Difference between revisions of "TecToy"

From Sega Retro

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m (Tectoy > TecToy per their late 2020 rebranding. which is still being used inconsistently in places but recent corporate communications are addressing the company as such.)
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#redirect [[Tectoy]]
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{{CompanyBob
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| logo=Tectoy2007orange.svg
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| width=300
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| founded=1987-09{{fileref|FolhadeSãoPaulo BR 1988-03-19 D1.png}}
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| defunct=
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| tseries=
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| mergedwith=
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| mergedinto=
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| headquarters=São Paulo, Brazil
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}}
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'''TecToy''' (formerly styled as '''Tec Toy''' and '''Tectoy''') is a Brazilian electronics and video game company, and Sega’s official distributor in that region. The company has seen overwhelming success with sales of the [[Sega Master System]], and its work established the 8-bit platform as a cultural staple across much of South America.
 +
 
 +
Tectoy still produces and sells official [[Sega Mega Drive]] and [[Sega Master System]] hardware.
 +
 
 +
== History ==
 +
Tec Toy was founded in September 1987 (as ''Tec Toy Indústria de Brinquedos, Ltda.''), as a joint venture{{fileref|FolhadeSãoPaulo BR 1988-03-19 D1.png}} between Argentinian Engineer [[Daniel Efraim Dazcal]]{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20190201172230/http://www.fdd.org.br/html/fdd.htm}} (founder and former Vice President of the Brazilian division of [[wikipedia:Sharp Corporation|Sharp Corporation]], ''Sharp do Brasil S/a Indústria de Equipamentos Eletrônicos'') and German brothers{{intref|Press Release: 1996-10-25: Kryss preside a Evadin desde 74}}{{intref|Press Release: 1996-02-11: Tec Toy atribui sucesso à contratação de 'boa gente'}} Leo{{ref|https://archive.fo/wHge4|https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3images.classcreator.com/8770/001/1371328/D4B9081D-90B1-1C17-D1BEE65E9797D6BB.jpg}}{{ref|https://archive.fo/0Wrzb|https://news.syr.edu/blog/2019/01/17/sisters-part-of-quadruplet-siblings-acclimate-to-life-at-syracuse-university/}} and Abe Kryss, owners of the Brazilian consumer electronics manufacturing and distribution company Evadin Indústrias Amazônia S.A{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20070203003122/http://evadin.locaweb.com.br/images/img_institucional2_gde.jpg}}, Tec Toy's major shareholder (founded in 1967{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20070203163959/http://evadin.locaweb.com.br/empresa/default.aspx}} by their father, German businessman Josef Kryss, who moved to Brazil in 1958{{intref|Press Release: 1996-10-25: Kryss preside a Evadin desde 74}}, the company became the exclusive importer and distributor of 
 +
[[wikipedia:Mitsubishi Electric|Mitsubishi Electric]]'s TV sets and [[wikipedia:Videocassette recorder|VCRs]] in Brazil and since 1972{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20070203163959/http://evadin.locaweb.com.br/empresa/default.aspx}} a manufacturer of consumer electronics{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20111007012331/http://www.evadin.com.br/audio_video.asp}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20111007013839/http://www.evadin.com.br/informatica.asp}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20111007000752/http://www.evadin.com.br/telefonia.asp}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20111006193132/http://www.evadin.com.br/decodificadores.asp}}{{ref|https://archive.fo/VhoA6|http://www.audiorama.com.br/aiko/}} of their own brand Aiko{{ref|https://archive.fo/alC5T|https://luxrelevo.com.br/wp-content/uploads/cartao-de-visita-evadin-600x450.jpg}}, with the purpose of making electronic toys, a niche that other Brazilian toy manufacturers had failed to notice. They quickly stroke a deal to become the exclusive representative of Japanese video game giant [[Sega|Sega Enterprises Ltd]]. Consequently, their first product was the Zillion infrared toy gun. In the coming years they would release all of Sega's game machines, from the [[Sega Master System|Master System]] to the [[Sega Dreamcast|Dreamcast]]. Their success in the gaming field was so notable that toys became a minor - eventually abandoned - part of their business.
 +
 
