[Crackin' DJ]]'' (2000)
 
*''[[Virtua Tennis 2]]'' (2001)
 
*''[[Crackin' DJ Part 2]]'' (2001)
 
*''[[The Maze of the Kings]]'' (2002)
 
  
===[[Dreamcast]]===
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==Company statistics==
*''[[Virtua Athlete 2K]]'' (2000)
+
*'''Capital:''' 140 million yen{{magref|dmjp|2000-26|37}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20010204235100/http://www.hitmaker.co.jp/home.html}}, 190 million yen{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20031003064800fw_/http://www.hitmaker.co.jp/site/company.html}}
*''[[Virtua Tennis]]'' (2000)
+
*'''Number of Employees:''' 124 (2000-03){{magref|dmjp|2000-26|37}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20010204235100/http://www.hitmaker.co.jp/home.html}}, 188{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20031003064800fw_/http://www.hitmaker.co.jp/site/company.html}}
*''[[Confidential Mission]]'' (2001)
 
*''[[Crazy Taxi 2]]'' (2001)
 
*''[[Segagaga]]'' (2001)
 
*''[[Virtua Tennis 2]]'' (2001)
 
  
===[[Hikaru]]===
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==Softography==
*''[[Air Trix]]'' (2001)
+
{{CompanyHistoryAll|Hitmaker|Hitmaker Div}}
*''[[Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Force]]'' (2001)
 
  
===[[GameCube]]===
 
*''[[Crazy Taxi]]'' (2001)
 
  
===[[PlayStation 2]]===
+
{{multicol|
*''[[Crazy Taxi]]'' (2001)
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===PC===
*''[[Virtua Tennis 2]]'' (2002)
+
* ''[[Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller]]'' (2004)
*''[[Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Marz]]'' (2003)
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* ''[[Derby Owners Club Online]]'' (2004)
  
===[[NAOMI 2]]===
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===Mobile===
*''[[World Club Champion Football: Serie A 2001-2002]]'' (2002)
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* ''[[Nakayoshi Techo]]'' (2000)
 +
* ''[[Virtua Tennis (N-Gage)|Virtua Tennis]]'' (2003)
 +
* ''[[Sega Rally Championship (N-Gage)|Sega Rally Championship]]'' (2004)
 +
* ''[[The Sumou Kokoro Waza Tai]]'' (2001)
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* ''[[Uchuujinda!]]'' (2001)
 +
|cols=2}}
  
===[[Xbox]]===
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==List of staff==
*''[[Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller]]'' (2002)
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{{StaffList|Hitmaker|employees=yes}}
  
===PC===
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==Magazine articles==
*''[[Virtua Tennis]]'' (2002)
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{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
*''[[Crazy Taxi]]'' (2002)
 
*''[[Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller]]'' (2004)
 
  
===[[Game Boy Advance]]===
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==Promotional material==
*''[[Virtua Tennis (Game Boy Advance)|Virtua Tennis]]'' (2002)
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<gallery>
*''[[Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride]]'' (2003)
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Hitmaker UK InfoSheet.pdf|UK info sheet
*''[[Astro Boy: Omega Factor]]'' (2003) (with [[Treasure]])
+
</gallery>
  
===[[Chihiro]]===
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==External links==
*''[[Crazy Taxi: High Roller]]'' (2003)
+
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20040629001328/http://www.hitmaker.co.jp/site/index.html Hitmaker Official websites (Internet Archive)]
 +
** [http://web.archive.org/web/20040610032406/http://www.hitmaker.co.jp/site/comphistory.html Production history of the Hitmaker]
  
===[[N-Gage]]===
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==References==
*''[[Virtua Tennis (N-Gage)|Virtua Tennis]]'' (2003)
+
<references />
*''[[Sega Rally Championship (N-Gage)|Sega Rally Championship]]'' (2004)
 
}}
 
  
==External links==
 
*[http://www.hitmaker.co.jp Hitmaker Official websites]
 
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
{{SegaDevs}}
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{{SoJ}}
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[[Category:Sega companies]]

Latest revision as of 20:14, 19 January 2024

https://segaretro.org/images/d/dd/Hitmaker_Logo.svg

Hitmaker Logo.svg
Hitmaker
Founded: 2000-04-21[1]
Defunct: 2004-07-01[2]
Headquarters:
Japan
2000-04-21
2004-07-01

Hitmaker (ヒットメーカー) is a former internal development studio owned by Sega. It was founded in 2000 largely on the remains of Sega Software R&D Dept. 3 (formerly Sega AM3), and was one of the ten that was spun off during the 2000 restructure.

AM3 was a dominant force within Sega throughout the 1990s, however had been arcade-orientated by design. With Hitmaker, this focus shifted more towards home consoles, but as the arcade section did not go away, this led to Hitmaker producing a large proportion of Sega games during the 2000-2004 period.

The biggest international successes for Hitmaker were Crazy Taxi and Virtua Tennis, popular on their original arcade releases and subsequent Dreamcast ports. In Japan, however, the studio also changed the Japanese arcade landscape, with World Club Champion Football: Serie A 2001-2002 and The Key of Avalon: The Wizard Master. These titles, alongside Sega AM2's Virtua Fighter 4 and Mirai R&D's Mushiking: The King of Beetles, popularised new features and dynamics with cards and internet usage.

In October 2003, Sega Rosso was merged back into the studio.[1]

Hitmaker had their own record label, Hitmaker Records, for a short period.

Company statistics

  • Capital: 140 million yen[3][4], 190 million yen[5]
  • Number of Employees: 124 (2000-03)[3][4], 188[5]

Softography

NAOMI

NAOMI GD-ROM

NAOMI Satellite Terminal

NAOMI 2 Satellite Terminal

Hikaru

Chihiro

Triforce

Dreamcast

PlayStation 2

GameCube

Xbox

PlayStation 3

Game Boy Advance

N-Gage

Windows PC

i-mode 503i

J-Sky (50KB)

EZweb (Java Phase 2/2.5)


List of staff

Magazine articles

Main article: Hitmaker/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

External links

References


Timeline of Sega of Japan research and development divisions








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