List of companies with minor representation
This is a list of companies with minor representation in the Super Smash Bros. series, such as trophies, stickers, spirits, music, Mii Fighter costumes, production material, or other miscellaneous elements that are considered too minor to warrant a dedicated article. This list also includes companies that did not necessarily create the aforementioned elements, but owned the rights at the time of its inclusion in the series.
1-Up Studio[edit]
1-Up Studio Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | June 30, 2000 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Gen Kadoi Yoshiaki Koizumi Keizo Kato Futoshi Yamaguchi | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 44 (2018) | ||
Parent | Nintendo | ||
Website | 1-Up Studio Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | 1-Up Studio |
1-Up Studio, formerly known as Brownie Brown Inc., is a Japanese video game developer. Having assisted with the creation of games such as Mother 3, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, the Super Mario 3D games and their spin-off, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, as well as creating new IPs including Magical Starsign and A Kappa's Trail, the company became a subsidiary of Nintendo. Following that, on February 1st, 2013, they announced they would be changing the internal structure of the company, including renaming themselves to their present name: 1-Up Studio Inc.
Starting in Brawl, Lucas is a playable fighter and semi-clone of Ness. New Pork City, a location from Mother 3, appears as a stage, with the Ultimate Chimera randomly appearing to roam around within it. The Porky Statue, Lucas himself, and Lucas's Final Smash, PK Starstorm, appear as trophies. "Porky's Theme", "Unfounded Revenge / Smashing Song of Praise", "Mother 3 Love Theme", and "You Call This a Utopia?!" appear as music tracks. Finally, Lucas, Claus, Kumatora, Duster, Boney, Salsa, Hinawa, Flint, Pig Mask, and Mr. Saturn in its Mother 3 design appear as stickers. In Ultimate, Flint, Hinawa, Boney, Duster, Kumatora, Salsa, Ultimate Chimera, Absolutely Safe Capsule, Masked Man, and Claus appear as spirits.
Mokka, as well as the species Putty and Pyrite, from the Magical Starsign series all appear as trophies. Mokka and Putty also appear as stickers, in addition to the male and female protagonists and Kirsh from Magical Vacation, the male protagonist, an HP Pot, and a Sparrow from Magical Starsign. The male & female protagonists of Magical Vacation (both share a spirit), Mokka, and a Putty all return as spirits.
3D Land appears as a stage to represent Super Mario 3D Land. The Boomerang from Super Mario 3D Land appears as both an item and a trophy. Other trophies from that game include Tanooki Mario & Kitsune Luigi, Boomerang Mario, and Mario (With Propeller Box). "Super Mario 3D Land Theme / Beach Theme" appears to represent Super Mario 3D Land, while "Super Bell Hill", "The Great Tower Showdown 2", and "Champion Road" appear as music tracks to represent Super Mario 3D World.
New Donk City appears as a stage, with Mario gaining a new taunt, a new costume, and a slightly changed up special to reference Super Mario Odyssey. Bowser (Wedding), Peach (Wedding), Cappy, and The Odyssey appear as spirits. The Boomerang item returns, along with the 3D Land stage. Cat Princess Peach, Sprixie Princesses, and Plessie appear as spirits. "Fossil Falls", "New Donk City", "Jump Up, Super Star!", "Steam Gardens", "Underground Moon Caverns", "Break Free (Lead the Way)", "Plucky Pass Beginnings", and "The King of Pyropuff Peak" debut in this installment.
Totem Link and Madame Couture from The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes appear as spirits. "Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes" and "Woodlands - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes" appear as music tracks, as well.
4J Studios[edit]
4J Studios Limited | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | VIS Interactive: 1996 VIS Entertainment: 2000 4J Studios: April 19, 2005 | ||
Headquarters | Dundee, Scotland | ||
Key people | Founder: Chris van der Kuyl CEO: Paddy Burns Frank Arnot | ||
Industry | Licencing | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | 4J Studios Limited | ||
Article on Wikipedia | 4J Studios |
4J Studios, formerly known as VIS Entertainment, is a British video game developer located in Scotland. Founded in April 2005 by Chris van der Kuyl, back when it was known as VIS Entertainment, Paddy Burns, and Frank Arnot, the company is best known for porting video games on other consoles, notably Minecraft and titles from the Banjo-Kazooie series to consoles and handheld platforms. Lately, they worked on a new sandbox-based game engine titled Elements Engine, which is used for their upcoming game, Reforj.
In Ultimate, the majority of Minecraft's featured soundtrack are sourced from the minigames developed for the early console ports by the company, all considered under the umbrella term of "Legacy Console Edition." Those being "Toys on a Tear", "Dance of the Blocks", "Glide" and "Clockwork Crafter", all originally composed by Gareth Coker. Additionally, some of the spirits' artwork and specific content such as Steve and Alex's alternate costumes from the console editions of Minecraft are featured in Ultimate.
Acquire[edit]
Acquire Co. Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Kabushiki Gaisha | ||
Founded | December 6, 1994 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 120 | ||
Parent | Kadokawa Corporation | ||
Website | Acquire Co. Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Acquire (company) |
Acquire is a Japanese video game developer. Originally founded in 1994, they have developed many well known franchises like Tenchu, Way of the Samurai, Shinobido, No Heroes Allowed and Akiba's Trip. They also provide motion capture for other companies. In 2024, the company became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation.
In Ultimate, on July 7, 2020, it was revealed that spirits featuring the eight playable characters in Octopath Traveler, which Acquire developed alongside the in-house Square Enix team named Studio 11, would be added to the Spirit Board in Second Anniversary of OCTOPATH TRAVELER on July 10. The spirits would see each of the eight playable characters split into four pairs, these pairs being Olberic & Primrose, Tressa & Cyrus, Alfyn & Therion, and H'aanit & Ophilia.
Agenda[edit]
Agenda | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | 1990 | ||
Headquarters | Sapporo, Japan | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games |
Agenda was a Japanese game developer that developed Clubhouse Games, known in Europe as 42 All-Time Classics, and Slide Adventure MAGKID for the Nintendo DS. The company went defunct in 2011, later after the release of 1000 Cooking Recipes from Elle a Table.
Magkid, the titular player from Slide Adventure MAGKID, as well as a Midori Mushi, an enemy from the game, appear as stickers. In Ultimate, only Magkid would return as a spirit.
AlphaDream[edit]
AlphaDream Corporation, Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | January 12, 2000 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Tetsuo Mizuno | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 46 (2018) | ||
Website | AlphaDream Corporation, Ltd. (archive) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | AlphaDream |
AlphaDream was a Japanese game developer that worked closely with Nintendo. They were primarily known for developing the Mario & Luigi series, as well as Tomato Adventure, a Japan-only RPG for the Game Boy Advance. AlphaDream became defunct after filing for bankruptcy on October 1st, 2019.
In Brawl, the Mario & Luigi series is represented through multiple stickers: Cackletta, Mario & Luigi, Luigi, and Prince Peasley from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and Luigi & Baby Luigi, a Shroob, Stuffwell, and Toadsworth from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. The "Gritzy Desert" theme from Partners in Time is also remixed. Baby Peach, who first appeared in Partners in Time, receives a trophy. Baby Peach reappears as a trophy in Smash for 3DS. "Try, Try Again" from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is remixed in both versions, while "Tough Guy Alert!" and "The Grand Finale" from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story appear in Smash for Wii U. In Ultimate, Prince Peasley from Superstar Saga, Princess Shroob from Partners in Time, Fawful in his appearance from Bowser's Inside Story, Broque Monsieur and Starlow from Bowser's Inside Story, Dreambert and Antasma from Dream Team, and Papercraft Mario from Paper Jam appear as spirits. Baby Peach also appears as a spirit. In addition to the previous Mario & Luigi tracks, four new ones are added: "Time's Running Out!", "Mixed-Up Scramble", and "Attack and Run!" from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and "This is Minion Turf!" from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. Mario & Luigi is also referenced in one of Luigi's taunts. His up taunt has multiple poses very vastly shown and one is similar to his artwork for Partners in Time. This taunt comes back both in Smash 4 and Ultimate.
Representing Tomato Adventure, protagonist DeMille and the Tomatrio appear as spirits in Ultimate.
AQ Entertainment[edit]
AQ Interactive, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | October 1, 2005 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Shuichi Motoda | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Arcade games, video games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | AQ Interactive |
AQ Interactive was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. AQ stands for "Artistic Quality." It was the parent company of Artoon, Cavia, Freeplus and Xseed Games. On June 23, 2011, AQ announced a three-way merger between itself, Marvelous Entertainment and Liveware. On October 1 of that year, all companies collectively became the modern day Marvelous AQL. AQ is best known for publishing games developed by its subsidiaries, as well as working with other companies like Nintendo, Microsoft and Konami.
In Smash 4 and Ultimate, Zael and Calista from The Last Story, which AQ co-developed alongside Mistwalker, both appear as trophies and spirits.
Arc System Works[edit]
Arc System Works Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | May 12th, 1988 | ||
Headquarters | Yokohama, Japan | ||
Key people | Minoru Kidooka | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Arcade games, video games | ||
Website | Arc System Works Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Arc System Works |
Arc System Works is a video game company known for developing mainly fighting game series, such as the BlazBlue and Guilty Gear series, as well as licensed fighting games for franchises such as Dragon Ball and Persona. On June 2015, they acquired all the intellectual properties of Technōs Japan, such as the Kunio-Kun, known in the west as River City, and Double Dragon series.