 +
With Tec Toy, Sega had a huge advantage over rival [[Nintendo]] in the Brazilian market; although there were countless NES clones there, Nintendo had no official representatives until 1993. This way, the Master System was a massive success there, and Tec Toy even made some versions not released anywhere else. During the 1990s, Tec Toy had 80% of the Brazilian market.
 +
 
 +
In 1992 Sega granted Tec Toy the rights to distribute their products throughout the Mercosur region. They produced 50hz consoles for the Argentinian and Uruguayan markets, where they partnered with local companies [[Gameland]] and [[Forstar]] respectively. After Sega discontinued manufacturing of the [[Sega Master System]] in early 1996 Tec Toy took over the supply of hardware and software to smaller European markets where the Master System was still a viable platform. [[Ecofilmes]] (Portugal) and [[Zegetron]] (Greece) both imported Tec Toy's Master System III Compact and a selection of 15 games for the 1996 holiday season. The company made arrangements with distributors in other Latin American countries to sell their products, such as [[Radio Center LTDA|RCL]] (Chile) and [[Importadora Paiz]] (Guatemala).
 +
 
 +
Tec Toy translated several games to Portuguese, such as the first three ''[[Phantasy Star]]'' games (but not ''[[Phantasy Star IV]]'', which only had a fan-made translation in 2004), ''[[Shining in the Darkness]]'', and ''[[Riven]]'' (which also had its voices dubbed).
 +
 
 +
They also modified some games to replace characters with local licenses; that way, ''[[Teddy Boy]]'' became ''Geraldinho'', some ''Wonder Boy'' titles became ''Monica's Gang'' games, and ''[[Ghost House]]'' somehow starred ''El Chapulín Colorado''.
 +
 
 +
More interestingly, they have made unique ports and even developed original games. Some of these are: ''[[Street Fighter II]]'' for the Master System, ''[[Duke Nukem 3D (Mega Drive)|Duke Nukem 3D]]'' for the Mega Drive, and an original ''Woody Woodpecker'' game for the Mega Drive. In 2000/2001 they released two Mega Drive titles based on ''[[Show do Milhão]]'' - a TV game show hosted by Silvio Santos in the same vein of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''.
 +
 
 +
Even before the Dreamcast was discontinued and Sega withdrew from the console hardware business, Tec Toy realized that their long-time partner was failing, and decided to diversify. They now also sell karaoke devices, DVD players, and MP3 players. They also manage the Brazilian servers for Ragnarok Online. However, they still make older Sega consoles, especially variants of the Master System and the [[Sega Mega Drive/Genesis|Mega Drive]] with dozens of built-in games.
 +
 
 +
Besides the videogames, Tec Toy's most successful toy was ''Pense Bem'' (Think Well): using books (themed history, geography, mathematics...) with questions, the kids clicked the buttons with alternatives in a machine. The toy responded if it was right or wrong. Some ''Pense Bem'' books included famous characters like Monica's Gang, [[Sonic the Hedgehog]], Dinosaurs and Donald Duck.
 +
Without books, it served as a calculator.
 +
 
 +
==Hardware==
 +
* [[Mega Drive Portable Video Game Player]]
 +
* [[Tectoy Mega Drive 3]]
 +
* [[Tectoy Master System 3]]
 +
* [[Tectoy Mega Drive 4]]
 +
*[[Mega Drive (2017)]]
 +
 
 +
==Softography==
 +
{{CompanyHistoryAll|Tec Toy|Tectoy}}
 +
 
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Use CompanyHistoryAll template]]
 +
 
