Sunsoft

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Sunsoft
Founded: 1971-04-16
T-series code: T-15
Headquarters: Kounan, Aichi, Japan 2550 Garcia Avenue, Mountain View, California 94043, United States

Sun Denshi (サン電子株式会社) is a Japanese electronics company founded on April 16, 1971. In 1978 it began publishing video games under the Sunsoft (サンソフト) brand.

Beginning its work in arcades, Sunsoft would move into Famicom game development in the mid-1980s. It would acquire the rights to develop and publish several Sega arcade ports for the system in Japan, and would publish games for Sega platforms, starting with the System 16 arcade game Bay Route in 1989. In addition to original titles, Sunsoft would also obtain licenses to several film and televison properties, establishing a US operation in the early 1990s.

By the mid-90s, Sunsoft were effectively running two operations: the original Japanese arm continued to produce video games for the likes of the Super Famicom, Sega Saturn and PlayStation, but these efforts were not being picked up for distribution from their US arm, which was more interested in publishing games based on licensed properties like Looney Tunes. The company is also notable for financing Cyan's Myst (and Riven: The Sequel to Myst), which would for a period be the best selling computer game of all time (although ironically, Sunsoft were only interested in the console versions, which were decidedly less popular).

For reasons unknown, all Japanese Sega Mega Drive games published by Sunsoft resemble their Famicom game packaging; smaller boxes with the art printed right-to-left (save for Panorama Cotton), and complete with non-standard cartridge designs.

Softography

Sega Titan Video

• Virtual Batting (1994)
• Shanghai: Triple-Threat (1995)
• Karaoke Quiz Intro Don Don! (1996)
• Astra Superstars (1998)

NAOMI GD-ROM

• Super Shanghai 2005 (2005)

Mega Drive

• Tel-Tel Mahjong (1990)
• Batman (1990)
• Tel-Tel Stadium (1990)
• Shikinjoh (1991)
• Super Fantasy Zone (1992)
• Batman: Revenge of The Joker (1992)
• Lemmings (1992)
• Superman: The Man of Steel (1992)
• Aero the Acro-Bat (1993)
• Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Quest (1993)
• Beauty and the Beast: Roar of the Beast (1993)
• Flashback (1993)
• Blaster Master 2 (1993)
• The Pirates of Dark Water (1994)
• Bubble and Squeak (1994)
• Panorama Cotton (1994)
• Daze Before Christmas (1994)
• Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel (1994)
• Aero the Acro-Bat 2 (1995)
• The Death and Return of Superman (1995)
• Scooby-Doo Mystery (1995) (publishing rights)
• Aero the Acro-Bat 2 (2024)
• Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel (2024)
• Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (unreleased)

Game Gear

• Shanghai II (1990)
• Shikinjoh (1991)

Mega-CD

• Myst (unreleased)

Mega LD

• Myst (unreleased)

Saturn

• Myst (1994)
• Shanghai: Triple-Threat (1995)
• Hebereke's Popoitto (1995)
• Game no Tatsujin (1995)
• Game no Tetsujin The Shanghai (1995)
• O-chan no Oekaki Logic (1995)
• Galaxy Fight (1995)
• Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean (1996)
• Hissatsu Pachinko Collection (1996)
• Game no Tatsujin 2 (1996)
• Shanghai Great Moments (1996)
• Waku Waku 7 Taikenban (1997)
• Amagi Shien (1997)
• SS Adventure Pack: Nanatsu no Hikan & Myst (1997)
• Waku Waku 7 (1997)
• Riven: The Sequel to Myst (1998)
• Photo Genic (1998)
• Astra Superstars (1998)

PlayStation 2

• Fantasy Zone Neo Classic (2008)

Nintendo Switch

• Sega Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online (2021)

Nintendo Switch Online

• Super Fantasy Zone (2022)

PlayStation Portable

• Myst (2006)

Accessories produced

Saturn

• SunSaturn Pad (1995)

External links

• Japanese website
• North American website

References

NEC Retro has more information related to Sunsoft