In Ultimate, 4 spirits from Kunio-Kun appeared in the River City Smash Spirit Board event in Ultimate, those being Kunio, Riki, Goda and the brothers Ryuichi & Ryuji (both share a spirit).
Argonaut Games[edit]
Argonaut Games | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | PLC | ||
Founded | February 23, 1982 | ||
Key people | Jez San | ||
Industry | Software | ||
Products | Video games Chip sets | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Argonaut Games |
Argonaut Games is a British video game and software developer originally founded by Jez San in 1982. The name is based on his initials, J. San, being a play on Jason and the Argonauts. Argonaut first developed a relation with Nintendo when they presented a method of defeating the Game Boy copyright protection mechanism.[1] This led to both companies working on a prototype flight simulator called SNESGlider. Nintendo published Argonaut's Game Boy action game X in 1992. Full development of SNESGlider then entered production, and San convinced Nintendo to make custom hardware for it. The hardware became the Super FX chip and the game became Star Fox, released in 1993. Nintendo would then publish the Argonaut-developed Stunt Race FX in 1994. Argonaut then started development of Star Fox 2 and got far into development before Nintendo shut it down. The most likely reasons for this are the game looking primitive by then-current hardware standards and Nintendo making Star Fox 64 in-house without their involvement. Argonaut then pitched a 3D platformer starring Yoshi but this was rejected. The project eventually evolved into Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. Argonaut would continue to develop games and chips for other companies until going bankrupt in 2004 and forced to liquidate their assets, effectively shutting themselves down. Twenty years later, the company was relaunched along with a remaster of Croc: Legend of the Gobbos.
In all five games, the first Star Fox was represented, with Fox and, starting with Melee, Falco appearing as fighters. Other inclusions were trophies, spirits, stages, and stickers.
In Brawl onward, "Tunnel Scene (X)", a remix of the game's Tunnel scene appears. Additionally, the Training Academy Coach appears as a sticker and a spirit.
In Brawl and Ultimate, F-Type and Tractor Trailer appear as stickers and spirits.
Arika[edit]
Arika Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | November 1, 1995 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Akira Nishitani | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Arcade games, video games | ||
Employees | 50 | ||
Website | Arika Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Arika |
Arika is a Japanese video game developer primarily known for developing arcade games. Having created games for popular series such as Street Fighter EX and Tetris: The Grand Master and collaborated with companies like Capcom and Bandai Namco, Arika continues to work as a subcontractor for other companies. With Nintendo, the company developed multiple installments in the Dr. Mario series, the Endless Ocean series, AR Games and the 3D Classics series for the Nintendo 3DS, and Tetris 99 and Super Mario Bros. 35 for the Nintendo Switch.
In Smash 4, the "Dragon Battle" music from AR Games is sourced from this game, and is playable on stages from the "Other" category. The track returned in Ultimate and is playable on stages from the "Other" and, as of version 8.1.0, "Super Smash Bros." categories.
In Ultimate, the Tetriminos from Tetris 99 appear as spirits in the Attack of the Tetriminos! Spirit Board event.
Also in Ultimate, some of Heihachi Mishima's lines are taken from Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, which Arika helped co-develop.
Artoon[edit]
Artoon Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | August 27, 1999 | ||
Headquarters | Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan | ||
Key people | Naoto Ohshima | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Artoon |
Artoon was a Japanese game development company that went defunct in 2010. It primarily served as an outsourced developer for other studios, most notably creating Blinx: The Time Sweeper for Microsoft. For Nintendo, it primarily worked on Yoshi games such as Yoshi Topsy-Turvy and Yoshi's Island DS, as well as FlingSmash for WiiWare.
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy is represented with two stickers: Ship Yoshi and Mace Guy. Hongo and the Spirit Who Loves Surprises from appear as spirits. Yoshi's Island DS is represented with five stickers: Crayzee Dayzee, Super Baby, Goonie, Stork, and Stork Stop. It is also represented with a remix of "Wildlands" theme, playing on stages from the Yoshi franchise.
Zip, the main character of FlingSmash, appears as a spirit.
Arzest[edit]
ARZEST Corporation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | June 25, 2010 | ||
Headquarters | Yokohama, Japan | ||
Key people | Yoji Ishii Naoto Ohshima Yutaka Sugano | ||
Industry | Computer and video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 80 | ||
Website | ARZEST Corporation | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Arzest |
Arzest (stylized as ARZEST) is a Japanese video game developer that primarily serves as an outsourced developer for other companies. It was founded by the same staff as Artoon after the company went defunct in 2010. The company has worked for multiple titles for Nintendo, including Wii Play Motion, StreetPass Mii Plaza, Yoshi's New Island, and Hey! Pikmin.
In Smash 4, a trophy representing Yoshi's New Island appears in Smash for 3DS, while Smash for Wii U and Ultimate have two music tracks from the game: "Main Theme (Yoshi's New Island)" and "Bandit Valley (Yoshi's New Island)". Yoshi's New Island is represented with a spirit of Yoshi holding a Mega Eggdozer, as well as five other spirits using their artwork from said game: Stork, Bandit, Little Mouser, Grim Leecher, and Ukiki. "Main Theme - Yoshi's New Island (Remix)" is included in addition to the two Yoshi's New Island tracks from the previous game.
A spirit of a Mockiwi represents Hey! Pikmin. The music tracks "The Keeper of the Lake", "Over Wintry Mountains", and "Fragment of Hope" are taken from the game as well.
Asobism[edit]
Asobism Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | December 11, 2002 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Tomoyuki Oto | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Revenue | ¥10,000,000 (capital) | ||
Employees | 77 (2016) | ||
Website | Asobism, Co., Ltd. |
Asobism is an independent Japanese video game developer that is primarily known for developing the Freakyforms series, as well as the Dragon Poker series of mobile games.
King Roy, the damsel-in-distress of Freakyforms Deluxe's dungeons, appears as a trophy in Smash for 3DS. A remix called "Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive! Medley" appears on the downloadable Miiverse stage in Smash for Wii U. The track returns in Ultimate, now only playing on stages from the "Other" and, as of version 8.1.0, Super Smash Bros. categories.
Bethesda Softworks[edit]
Bethesda Softworks LLC | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | June 28, 1986 | ||
Headquarters | Bethesda, Maryland, US | ||
Key people | Todd Howard Pete Hines | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Parent | Zenimax Media | ||
Website | Bethesda Sofworks LLC | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Bethesda Softworks |
Bethesda Softworks, a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, is an American video game publisher that is primarily known for developing The Elder Scrolls series and recent entries of Fallout franchise, as well owning rights of franchises from iD Software such as Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein series. In 2001, they spun-off their game development team into a studio called Bethesda Game Studios. On September 21st, 2020, it was announced that ZeniMax Media would be acquired by Microsoft, with acquisition being completed on March 9, 2021.
In Ultimate, the Vault Boy, the mascot of Fallout franchise, was available as an Mii Costume for Mii Gunner in Round 6, in 2020.
Later in 2021, Dragonborn from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was available as a Mii Costume for Mii Swordfighter in Round 10.
Finally in the same year, Doom Slayer from Doom Eternal was available as a Mii Costume for Mii Gunner in Round 11.
Camelot Software Planning[edit]
Camelot Co. Ltd | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Kabushiki gaisha | ||
Founded | April 4, 1994 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Hiroyuki Takahashi: President Shūgo Takahashi: Co-Founder and Co-President Motoi Sakuraba: Coordinator and Sound Director | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Employees | 42 (2010) | ||
Website | Camelot Co. Ltd | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Camelot Software Planning |
Camelot Software Planning, formerly known as Sega CD4 and Sonic! Software Planning, is a Japanese video game developer. Previously having worked for Sega and Sony Computer Entertainment, they are currently partnered with Nintendo, creating the Mario Golf and Mario Tennis series of games. Other works include the Golden Sun and the Shining series.
Waluigi and Plum represent the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf games via trophies in Melee. Waluigi later became an Assist Trophy in Brawl. He will stomp on opponents to bury them, attacking the defenseless foes with his foot and tennis racket. Waluigi also returns as a trophy. Plum and Petey Piranha represent the Mario Golf series, while Boo, Fly Guy, Bowser, and Wiggler represent the Mario Tennis series as stickers. The music track "Mario Tennis / Mario Golf", an arrangement of the title screen themes from Mario Power Tennis and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour respectively, appears in the My Music for Mario Circuit. Trophies of Peach and Daisy in their tennis outfits from Mario Tennis Open, as well as a trophy of Mario holding a golf club (which is referred to as "Mario Golf: World Tour") appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. Waluigi appears as a spirit and his hat appears as a Mii hat in Ultimate. Kid from Mario Golf also appears as a spirit, in addition to spirits of Mario and Luigi as they appear in Mario Tennis Aces. Mario, Luigi and Peach in their golf attire were introduced in the spirit board event Mario Golf: Super Rush, taken from the game of the same name. "World Tour" from Mario Golf: World Tour, "Stadium Theme - Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash" from Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, "Kingdom Stadium: Night" and "Country Field: Away Team" from Mario Sports Superstars, and "Title Theme - Mario Tennis Aces" and "Stadium Theme - Mario Tennis Aces" from Mario Tennis Aces all debut as music tracks in Ultimate as well.