 +
:''Note: All dates listed next to games are for the Tec Toy Brazilian release of that game rather than the original release date.''
 +
{{multicol|
 +
===[[Master System]]===
 +
* ''[[Battle OutRun]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Columns]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[ESWAT: Cyber Police]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Phantasy Star]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[World Championship Soccer|Super Futebol 2]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Super Monaco GP]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Alien Storm (Mega Drive)|Alien Storm]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Alien³]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Bonanza Bros.]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Bubble Bobble]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Chuck Rock]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[The Cyber Shinobi]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Dick Tracy]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Dynamite Duke]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Golden Axe Warrior]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Line of Fire (Master System)|Line of Fire]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck|The Lucky Dime Caper estrelando Pato Donald]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[My Hero]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[TransBot|Nuclear Creature]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Operation Wolf]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Rampage]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Sagaia]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Submarine Attack]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Andre Agassi Tennis]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[Batman Returns (Master System)|Batman Returns]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[The Ninja]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[Predator 2]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Sonic Chaos|Sonic Chaos]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[World Class Leader Board]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[Astérix and the Secret Mission]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[California Games II]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck|Deep Duck Trouble estrelando Pato Donald]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Desert Speedtrap starring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Ecco the Dolphin]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Mortal Kombat II]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Road Rash]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Streets of Rage 2]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[The Terminator]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Winter Olympics: Lillehammer '94]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Wolfchild]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[World Cup USA 94]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Astérix and the Great Rescue]]'' (1995)
 +
| cols=3}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Mega Drive]]===
 +
{{multicol|
 +
* ''[[Thunder Force 2]]'' (1990)
 +
* ''[[Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Battletoads]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse|Castle of Illusion estrelando Mickey Mouse]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Last Battle]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Strider]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgheog 2]]'' (1992)
 +
* ''[[Jurassic Park (Mega Drive)|Jurassic Park]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[Pink Goes to Hollywood]] (1993)
 +
* ''[[Astérix and the Great Rescue]] (1994)
 +
* ''[[Barkley: Shut Up and Jam!]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Barney's Hide & Seek Game]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Battletoads/Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Body Count]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine|Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[F-117 Night Storm]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Fatal Fury]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[FIFA International Soccer]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Haunting Starring Polterguy]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[The Incredible Hulk]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Instruments of Chaos Starring Young Indiana Jones]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[James Pond 3: Operation Starfish]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Joe & Mac]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Mario Andretti Racing]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Mutant League Hockey]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[NBA Action '94]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[NFL Football '94 starring Joe Montana]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Skitchin']]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 3|Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Streets of Rage 3]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Sub-Terrania]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Super Street Fighter II]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Winter Olympics: Lillehammer '94]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[World Cup USA 94]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[World Heroes]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[World Series Baseball (Mega Drive)|World Series Baseball]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Desert Demolition Starring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote]] (1995)
 +
* ''[[The Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey & Minnie]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Mega Bomberman]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[X-Men 2: Clone Wars]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Phantasy Star II]]'' (1996)
 +
* ''[[Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (1996)
 +
* ''[[6-Pak]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Animaniacs]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 97]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[International Superstar Soccer Deluxe]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[NBA Hang Time]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Power Drive]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Shining in the Darkness]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Street Racer]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: Acme All-Stars]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom]]'' (1998)
 +
|cols=3}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Mega-CD]]===
 +
{{multicol|
 +
* ''[[Night Trap]]'' (1993)
 +
* ''[[AH-3 Thunderstrike]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula (Mega CD)|Bram Stoker's Dracula]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Dark Wizard]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Double Switch]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Dracula Unleashed]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Dragon's Lair]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Joe Montana's NFL Football]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Jurassic Park (Mega Drive)|Jurassic Park]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Mad Dog McCree]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Microcosm]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Prize Fighter]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Cliffhanger|Risco Total]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Star Wars: Rebel Assault]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Tomcat Alley]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Who Shot Johnny Rock?]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[WWF Rage in the Cage]]'' (1994)
 +
|cols=3}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Sega 32X]]===
 +
{{multicol|
 +
* ''[[Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Knuckles' Chaotix|Knuckles' Chaotix]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Mortal Kombat II]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Tempo]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Metal Head]]'' (????)
 +
* ''[[Star Wars Arcade]]'' (????)
 +
|cols=3}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Game Gear]]===
 +
{{multicol|
 +
* ''[[G-Loc Air Battle]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[OutRun]]'' (1991)
 +
* ''[[Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck|Deep Duck Trouble estrelando Pato Donald]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Desert Speedtrap starring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine|Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[NBA Action Starring David Robinson]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[The Ottifants]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[World Cup USA 94]]'' (1994)
 +
* ''[[Astérix and the Great Rescue]]'' (1995)
 +
* ''[[Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (1995)
 +
*''[[Aerial Assault]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Batman Returns (Game Gear)|Batman Returns]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Castle of Illusion]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Crazy Company]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Devilish]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Fantasy Zone]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[G.P. Mônaco]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Home Alone]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Joe Montana Football]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Lemmings]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Minigolf]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Ninja Gaiden (Game Gear)|Ninja Gaiden]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Olympic Gold]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[OutRun Europa]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Psychic World]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Sega Chess]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Shapes and Columns]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Shinobi]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Sonic The Hedgehog]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Sonic The Hedgehog 2]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Space Battle]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Space Harrier]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Streets of Rage II]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Ultimate Soccer]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Wonder Boy]]'' (????)
 +
*''[[Woody Pop]]'' (????)
 +
|cols=3}}
 +
 