Isaac from the Golden Sun appears as Assist Trophies in Brawl. Using Move, a Psynergy spell, Isaac will attempt to push opponents off the stage. Isaac was given access to more Psynergy spells in Ultimate. These include Pound, which involves a fist slamming down; Lift, which includes two hands picking up a fighter and attempting to carry them above the blast zone; and Teleport, which has him teleport to a different part of the stage. Both have a trophy as well. Isaac was also given a trophy. Additionally, "Battle Scene / Final Boss (Golden Sun)", an arrangement remix of two themes from Golden Sun: The Lost Age, plays on the My Music for Norfair. Additionally, "Weyard", the overworld theme from Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, appears in the My Music for Palutena's Temple in Smash 4. Isaac also acted as the inspiration for a Mii Swordfighter costume in Ultimate. Garet, Ivan, Mia, Felix, and Jenna, as well as Matthew from Dark Dawn, appear as Golden Sun spirits.
Choice Provisions[edit]
Choice Provisions Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | 2007 | ||
Headquarters | Santa Cruz, California | ||
Key people | Alex Neuse Mike Roush Chris Osborn | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Website | Choice Provisions Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Choice Provisions |
Choice Provisions, originally known as Gaijin Games, is an independent video game studio based in Santa Cruz, California. They are best known for developing the BIT.TRIP series, with the platformer Bit.Trip Runner being their breakout hit. The original Bit.Trip series was developed and released for Nintendo's WiiWare service, and their later games—including installments in the Bubsy and League of Legends series—continue to support Nintendo consoles.
In Smash 4, the main character of the Bit.Trip series, CommanderVideo, appears as a collectible trophy in Smash for Wii U.
Cing[edit]
CING, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | April 1999 | ||
Headquarters | Fukuoka, Japan | ||
Key people | Takuya Miyagawa | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 29 (2016) | ||
Website | CING, Inc. (archive) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Cing |
Cing (stylized as CING) was an independent Japanese video game developer that went bankrupt in 2010. They primarily worked with Nintendo, creating the Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory series, as well as Little King's Story for the Nintendo Wii. With the company's demise, its games are now owned wholly by the original publishers.
Ashley Robbins from Trace Memory appears as a trophy in Brawl. Several stickers also represent the game: two stickers of Ashley (one alone and one holding the DTS), Jessica, and the Captain. Ashley returns as a spirit, this time using her appearance from Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories.
Kyle Hyde from Hotel Dusk: Room 215 appears as a trophy in Brawl, notable for being the only animated trophy in the entire series. Kyle, Dunning Smith, and Mila also appear as stickers. Kyle Hyde returns as a spirit.
Clay Tech Works[edit]
Claytechworks Co. Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | July 4, 2018 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Shunsuke Iwami, Katsuhito Aoki, Tatsuji Maeyama | ||
Industry | Content planning, development and management | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Claytechworks Co. Ltd. |
Clay Tech Works is a video game development studio. Founded in 2018, they have primarily developed Japan-exclusive mobile games. One of these games is Bravely Default: Fairy's Effect, which allowed them the opportunity to take over the Bravely Default series from previous developer Silicon Studios starting with Bravely Default II.
In Ultimate, on February 23, 2021, it was announced that spirits from Bravely Default II, the third game in the series, would be added to the Spirit Board in a Spirit Board event simply titled BRAVELY DEFAULT II on February 26 as a tie-in to the game's release. All four protagonists are available in pairs: Seth & Gloria and Elvis & Adelle.
Curve Digital[edit]
Curve Digital Limited | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | 2005 | ||
Headquarters | London, England | ||
Key people | Jason Perkins, Dominic Wheatley, Stuart Dinsey | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Curve Digital Limited | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Curve Digital |
Curve Digital (formerly Curve Studios Limited) is an independent British video game developer and publisher. They are known for publishing games like Human: Fall Flat; with Nintendo, the company developed the Fluidity series of digital games, which got representation in the Super Smash Bros. franchise.
In Smash 4 and Ultimate, Eddy, the water spirit and main character of Fluidity: Spin Cycle, appears as a trophy and a spirit respectively.
Data East[edit]
Data East Corporation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | April 20, 1976 | ||
Headquarters | Suginami, Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Tetsuo Fukuda: Founder | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Data East |
Data East was a Japanese video game publisher and developer. The company was known for several titles such as the BurgerTime, Karnov, Joe & Mac, Jake Hunter, Tattoo Assassins, and Glory of Heracles series. After the bankruptcy of the company in 2003, the rights to their former IPs would be acquired by several other companies, such as Arc System Works, G-Mode, and Paon.
In Ultimate, Heracles, the title character of the Glory of Heracles series, appears as a spirit.
Denyusha[edit]
Denyusha Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Limited | ||
Founded | April 8, 2002 | ||
Headquarters | Kyoto, Japan | ||
Key people | Shogo Hayashi | ||
Industry | Software industry | ||
Products | Video games applications | ||
Website | Denyusha Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Bulbapedia | Denyusha |
Denyusha (often spelled Den-yu-sha) is a Japanese multimedia developer and publisher. Founded in 2002, they have developed several pieces of software for purchase and licensed to other companies, with specialization in video games, web creation tools, and educational software. Denyusha has worked with Nintendo to create Game Notes function that came built in with every Nintendo 3DS, as well as co-developing Swapnote and its sequel Swapdoodle.
In Ultimate, Nikki, the mascot for the Swapnote franchise, appears as both an Assist Trophy and spirit.
Digital Extremes[edit]
Digital Extremes | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | 1993 | ||
Headquarters | London, Ontario, Canada | ||
Key people | Michael Schmalz | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Employees | 310 | ||
Parent | Leyou | ||
Website | Digital Extremes | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Digital Extremes |
Digital Extremes is a Canadian video game developer. They are mainly known for creating Warframe and co-developing the Unreal series alongside Epic Games.
In Ultimate, Lotus from Warframe appears as a spirit, this spirit can be enhanced into Natah, this spirit was introduced via DLC, during the event Spirits in Black on February 28, 2019.
Dimps[edit]
Dimps Co. Ltd | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Kabushiki gaisha | ||
Founded | March 6, 2000 | ||
Headquarters | Osaka, Japan | ||
Key people | Takashi Nishiyama | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 294 | ||
Website | Dimps Co. Ltd | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Dimps |
Dimps is a Japanese video game developer. The company was founded in 2000 by Takashi Nishiyama, creator of both Street Fighter and Fatal Fury, along with former Capcom and SNK employees. The company is primarily outsourced by other studios to free up the work load of in-house developers. They primarily work with Bandai Namco, Capcom and Sega, and they specialize in platformers and fighting games.
Cream the Rabbit with her chao Cheese and Blaze the Cat, who debuted in the Dimps developed Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Rush respectively, appear in Brawl and reappear in future games. The song "Right There, Ride On", also from Sonic Rush, appears in Brawl and Smash 4.
Several characters, moveset elements, and the song "Forest/Nature Area" from the Dimps developed Kirby & The Amazing Mirror appear in this game. A new remix of "Forest/Nature Area" appeared in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
When Ryu was released as downloadable content in Smash 4, many elements of his appearance and moveset took cues from Street Fighter IV, which Dimps developed. In Ultimate, Juri Han from the updated Super Street Fighter IV appears as a spirit. Ryu and newcomer Ken retain elements from the previous game while also containing elements from Street Fighter V, which Dimps also developed.
Double Eleven[edit]
Double Eleven | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | Corporation | ||
Headquarters | Middlesbrough, United Kingdom | ||
Key people | Lee Hutchinson, Matt Shepcar, Mark South, Kimberly Turner | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Employees | 310 | ||
Website | Double Eleven | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Double Eleven (company) |
Double Eleven is a British video game developer and publisher based in Middlesbrough. It was founded by former Rockstar Games developers, Lee Hutchinson and Matt Shepcar in June 2009. It is well-known for developing ports and remasters of various games, such as Red Dead Redemption, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7, and Goat Simulator, in addition to developing LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, Rust, and Minecraft Dungeons with help of Mojang.
In Ultimate, "Halland/Dalarna" and "The Arch-Illager" are remixes of songs sourced from Minecraft Dungeons, originally composed by Johan Johnson and Peter Hont.
Edelweiss[edit]
Edelweiss | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Doujin | ||
Headquarters | |||
Key people | Nal Koichi | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | videogames | ||
Employees | 2 | ||
Website | Edelweiss |
Edelweiss is a video game development studio. Founded in 2005 by 2 men going by the aliases Nal and Koichi, they started out as simple hobbyists creating Doujin soft, which are games meant more for fun then for profit. Their first release was Fairy Bloom, an action game that debuted as a physical release on December 26th, 2005, but later became available as freeware for Microsoft Windows. Their next game was Ether Vapor, a cinematic shoot-em-up also released as freeware for Windows on August 13th, 2007. Ether Vapor would get a remaster titled Ether Vapor Remaster and Fairy Bloom would get a sequel titled Fairy Bloom Freesia, both releasing on August 13, 2011. These two games would be the first to be officially released outside of Japan, with both releasing on Steam in 2012. Their next game was Astebreed, a spiritual successor to Ether Vapor, releasing for Windows On May 30, 2014. A definitive edition was released in 2015, which was ported to PlayStation 4 on March 19, 2015 and Nintendo Switch on November 8, 2018. This is the company's first game to be released on a home console. Also in 2014 was Hanasaki or Rairy Ultra Encore, a remake of the original Fairy Bloom. Their next game was Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, which released on Windows, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on November 10, 2020. This is the first game Edelweiss did not self publish, with the duty taken this time by Marvelous Inc, with its subsidiary XSEED Games handling the North American release.
In Ultimate, three spirits from Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin appeared in a Spirit Board event in Ultimate, those being Sakuna, Kokorowa, and Tama.
Eighting[edit]
Eighting Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Corporation | ||
Founded | March 15, 1993 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Yasuhiko Kabashima Tomohisa Matsunaga Satoki Sato | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Employees | 240 | ||
Website | Eighting Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Eighting |
Eighting, formerly known as Raizing, is a Japanese video game developer. Eighting is known for developing fighting games and shoot 'em up games, such as Bloody Roar series, some Vs. series with Capcom such as Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Castlevania Judgment, Kamen Rider Series, and the upcoming DNF Duel alongside Arc System Works. They have also developed some games for Nintendo, such as the Kururin series, Master of Illusion, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe, in addition to co-developing Pikmin 4.
The Helirin, the main vehicle from the Kururin series, appears as a trophy in Melee. The Helirin appears in Brawl as an Assist Trophy, where it slowly spins around the stage and its blades can push back fighters. It also appears as a trophy as well. Several Action Helirins from Kururin Squash appear as a shared trophy. These include the Helibokaan, Helibashan, Heliboboh, Helirburuun, and Helibibyuun. Kururin himself, as well as the Helibokaan, appear as stickers. In Ultimate the Helirin does not reprise its role as an Assist Trophy. However, it does appear as a Support spirit, with Kururin himself piloting it in the artwork. Oatchi from Pikmin 4 also appears as a spirit.
Four tracks from Castlevania Judgment appear in Ultimate as tracks in Dracula's Castle. These include: "Vampire Killer", "Mad Forest", "Dance of Illusions", and "Dracula's Castle".
Flagship[edit]
Flagship Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Dissolved | ||
Founded | April 24, 1997 | ||
Headquarters | Osaka, Japan | ||
Key people | Yoshiki Okamoto | ||
Industry | Video game development | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Flagship (company) |
Flagship was a Japanese video game development company founded in 1997 by former Capcom developer Yoshiki Odamoto. The company was primarily funded by Capcom, Nintendo, and Sega, and a majority of their output was published by the three. They have developed entries in The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Resident Evil, Onimusha and Dino Crisis franchises. On June 1, 2007, Capcom folded Flagship into the main studio, effectively shutting the company down.
Content from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and Kirby: Squeak Squad, such as movesets, stickers, spirits, and music appear in Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate.
Characters from the Oracle games and The Minish Cap of The Legend of Zelda series also appear as stickers and spirits in Brawl and Ultimate.
In Ultimate, Leon S. Kennedy, who debuted in Resident Evil 2, appears as a spirit in the Spirit Board event Oust Resident Evil!
FromSoftware[edit]
FromSoftware, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | November 1, 1986 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Hidetaka Miyazaki: President Masanori Takeuchi: Senior Managing Director | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Employees | 332 | ||
Parent | Kadokawa Corporation | ||
Website | FromSoftware, Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | FromSoftware |
FromSoftware is a Japanese video game development company founded in November 1986 and a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation. The company is best known for developing the Armored Core games; as well as games in the "Soulsborne" subgenre, which comprise of action role-playing games of high difficulty, such as the Souls series; as well as Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring. The company has also developed Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village, a spinoff of the Monster Hunter franchise.
In Ultimate, the Felyne Mii headwear is based on the more cartoonish appearance of the main character from Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village.
Ganbarion[edit]
GANBARION Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Corporation | ||
Founded | August 13, 1999 | ||
Headquarters | Fukuoka, Japan | ||
Key people | Chikako Yamakura | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Planning/development of home video game software | ||
Revenue | 10,000,000 JPY (capital) | ||
Employees | 93 (April 2019) | ||
Website | GANBARION Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Ganbarion |
Ganbarion (stylized as GANBARION) is a Japanese video game company that primarily works as a planner and developer for other companies. They are best known for developing One Piece games with Bandai Namco; however, they also created Pandora's Tower for the Nintendo Wii, and co-developed Wii Fit U with Nintendo EAD.
Aeron and Elena from Pandora's Tower appear as a shared trophy in Smash for Wii U and individually as spirits in Ultimate.
The Wii Fit Trainer from Wii Fit U appears as a trophy in Smash for Wii U, as well, along with the music track "Core Luge", which returns in Ultimate alongside a new song "Training Menu - Wii Fit U".
Genki[edit]
Genki Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | October 16, 1990 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Hiroshi Hamagaki | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Parent | Daikoku Denki | ||
Website | Genki Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Genki (company) |
Genki is a Japanese video game developer and a subsidiary of Daikoku Denki. The company is best known for its racing games, particularly Tokyo Xtreme Racer (Shutokou Battle in Japan). They also developed a variety of other titles across multiple platforms, with one such example being the real-time strategy game Napoleon for the Game Boy Advance; while only released in Japan and France, it nonetheless is represented in Super Smash Bros.
In Ultimate, representing Napoleon, Alessandro Inzaghi, Napoleon's old friend and first commander, appears as a spirit.
Genius Sonority[edit]
Genius Sonority, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | Heart Beat: October 1992 Genius Sonority: June 2002 | ||
Headquarters | Nihonbashi, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Manabu Yamana | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 22 | ||
Website | Genius Sonority, Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Genius Sonority |
Genius Sonority is a Japanese video game development studio formed in 2001 and officially incorporated in June 2002, whose staff consists of programmers who have previously worked on the Dragon Quest series of video games in the now defunct Heart Beat Inc.; being Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation and Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past for the Super Famicom and PlayStation respectively. They are also known for developing Pokémon spin-off games for home consoles.
Only in Brawl, all Poké Ball Pokémon models are reused from the Wii game, Pokémon Battle Revolution. In Smash 4, Mewtwo has an alternate costume whose color scheme matches Shadow Lugia, the main Pokémon from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. The alternate costume would return in Ultimate.
In Ultimate, Eight's alternate costume whose color scheme matches Terry, the Hero from Dragon Quest VI and Dragon Quest VII appearing in Hero's Final Smash Gigaslash, and few spells from Hero's Command Selection like Magic Burst were sourced from these two games.
Good-Feel[edit]
Good-Feel Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | October 3, 2005 | ||
Headquarters | Hyogo, Japan | ||
Key people | Shigeharu Umezaki Etsunobu Ebisu Isono Yoshikazu | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 122 (2019) | ||
Website | Good-Feel Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Good-Feel |
Good-Feel is a Japanese video game developer that primarily works with Nintendo. The company got its start making educational video games for the Nintendo DS, but broke out into the mainstream with their first major title, Wario Land: Shake It! for the Nintendo Wii. The company has also developed Kirby's Epic Yarn, Yoshi's Woolly World, their respective ports for the Nintendo 3DS, Yoshi's Crafted World, Princess Peach: Showtime!, and Looksley's Line Up, as well as providing development support for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and StreetPass Mii Plaza.
While Wario Land: Shake It! was still in development by the release of Brawl, Wario's victory theme shares its melody with the Stonecarving City theme from the game. According to the composer, Tomoya Tomita, the theme was composed for Brawl first and then remixed in Shake It!. This track returns Smash for Wii U and Ultimate on the Gamer stage and, as of version 8.1.0 of Ultimate, Super Smash Bros. stages.
Woolly World, a stage based upon Yoshi's Woolly World, appears in Smash for Wii U, along with two versions of its main theme: "Yoshi's Woolly World (Remix)" and "Yoshi's Woolly World (Original)". The stage does not return for Ultimate, but the music tracks do. Yoshi gains an alternate costume based upon his appearance in Yoshi's Crafted World, which doubles as a fighter spirit. Yarn Yoshi and Yarn Poochy from Woolly World also appear as spirits.
The Captain and Robo-Bone from Mii Force appear as trophies in Smash for 3DS. The helmets worn by the Mii Force squad members can be equipped by Mii Fighters in both Smash for 3DS and Smash for Wii U. Gold Bone from Mii Force, along with The Shake King and Captain Syrup as they appear in Wario Land: Shake It!, Prince Fluff from Kirby's Epic Yarn, Peach & Stella and Swordfighter Peach from Princess Peach: Showtime!, Nico Fire from Slot Car Rivals, and Looksley from Looksley's Line Up all appear as spirits.
Google[edit]
Google LLC | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidary | ||
Founded | September 4, 1998 | ||
Headquarters | 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California, U.S. | ||
Key people | Sundar Pichai Ruth Porat | ||
Industry | Internet Advertising Artificial intelligence | ||
Employees | 114,096 (Q3 2019) | ||
Website | Google Search Alphabet, parent company | ||
Article on Wikipedia |
Google is an American technology company owned by the technology conglomerate Alphabet. It is best known for Google Search, a popular web search engine, and Google Chrome, a cross-platform web browser. In recent years they've branched out to other industries, including the smartphone industry with the Android operating system and the gaming industry with the cloud based gaming console Google Stadia.
After the 1.1.0 update in Smash for Wii U, it was possible to upload replay data to YouTube. After signing in with a Google account, users would be allowed to record and upload replay data to their YouTube and Miiverse accounts. As of the discontinuation of Miiverse on November 8, 2017, it is no longer possible to use this service.