 +
===[[Saturn]]===
 +
{{multicol|
 +
* ''[[Andretti Racing]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Area 51]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Blast Chamber]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Command & Conquer]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Crusader: No Remorse]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Darklight Conflict]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Die Hard Trilogy]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Doom]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Enemy Zero]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 97]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Fighters Megamix]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Hexen: Beyond Heretic]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[hyper 3-D Pinball]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Independence Day]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Last Bronx]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Saturn)|The Lost World: Jurassic Park]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Manx TT SuperBike]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Mega Man X4]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Mortal Kombat Trilogy]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[NASCAR 98]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[NBA Action 98]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Rampage World Tour]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Resident Evil]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Sega Touring Car Championship]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Sega Worldwide Soccer 98]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Sonic Jam|Sonic Jam]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[sonic:Sonic R|Sonic R]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Soviet Strike]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Street Fighter Collection]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (1997)
 +
* ''[[Warcraft II: The Dark Saga]]'' (1997)
 +
|cols=3}}
 +
 
 +
==Gallery==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Tectoy oldest logo.png|Logo (1987-2000)
 +
Tectoy-old.svg|Logo (2000-2007)
 +
Tectoy2007orange.svg|Logo 2007-present (orange)
 +
Tectoy2007.png|Logo 2007-present (green)
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
<references />
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Third-party distributors]]

Revision as of 20:03, 11 April 2021

https://segaretro.org/images/b/b4/Tectoy2007orange.svg

Tectoy2007orange.svg
TecToy
Founded: 1987-09[1]
Headquarters:
São Paulo, Brazil

TecToy (formerly styled as Tec Toy and Tectoy) is a Brazilian electronics and video game company, and Sega’s official distributor in that region. The company has seen overwhelming success with sales of the Sega Master System, and its work established the 8-bit platform as a cultural staple across much of South America.

Tectoy still produces and sells official Sega Mega Drive and Sega Master System hardware.

History

Tec Toy was founded in September 1987 (as Tec Toy Indústria de Brinquedos, Ltda.), as a joint venture[1] between Argentinian Engineer Daniel Efraim Dazcal[2] (founder and former Vice President of the Brazilian division of Sharp Corporation, Sharp do Brasil S/a Indústria de Equipamentos Eletrônicos) and German brothers[3][4] Leo[5][6] and Abe Kryss, owners of the Brazilian consumer electronics manufacturing and distribution company Evadin Indústrias Amazônia S.A[7], Tec Toy's major shareholder (founded in 1967[8] by their father, German businessman Josef Kryss, who moved to Brazil in 1958[3], the company became the exclusive importer and distributor of Mitsubishi Electric's TV sets and VCRs in Brazil and since 1972[8] a manufacturer of consumer electronics[9][10][11][12][13] of their own brand Aiko[14], with the purpose of making electronic toys, a niche that other Brazilian toy manufacturers had failed to notice. They quickly stroke a deal to become the exclusive representative of Japanese video game giant Sega Enterprises Ltd. Consequently, their first product was the Zillion infrared toy gun. In the coming years they would release all of Sega's game machines, from the Master System to the Dreamcast. Their success in the gaming field was so notable that toys became a minor - eventually abandoned - part of their business.

With Tec Toy, Sega had a huge advantage over rival Nintendo in the Brazilian market; although there were countless NES clones there, Nintendo had no official representatives until 1993. This way, the Master System was a massive success there, and Tec Toy even made some versions not released anywhere else. During the 1990s, Tec Toy had 80% of the Brazilian market.