As of version 3.0.0 of Ultimate, it is possible to upload replays to YouTube. After converting the replay data into a video, select the "Post" button. After naming the video, it will upload to the Smash World account that the uploader owns as well as an unlisted video on the official Super Smash Bros. YouTube Channel. A link will be provided on Smash World that can shared between people, saved to a playlist, or downloaded onto a PC and then uploaded to a personal YouTube channel. If the video is saved onto an SD card, it can be directly downloaded onto a PC, circumventing the previous steps.
Also in Ultimate, the spirit Ando Kensaku originates from And-Kensaku, a Wii game developed in collaboration with Google Japan themed around Google Search trends.
Grasshopper Manufacture[edit]
Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidary | ||
Founded | March 30, 1998 | ||
Headquarters | Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Goichi Suda | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 20 (2019) | ||
Parent | NetEase Games | ||
Website | Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Grasshopper Manufacture |
Grasshopper Manufacture is a Japanese video game developer founded by Goichi Suda, also known as Suda51. They are known for the No More Heroes series and Let It Die. In addition, they've developed titles for other publishers, including Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse with Nintendo and Tecmo as well as killer7 with Capcom.
"Grasshopper Manufacture Inc." is credited for the composition of "Marionation Gear". In addition, Grasshopper Manufacture's sound team helped provide the vocals for "Mike's Song (JP)", credited as "ghm sound team".
In Ultimate, Travis Touchdown, protagonist of the No More Heroes series, appears as a Mii Costume for Mii Swordfighter in Round 7. Later August 27, 2021, a spirit board event occured for No More Heroes III titled No More Heroes 3 and would feature three spirits from the franchise. Those being Travis himself, Full-Armor Travis (Full Green Mode) and FU (Jess-Baptiste VI).
Grezzo[edit]
GREZZO Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Limited | ||
Founded | December 2006 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Koichi Ishii | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 62 (2018) | ||
Website | GREZZO Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Grezzo |
Grezzo (stylized as GREZZO) is a Japanese video game developer that primarily works on The Legend of Zelda series with Nintendo, having assisted in developing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch). They also developed Miitopia's Switch port. It was the primary developer for Ever Oasis, and also worked on the Flower Town minigame for StreetPass Mii Plaza.
A few Zelda trophies in Smash for 3DS use their models from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. In Ultimate, Totem Link and Madame Couture from The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes appear as spirits, as do Link and the Owl from the Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. "Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes" and "Woodlands - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes" appear as music tracks, as well.
Mr. Mendel and Ms. Blossom from Flower Town appear as a shared trophy in Smash for 3DS.
From Ever Oasis, the male protagonist Tethu and the water spirit Esna appear as spirits. Two music tracks from the game, "Dawn in the Desert" and "Struggle Against Chaos", are available, only playing on Summit, Duck Hunt, and stages from non-playable universes.
Grounding[edit]
- "Grounding" redirects here. For the status, see Buried.
Grounding Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | September 2007 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Mineko Okamura | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Grounding Inc. |
Grounding is an independent video game developer based in Japan, primarily made up of former Sega employees. Among other downloadable titles, the company released Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword and Nintendoji in collaboration with Nintendo.
The Sakura Samurai appears as a collectible trophy in Smash for 3DS, and a remix based on the game, "Boss 1 (Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword)", plays on Luigi's Mansion in Smash for Wii U. Sakura Samurai returns as a spirit in Ultimate.
The titular character of Nintendoji, Kageshina Kurabe, appears as a collectible trophy in for 3DS and as a spirit.
h.a.n.d.[edit]
h.a.n.d. Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Kabushiki gaisha | ||
Founded | February 26, 1993 | ||
Headquarters | Sapporo, Japan | ||
Key people | Teruaki Matoba: Representative, president Toshinori Imata: Director, vice-president | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video Games | ||
Website | h.a.n.d. Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | h.a.n.d. |
h.a.n.d., abbreviation of Hokkaido Artists' Network and Development, is a Japanese video game development company that originally started as a service selling Macintosh hardware and software to universities. They are now known for collaborating with Square Enix and developing some of their IPs, such as The World Ends with You, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts.
The Chocobo headgear in Smash 4 is based on the main Chocobo character of the Chocobo sub-series, most closely resembling its appearance in Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon; the third game in the Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon trilogy in which the company participated as the main developer.
Xion from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days appears as a spirit in Ultimate. Additionally, some of Sora's voice clips are reused from Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded.
Headstrong Games[edit]
Headstrong Games | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | 2000 | ||
Headquarters | London, England | ||
Key people | Brynley Gibson: Head of Studios Mick Morris: Business Development Director Travis Winstanley: Games Investment Director | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video Games | ||
Website | Headstrong Games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Headstrong Games |
Headstrong Games was a London-based subsidiary of Kuju Entertainment, known for developing the Art Academy and Battalion Wars series for Nintendo, as well as The House of the Dead: Overkill for Sega. In 2017, Kuju decided to shift focus to contract game development and amalgamated all their resources, including Headstrong, into itself, effectively shutting down the company. The Art Academy series is Headstrong's only form of representation within the Super Smash Bros. games.
Vince, the player's teacher from the Art Academy series, appears as a collectible trophy in Smash for Wii U. Vince reappears as an Assist Trophy, a spirit, and a Mii Costume for Mii Swordfighters in Ultimate. The track "Swan Lesson" plays on the Duck Hunt stage in for Wii U only. The "Swan Lesson" music track returns in Ultimate.
Hudson Soft[edit]
Hudson Soft Co., Ltd | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | May 18, 1973 | ||
Headquarters | Midtown Tower, Tokyo Midtown Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo | ||
Key people | Takahashi Meijin Akira Sakuma Kazuhiko Uehara: President 2011‒2012 | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games, (formerly) consoles | ||
Employees | 421 (March 2011) | ||
Parent | Konami Digital Entertainment | ||
Website | Hudson Soft Co., Ltd | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Hudson Soft |
Hudson Soft was a Japanese video game publisher and developer. The company was known for the Bomberman, Adventure Island, Bloody Roar, and the Bonk series. They were also known for their partnership with NEC to develop video game consoles such as the TurboGrafx-16. Hudson Soft formally partnered with Nintendo to develop the Mario Party series all the way until 2007, with subsequent games being worked on by Nintendo subsidiary Nintendo Cube. In April 2011, Hudson was acquired by Konami, and in March 2012 the former company ceased to exist as it dissolved into Konami Digital Entertainment. Despite this, products and services will continue to be provided under the Hudson brand through Konami.
Ballyhoo & Big Top appear as a trophy in Brawl. The two and a Dice Block reappear as spirits in Ultimate.
In terms of stickers, Yoshi represents Mario Party 2; Millennium Star and Snifit represent Mario Party 3; Misstar, Muskular, and Eldstar represent Mario Party 5; a Bowser Space (erroneously referred to as "Bowser Coin"), Toadette, Toad, Brighton, and Twila represent Mario Party 6; Peach & Daisy as a group, Toad & Toadette as a group, Dry Bones, and a single Toad represent Mario Party 7; and a Dice Block, Ballyhoo & Big Top, and Chain Chomp represent Mario Party 8.
Bomberman, the protagonist of his titular series (now owned by Konami), appears in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy, a Mii Brawler costume, and a spirit as well.
Id Software[edit]
id Software LLC | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | February 1, 1991 | ||
Headquarters | Richardson, Texas, US Frankfurt, Germany | ||
Key people | Adrian Carmack John Carmack Tom Hall John Romero | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 200+ | ||
Parent | Zenimax Media Ltd. | ||
Website | idSoftware.com | ||
Article on Wikipedia | id Software |
Id Software LLC (spelled id Software) is an American video game publisher and developer. The origin can be traced back to the late 1980s when John Romero and Tom Hall met as employees of Softdisk. Together with Lane Roathe, another employee, that named themselves Ideas from the deep. At this time, Romero met another employee, John Carmack, who invented a way to create fluid screen scrolling on PC and created a demo that plagiarized Super Mario Bros. 3 titled Dangerous Dave in Copyright Infringement. All of them ended up working on a full demo of Mario 3 for PC and sent it to Nintendo. While Nintendo was impressed, they turned it down as they had no interest in putting their properties on anything but their own hardware at the time. Around this time, Scott Miller of Apogee software caught wind of these events and wanted to hire the group. He staged a guerilla recruitment process by sending several "fan" letters in rapid succession that the group discovered came from the same address. This was necessary because Softdisk screened all mail and his formal letters would have been thrown out. Romero, Hall, Carmack, and several other Softdisk employees ended up jumping ship to Apogee where they formally became id Software. They ended up developing several iconic franchises, including Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3-D, Doom, and Quake. The development of Quake in particular was notoriously stressful due to creative differences, with Romero and Carmack having a growing animosity for each other. This resulted in Romero and other staff members leaving the company around the same time. Still, the remaining members marched on and continued to make a steady output. In 2009, id was acquired by Zenimax Media as a subsidiary, with Zenimax itself being acquired by Microsoft in 2021.
The Doom Slayer from the id developed Doom franchise appears as a Mii costume, specifically using his design from Doom Eternal.
indieszero[edit]
indieszero Corporation, Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | April 21, 1997 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Masanobu Suzui | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 40 | ||
Website | indieszero Corporation, Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | indieszero |
indieszero is a Japanese video game development company that commonly works with Nintendo and Square Enix. Its catalog includes titles such as Sutte Hakkun, Electroplankton, Sennen Kazoku, the Shaberu! DS Oryōri Navi series, the NES Remix series, and Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido for Nintendo, and the Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles, and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory for Square Enix.
In Brawl, Hanenbow, a minigame from Electroplankton, appears as a stage. Several stickers from Electroplankton also appear: Nanocarp, Hanenbow, Volvoice, and an image of the Hanenbow stage (Referred to as "Electroplankton"). The Hanenbow stage returns after being absent from Super Smash Bros. 4. In Ultimate, a Hanenbow also appears as a spirit. Additionally, the Electroplankton theme from Brawl, called "Electroplankton (Original)", is now playable in My Music, alongside a new track from the series, "Electroplankton (Remix)" on stages from the "Other" and, as of version 8.1.0, "Super Smash Bros." categories.
In Brawl, several stickers from Sennen Kazoku appear: Cupit, Akuma, Kamisama, and the Aijou Boom no Ya. Cupit, now under the name "Cupid", from Sennen Kazoku returns as a spirit. Additionally, Hakkun from Sutte Hakkun and Musashi from Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido make their series debut as spirits.
The music track "Title Theme (NES Remix 2)" appears in the My Music for the Duck Hunt stage in for Wii U only. The track return in Ultimate and plays for stages from the "Other" and, as of version 8.1.0, "Super Smash Bros." categories.
The Chef from Shaberu! DS Oryōri Navi appears as a sticker. Also, a music track called "Shaberu! DS Cooking Navi", a remix of the title screen theme from the game of the same name, appears in the My Music for PictoChat. The series returns in Ultimate, now under the name "Personal Trainer: Cooking". The Chef from Personal Trainer: Cooking also returns as a spirit.
Most of the synthetized arrangements of the Dragon Quest series' soundtrack were sourced from Theatrhythm Dragon Quest, as part of Challenger Pack 2 alongside Hero.
The track "Dearly Beloved - Swing Version" from Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory appears as a bonus track as part of Challenger Pack 11 along with Sora if a save of the game is present on the Nintendo Switch. It is playable on Hollow Bastion and stages from the "Super Smash Bros." category.
Interplay Entertainment[edit]
Interplay Entertainment Corp. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | October, 1983 | ||
Headquarters | Los Angeles, California | ||
Key people | Brian Fargo Troy Worrell Jay Patel Rebecca Heineman Chris Wells Hervé Caen | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Interplay Entertainment Corp. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Interplay Entertainment |
Interplay Entertainment is an American video game developer and publisher. Founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions, the company quickly became a driving force in the industry, particularly on PC. In 2001, Titus Interactive acquired Interplay until 2005, when Titus went bankrupt and Interplay became independent once again. Interplay sold off many of its properties throughout the decade, most notably several properties were sold to Bethesda in 2007. Interplay has been the developer and publisher of many classic franchises, including Fallout, Clay Fighter, Baldur's Gate, Descent, Earthworm Jim, Icewind Dale, MDK, and Wasteland. Interplay also briefly collaborated with Nintendo for PC games like Mario Teaches Typing and Mario's Game Gallery.
In Ultimate, Vault Boy from the Fallout series, which Interplay created and published until 2007, appears as a Mii Costume.
Inti Creates[edit]
Inti Creates Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Kabushiki gaisha | ||
Founded | May, 1996 | ||
Headquarters | Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan | ||
Key people | Takuya Aizu | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Inti Creates | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Inti Creates |
Inti Creates is a Japanese game developer founded in 1996 by former Capcom employees. They have helped develop games in the Mega Man series, such as the Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX series, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man 10, as well as the Gal Gun, Azure Striker Gunvolt, and Mighty No. 9 series, with the lattermost co-developed by Comcept.
In Smash 4 and Ultimate, the first half of Mega Legends comes from Galaxy Man's Black Hole Bomb ability from Mega Man 9, who would appear as his own spirit in Ultimate. Additionally, "Flash in the Dark (Dr. Wily Stage 1)" and "We're Robots (Dr. Wily Stage 2)" from Mega Man 9 appear in Ultimate, with the former directly sourced, and the latter being a remix. In For Wii U, The Numetall enemy from Mega Man 10 is mentioned in the Mettaur trophy (albeit under the mistranslated name "New Met"). Also in Ultimate, Zero's artwork and appearance from Mega Man Zero appears as a spirit, as well as the song "Zero (Theme of ZERO (from Mega Man X))". Finally, Model X and Model ZX from the Mega Man ZX games appear as spirits.
Jupiter[edit]
Jupiter Corporation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | June 11, 1992 | ||
Headquarters | Kyoto, Japan | ||
Key people | Makoto Nakayama | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Net income | ¥≈500 million (2013) | ||
Website | Jupiter Corporation | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Jupiter Corporation |
Jupiter Corporation is a Japanese video game and hardware developer. Founded in 1992, the company primarily develops for handheld titles. Their main claim to fame is the Picross franchise, though they have also worked with Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Sega, Square Enix, and Disney, as well as a few original titles.
In Ultimate, Axel and Naminé, who first appeared in the Jupiter developed Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories appear as background characters and, in the case of Axel, spirits.
KeysFactory[edit]
KeysFactory, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | February 5, 2002 | ||
Headquarters | Shizuoka, Japan | ||
Key people | Soga Ki | ||
Industry | Entertainment industry | ||
Products | Video games, video game accessories, toys | ||
Revenue | ¥30,000,000 (capital) | ||
Website | KeysFactory, Inc. |
KeysFactory is a Japanese manufacturing company primarily known for creating video game accessories; they are officially licensed to manufacture accessories for Nintendo hardware. They additionally developed the Thru series of digital games.
In Smash 4, a trophy depicting three Guardians (King Prana, King Leo, and King Croco) from Ketzal's Corridors appears in Smash for 3DS.
Koei Tecmo[edit]
Koei Tecmo Holdings Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | July 31, 1967 (Tecmo) July 25, 1978 (Koei) April 1, 2009 (as Koei Tecmo) | ||
Headquarters | Yokohama, Japan | ||
Key people | Yoichi Kurakawa | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Koei Tecmo Holdings Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Koei Tecmo |
Koei Tecmo, formerly known as Tecmo Koei Holdings, is a Japanese holding company that consists of several video game studios and developers. Titles that fall under the Koei Tecmo name include Dynasty Warriors, Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, and Fatal Frame. With Nintendo, they exclusively developed Hyrule Warriors, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and Fire Emblem Warriors, the former two being spinoffs of The Legend of Zelda and the third of Fire Emblem, respectively. Finally, they played an instrumental part in the development of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The company is the result of a merger between Koei Co., Ltd. and Tecmo, Inc.; Tecmo originated titles such as Ninja Gaiden, Fatal Frame, and Dead or Alive, while Koei was known for Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors. Koei absorbed Tecmo in 2009, and the two companies completed their merger by 2010. The company has cooperated with Nintendo to co-develop and publish games in the Fatal Frame series as well as the Hyrule Warriors series and Fire Emblem Warriors.
Mayu from Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir appears as a trophy in Smash for 3DS, while Mio & Mayu Amakura from Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly appear as a shared trophy in Smash for Wii U and a shared spirit in Ultimate. Also in Ultimate, Yuri Kozukata, the main character of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, appears as an Assist Trophy and a spirit.
Samus' design as Smash 4, as well as some of Ridley's design elements, stages, trophies, music, and spirits from Metroid: Other M appear in Smash 4 and Ultimate respectively.
In Ultimate three new spirits based on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity were added on January 8, 2021, being Impa, Master Kohga, and the Diminutive Guardian. A spirit based on Persona 5 Strikers was added on March 4, 2021, being Sophia.
Byleth, the main protagonist of Fire Emblem: Three Houses appears as a playable character for Challenger Pack 5, with Three Houses content appearing as part of the same pack in Ultimate. They are also responsible for making the in-game dialogue for Byleth's reveal trailer.[2]
Kojima Productions[edit]
Kojima Productions Co.,Ltd | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | April 2005 | ||
Headquarters | Shinagowa, Japan | ||
Key people | Hideo Kojima | ||
Industry | Video game Industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 80 (2019) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Kojima Productions |
Kojima Productions is a prominent Japanese video game development studio founded in 2005 by video game designer Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series as well as the Lords of Shadow subseries for Castlevania. It was established as a subsidiary of Konami. Due to restructuring in the company, as well as a falling out during production of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions was closed and Kojima left Konami, canceling many projects in the process including Silent Hills, a game co-directed with Guillermo del Toro. After the split, Kojima would make the studio independent from Konami, developing the Death Stranding series, alongside Sony Interactive Entertainment and famous actors like Norman Reedus, who appears as the series protagonist. The first game was successful as it obtained multiple awards throughout 2019 and 2020, and accumulated over 10 million players exactly three years since its original release. A film adaptation of the series is also in production. Other, in production, games include OD and Physint, the latter being a successor to the Metal Gear franchise.
In Brawl, Snake along with the Metal Gear series make their debut in this game, and return in Ultimate after being cut from Smash 4. In addition, the FOXHOUND logo, also previously used for the Kojima Productions logo, is used as the Metal Gear series symbol, before replacing it with the iconic exclamation point from the franchise in Ultimate.
In Ultimate, Gabriel Belmont from the Lords of Shadow subseries of Castlevania appears as a spirit. Additionally, the Vampire Killer's appearance in Smash is based on its appearance here.