In 1992 Sega granted Tec Toy the rights to distribute their products throughout the Mercosur region. They produced 50hz consoles for the Argentinian and Uruguayan markets, where they partnered with local companies Gameland and Forstar respectively. After Sega discontinued manufacturing of the Sega Master System in early 1996 Tec Toy took over the supply of hardware and software to smaller European markets where the Master System was still a viable platform. Ecofilmes (Portugal) and Zegetron (Greece) both imported Tec Toy's Master System III Compact and a selection of 15 games for the 1996 holiday season. The company made arrangements with distributors in other Latin American countries to sell their products, such as RCL (Chile) and Importadora Paiz (Guatemala).

Tec Toy translated several games to Portuguese, such as the first three Phantasy Star games (but not Phantasy Star IV, which only had a fan-made translation in 2004), Shining in the Darkness, and Riven (which also had its voices dubbed).

They also modified some games to replace characters with local licenses; that way, Teddy Boy became Geraldinho, some Wonder Boy titles became Monica's Gang games, and Ghost House somehow starred El Chapulín Colorado.

More interestingly, they have made unique ports and even developed original games. Some of these are: Street Fighter II for the Master System, Duke Nukem 3D for the Mega Drive, and an original Woody Woodpecker game for the Mega Drive. In 2000/2001 they released two Mega Drive titles based on Show do Milhão - a TV game show hosted by Silvio Santos in the same vein of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

Even before the Dreamcast was discontinued and Sega withdrew from the console hardware business, Tec Toy realized that their long-time partner was failing, and decided to diversify. They now also sell karaoke devices, DVD players, and MP3 players. They also manage the Brazilian servers for Ragnarok Online. However, they still make older Sega consoles, especially variants of the Master System and the Mega Drive with dozens of built-in games.

Besides the videogames, Tec Toy's most successful toy was Pense Bem (Think Well): using books (themed history, geography, mathematics...) with questions, the kids clicked the buttons with alternatives in a machine. The toy responded if it was right or wrong. Some Pense Bem books included famous characters like Monica's Gang, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dinosaurs and Donald Duck. Without books, it served as a calculator.

Hardware

Softography

Master System

Mega Drive

Game Gear

Mega-CD

32X

Pico

Saturn

Dreamcast

Windows PC

LCD

Note: All dates listed next to games are for the Tec Toy Brazilian release of that game rather than the original release date.

Master System

Mega Drive

Mega-CD

Sega 32X

Game Gear

Saturn

Gallery

  • Logo (1987-2000)

  • Logo (2000-2007)

  • Logo 2007-present (orange)

  • Logo 2007-present (green)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 File:FolhadeSãoPaulo BR 1988-03-19 D1.png
  2. ↑ http://www.fdd.org.br/html/fdd.htm (Wayback Machine: 2019-02-01 17:22)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Press Release: 1996-10-25: Kryss preside a Evadin desde 74
  4. ↑ Press Release: 1996-02-11: Tec Toy atribui sucesso à contratação de 'boa gente'
  5. ↑ https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3images.classcreator.com/8770/001/1371328/D4B9081D-90B1-1C17-D1BEE65E9797D6BB.jpg (archive.today)
  6. ↑ https://news.syr.edu/blog/2019/01/17/sisters-part-of-quadruplet-siblings-acclimate-to-life-at-syracuse-university/ (archive.today)
  7. ↑ http://evadin.locaweb.com.br/images/img_institucional2_gde.jpg (Wayback Machine: 2007-02-03 00:31)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://evadin.locaweb.com.br/empresa/default.aspx (Wayback Machine: 2007-02-03 16:39)
  9. ↑ http://www.evadin.com.br/audio_video.asp (Wayback Machine: 2011-10-07 01:23)
  10. ↑ http://www.evadin.com.br/informatica.asp (Wayback Machine: 2011-10-07 01:38)
  11. ↑ http://www.evadin.com.br/telefonia.asp (Wayback Machine: 2011-10-07 00:07)
  12. ↑ http://www.evadin.com.br/decodificadores.asp (Wayback Machine: 2011-10-06 19:31)
  13. ↑ http://www.audiorama.com.br/aiko/ (archive.today)
  14. ↑ https://luxrelevo.com.br/wp-content/uploads/cartao-de-visita-evadin-600x450.jpg (archive.today)
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