Level-5[edit]
Level-5 Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | October 1998 | ||
Headquarters | Fukuoka, Japan | ||
Key people | Akihiro Hino | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 300 (2020) | ||
Website | Level-5 Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Level-5 (company) |
Level-5 is a Japanese video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from the now defunct Riverhillsoft. Starting in 2007, the company started self-publishing its games in Japan, with other companies such as Nintendo handling publishing on the relevant platforms internationally. The company is best known for their Dark Cloud, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Ni no Kuni, Yo-kai Watch, and Snack World franchises. The company has also contributed in the developments of other third-party franchises, including the Dragon Quest series with Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King and Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS respectively.
In Ultimate, Eight, who is an alternate costume for the Luminary, the Luminary's alternate costume whose color matches Angelo, the Hero from Dragon Quest IX appearing in Hero's Final Smash Gigaslash, soundtracks from Dragon Quest VIII, and Psyche Up were sourced from these two games.
Liona Interactive[edit]
LIONA Interactive | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | February 3, 1997 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Masako Harada Keiichi Yano Takahide Hoshino Takashi Murakoshi | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Revenue | ¥275,000,000 (capital) | ||
Website | Liona Interactive | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Liona Interactive |
LIONA Interactive (formerly iNiS and inisJ) is a Japanese video game developer originally known for developing rhythm games; its original name stands for "infinite noise of the inner soul". It developed the Ouendan series and Elite Beat Agents in collaboration with Nintendo, as well as the Gitaroo Man series for the PlayStation family of consoles and The Experience sub-series for Ubisoft's Just Dance franchise. After restructuring, the company was reestablished under its current name in November 2016, and now works primarily as a producer and publisher.
In Brawl, Ryuta Ippongi and Hayato Saionji, collectively the Ouendan, appear as a shared trophy. Ryuta and Hayato both appear as individual stickers, along with Hajime Tanaka, Kai Doumeki, and Sayaka Amemiya, all representing the Ouendan series. In Ultimate, Ryuta Ippongi and Sayaka Amemiya both return as spirits, this time sharing a spot with their fellow back-up dancers: Atsushi Saitou and Ittetsu Suzuki for Ryuta (collectively the Ouendan) and Aoi Kanda and Anna Lyndhurst for Sayaka (collectively the Ouendan Cheerleaders).
From Elite Beat Agents, Agent J, Agent Derrick, and Agent Morris appear as a collective Elite Beat Agents trophy in Brawl, and as individual stickers alongside Commander Kahn. In Ultimate. J, Derrick, and Morris all return as a collective Elite Beat Agents spirit, while the Elite Beat Divas—Starr, Foxx, and Missy—also debut as a shared spirit.
Marvelous[edit]
Marvelous Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | June 25, 1997 (as Marvelous Entertainment) October 1, 2011 (as Marvelous Inc.) | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Haruki Nakayama Yoshiaki Matsumoto Toshinori Aoki Yasuhiro Wada | ||
Industry | Video game industry, Music industry, Anime industry | ||
Products | Video games, anime, albums, etc. | ||
Revenue | ¥20,330,000,000 (2014) | ||
Net income | ¥1,882,000,000 (2014) | ||
Employees | 184 (consolidated) | ||
Website | Marvelous Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Marvelous (company) |
Marvelous is a Japanese entertainment corporation with a focus on video games. Its current form is the result of a merger between Marvelous Entertainment Inc., AQ Interactive Inc., and Liveware Inc., of which Marvelous was the only remaining company. It is known for its involvement with series such as Story of Seasons, Senran Kagura, and No More Heroes. The company has also developed Daemon X Machina and has published Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.
In Ultimate, Travis Touchdown, the main character of the No More Heroes series, appears as a Mii Costume for Mii Swordfighters, using his appearance from Travis Strikes Again. Also in Ultimate, spirits from No More Heroes III have appeared in a Spirit Board event, namely No More Heroes 3.
Spirits from Daemon X Machina have appeared in a Spirit Board event for Ultimate, namely Arsenals at the Ready! DAEMON X MACHINA.
Finally, spirits from Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin have appeared in a Spirit Board event, namely Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.
Maxis[edit]
Maxis | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | 1987 | ||
Headquarters | Redshore, California | ||
Key people | Will Wright Jeff Braun | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Parent | Electronic Arts | ||
Website | Maxis | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Maxis |
Maxis is an American video game developer and a division of Electronic Arts. The studio was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun, and acquired by EA in 1997. Maxis is best known for its simulation games, including the SimCity, The Sims, and Spore.
Dr. Wright, the assistant from the Super NES version of SimCity, appears as a trophy in Melee, an Assist Trophy since Brawl, and a spirit in Ultimate.
MediaKite[edit]
MediaKite Distribution Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | April 3, 1991 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Noriyasu Kainuma | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Net income | ¥80,000,000 (2007) | ||
Employees | 35 (2007) | ||
Website | MediaKite Distribution Inc. (archive) |
MediaKite was a Japanese video game developer that went defunct on August 9, 2007. It was primarily used by other companies as an outsourced developer, creating ports of existing games like Yakuman DS, though it also developed some original titles, such as Kurikin Nano Island Story.
In Ultimate, a bacteria (known as Kurikin) from Kurikin Nano Island Story appears as a spirit.
MercurySteam[edit]
Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | 2002 | ||
Headquarters | Madrid, Spain | ||
Key people | Enric Álvarez Dave Cox | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 110 (2016) | ||
Website | Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | MercurySteam |
Mercury Steam is a Spanish video game development company known for their contributions to modern entries in the Castlevania series with the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series and the Metroid series with Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread.
In Ultimate, the crossguard on the Vampire Killer is taken from the Combat Cross in Lords of Shadow. Gabriel Belmont, the main character of Lords of Shadow, also appears as a spirit.
Three music tracks from Metroid: Samus Returns appear in Ultimate: Magmoor Caverns, Boss Battle 4, and End Results. The Metroid spirit and Samus's fighter spirit both use artwork from this game. Diggernaut is also introduced as a spirit. In addition, three spirits from Metroid Dread were introduced in the Spirits of Dread Spirit Board event, those being Samus (Metroid Dread), E.M.M.I., and a Chozo Soldier.
Midway[edit]
Midway Games Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | 1958 | ||
Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Revenue | Increase US$219.6 million (FY 2008) | ||
Net income | |||
Website | Midway Games Inc. (archive) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Midway Games |
Midway (formerly Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway) was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included Mortal Kombat, Rampage, Spy Hunter, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, and War Gods. Midway also acquired the rights to video games that were originally owned by Williams Electronics and Atari Games, such as Defender, Joust, Robotron: 2084, Gauntlet, and Rush. In addition, they held the North American distribution rights to the Pac-Man and Galaxian series, the former of which would receive a sequel developed under Midway titled Ms. Pac-Man. In February 2009, Midway Games filed in Delaware for bankruptcy. Warner Bros. purchased most of Midway's assets (including Mortal Kombat), and Midway settled with Mark Thomas to relinquish his Midway stock and debt. The U.S. District Court in Chicago dismissed a lawsuit alleging that former officers of Midway misled shareholders while selling their own stock. In 2010, the bankruptcy court dismissed claims against Redstone concerning his sale of the company to Thomas and approved Midway's plan of liquidation. Midway terminated the public registration of its securities in June 2010.
Ms. Pac-Man, a character originally created by Midway, appears as a background in the Pac-Land stage in Smash for Wii U and Ultimate, using her appearance from the Japanese version of the eponymous game.
Mistwalker[edit]
Mistwalker Corporation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | 2004 | ||
Headquarters | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Hironobu Sakaguchi Kensuke Tanaka Nobuo Uematsu | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 15 (2017) | ||
Website | Mistwalker Corporation | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Mistwalker |
Mistwalker is an American-Japanese video game development company founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series. The company was formed following Sakaguchi's resignation at Square Enix, due to pressure in regards to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within's box office failure. The company primarily develops role-playing games, such as The Last Story and ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat, which represent the company within Super Smash Bros.
The main characters of The Last Story, Zael and Calista, appear as collectible trophies in Smash for Wii U and spirits in Ultimate.
The protagonist of ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat, Princess Aisya, appears as a spirit in Ultimate.
Mitchell[edit]
Mitchell Corporation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | February 1, 1960 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Roy Ozaki Koichi Niida Nishimura Shin | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Mitchell Corporation (archive) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Mitchell Corporation |
Mitchell was a Japanese video game developer that primarily created puzzle games. Working with Nintendo, the company released Number Battle for the Nintendo DS in 2007, and a DSiWare installment of the game in 2009. The company went defunct on November 20, 2012.
In Ultimate, Hsien from Number Battle appears as a spirit.
Monster Games[edit]
Monster Games Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | November, 1996 | ||
Headquarters | Northfield, Minnesota | ||
Key people | Richard Garcia | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Monster Games Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Monster Games |
Monster Games is an independent American video game developer. Founded in 1996, they primarily develop racing games and ports of action and platformer games. They have worked with Nintendo to develop games for the Excite series, including Excite Truck, Excitebots: Trick Racing, and Excitebike: World Rally. They also worked on Pilotwings Resort and alongside Retro Studios and Monolith Soft to co-develop games in the Donkey Kong and Xenoblade Chronicles series.
Boulder from Excite Truck, as well as several other playable vehicles in the form of stickers and the main theme from Excite Truck appear in Brawl. Beetle from Excitebots appears in Ultimate as a trophy.
Pilotwings from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U features the Plane from the Monster Games developed Pilotwings Resort. The plane also appears as a trophy, and Turbo Jet and Pedal Glider appear as music tracks. The plane reappears in Ultimate as a spirit.
The Snomads Pointy Tuck, Fish Poker Pops, Pompy, the Presumptuous, and the Snomad Ship from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which Monster Games co-developed alongside Retro Studios, appear in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as trophies. Mangrove Cove and Swinger Flinger also appear as music tracks. Lord Fredrik returns as a spirit in Ultimate.
Muu Muu[edit]
muumuu co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games, mobile apps | ||
Website | muumuu co., Ltd. |
Muu Muu (stylized as muumuu) is a Japanese developer of video games and mobile apps, using a distinct hand-drawn artstyle. Collaborating with Nintendo, they released Make 10: A Journey of Numbers for the Nintendo DS in 2007 and Tsukutte Utau: Saru Band for the DSiWare service in 2010.
In Ultimate, Num Diddly, the player's guide from Make 10: A Journey of Numbers, appears as a spirit.
Prince Saruno, the main character of Tsukutte Utau: Saru Band, also appears as a spirit in Ultimate.
Nazca Corporation[edit]
Nazca Corporation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | May 1994 | ||
Headquarters | Osaka, Japan | ||
Key people | Kenzo Tsujimoto Yoshihiko Kodo | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Nazca Corporation |
Nazca Corporation was a Japanese video game developer that primarily developed arcade games. Founded by Kenzo Tsujimoto and several former Irem employees who were disgruntled by the inactivity at the company. They made a working relationship with SNK and developed Neo Turf Masters and Metal Slug for the Neo Geo family of consoles. SNK then absorbed the company at some point in 1996, retiring the brand, though the team continued on and developed Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X and Metal Slug 3. The team disbanded in 2001 when SNK went bankrupt.
In Ultimate, five music tracks from the first three Metal Slug games are playable on the King of Fighters Stadium stage: "Main Theme of Metal Slug - METAL SLUG", "Assault Theme - METAL SLUG 1-3", "Final Attack - METAL SLUG 1-6", "Judgment - METAL SLUG 2", and "Blue Water Fangs (The Island of Dr. Moreau) - METAL SLUG 3".
Next Level Games[edit]
Next Level Games, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidary | ||
Founded | October, 2002 | ||
Headquarters | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
Key people | Douglas Tronsgard (CEO) | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 98 | ||
Parent | Nintendo | ||
Website | Next Level Games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Next Level Games |
Next Level Games is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They were originally an independent developer that worked closely with Nintendo, developing titles such as the Mario Strikers series, the Luigi's Mansion sequels, Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Wii, and Metroid Prime: Federation Force. On March 1st, 2021, Next Level Games would be fully acquired by Nintendo, converting them into a first-party subsidiary.
The Soccer Ball item is inspired by the Mario Strikers series, including its tendency to catch on fire. The Striker Mario, Striker Daisy, and Kritter (Goalie) trophies in Brawl are taken directly from Mario Strikers Charged. Several stickers are taken from the series, as well. Waluigi and Petey Piranha's depictions from the Mario Strikers series appear as spirits in Ultimate.
Little Mac makes his debut as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 using his design from the rebooted Nintendo Wii installment. Doc Louis also appears as part of his taunts (voice only) and victory animations, with his English voice actor Riley Inge reprising the role. The Boxing Ring stage is based on the game's aesthetics and design. All Punch-Out!! trophies in Smash 4 and spirits in Ultimate use models and artwork taken directly from the Wii game, in addition to the music tracks "Minor Circuit (Original)", "World Circuit Theme", and "Title (Punch-Out!!)".
Luigi's Final Smash in Smash 4, the Poltergust 5000, is based on the updated Poltergust model from Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, which was developed by Next Level Games. It also appears as a trophy in Smash for 3DS, along with ghosts from the game and the Polterpup. The tracks "Luigi's Mansion Series Medley" and "On the Hunt -Gloomy Manor ver.- (Instrumental)" are based on songs from the game. Luigi's Final Smash is replaced in Ultimate with the Poltergust G-00 from Luigi's Mansion 3, which was not yet released at the time of Ultimate's debut. Luigi also uses the Poltergust G-00 for his grab and throws. Polterpup and the Poltergust 5000 appear as spirits. King Boo and Professor E. Gadd's depictions from Dark Moon also appear as spirits.
A Mech from Metroid Prime: Federation Force appears as a spirit in Ultimate, and the music track "Main Theme - Metroid Prime: Federation Force" is taken directly from this game.
Nintendo Cube[edit]
Nintendo Cube Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | March 1, 2000 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Hidetoshi Endo Shuichiro Nishiya | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Parent | Nintendo | ||
Website | Nintendo Cube Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Nintendo Cube |
Nintendo Cube, formerly NDcube, is a first-party video game developer fully owned by Nintendo. The company primarily develops party video games, in particular taking over the Mario Party series from Hudson Soft starting with Mario Party 9. It also developed the Wii Party series, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, and Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics.
"Minigame Theme (Mario Party 9)" from Mario Party 9 appears as a music track in Smash for Wii U and Ultimate. In addition, two tracks from Mario Party: Island Tour appear in Ultimate, those being "Title Theme - Mario Party: Island Tour" and "Rocket Road". A Dice Block and River Survival also appear in the same game as spirits to represent Super Mario Party. The song "Final Results - Wii Party U" appears in Smash for Wii U and Ultimate, and a spirit of Party Phil appears in the latter as well.
Noise[edit]
Noise Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | September 2, 1996 | ||
Headquarters | Nishigotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Shigeo Sasaki Kouji Kenjou | ||
Industry | Computer and video game industry | ||
Products | Video games and mobile apps | ||
Employees | 25 (April 2016) | ||
Website | Noise Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Noise (video game company) |
Noise (stylized as NOISE) is a second-party game developer partially owned by Nintendo. They are best known for developing the Custom Robo games, which have received consistent representation through the Super Smash Bros. series.
Ray Mk III from Custom Robo Arena, the successor to Ray Mk II, appears as an Assist Trophy in Brawl. Ray Mk III does not reprise its role as an Assist Trophy in Ultimate, but it does appear as an enhanceable spirit of Ray Mk II and a Mii Costume for Mii Gunners. Three Robos from Custom Robo V2, Ray Mk II, Bayonette, and Annie, appear as collectible trophies in Melee. Three trophies from the series appear in Brawl: Ray Mk III, Jameson & A.I.R.S., and a collective trophy for various robos throughout the series. In terms of stickers, Ray represents Custom Robo, Annie represents Custom Robo V2, a Robo Cube, Seal Head, Rakensen, and Ray 01 represent Battle Revolution, and Ray Mk III (mislabeled as "Ray MKIII") represents Arena. Ray Mk II and Bayonette return as spirits in Ultimate, along with a newcomer to the series Flare.
noisycroak[edit]
noisycroak Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Kabushiki gaisha | ||
Founded | March 19, 2004 | ||
Headquarters | Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Hideki Sakamoto (Representative Director) Hiroyoshi Kato (Executive Officer) Ken Inaoka (Fukuoka Branch Manager & Producer) Masataka Saito (Sound Designer) | ||
Industry | Music industry | ||
Products | Albums, composition | ||
Employees | 32 | ||
Website | noisycroak Co., Ltd. |
noisycroak is a sound production company specialized in video games founded in 2004 by musician Hideki Sakamoto. The company provided songs to many video game franchise since its inauguration, such as the Like a Dragon, AI: The Somnium Files, Mystery Dungeon, and Bloodstained series. They have also participated in Konami's music division, Bemani, with DanceDanceRevolution, GuitarFreaks and DrumMania, and jubeat.
Since Smash 4, the company has participated in arranging tracks with Hideki Sakamoto in Smash 4, and later Yasushi Asada and Keisuke Ito in Ultimate. The company is also listed in the credits for both games under "Music & Voice Cooperation". Additionally, Sakamoto was responsible on composing Ultimate's main theme, "Lifelight", along with providing singer Erina Koga for the Japanese version.
Outside of composers contributing in the Super Smash Bros. series, tracks composed or arranged by members of the company for other video game franchises were featured in Ultimate, like arrangements sourced from Castlevania Judgment in the Castlevania franchise.
omiyasoft[edit]
omiyasoft Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Limited | ||
Founded | January 1993 | ||
Headquarters | Saitama, Japan | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | omiyasoft Co., Ltd. |
omiyasoft is a Japanese video game developer best known for creating the Culdcept series.
The character Goligan appears as a trophy in Smash for 3DS. A remix of the title theme from the first 3DS installment, known simply as "Culdcept", plays on the Boxing Ring stage in Smash for Wii U. In Ultimate, Goligan returns as a spirit, along with Culdra, the goddess and mascot of the series, and Allen, the main protagonist of Culdcept Revolt. The "Culdcept" track returns, as well as two tracks from Culdcept Revolt: "Revolt -Striving for Hope-" and "Worthy Rival Battle". All three tracks only play on stages from the "Other" and, as of version 8.1.0, "Super Smash Bros." categories.
Pagodawest[edit]
PagodaWest Games LLC | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | September 2011 | ||
Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, United States | ||
Key people | CEO: Jared Kasl Tom Fry | ||
Industry | Video Games | ||
Employees | 5 (June 2021) | ||
Website | PagodaWest Games |
Pagodawest is an indie video game development team founded by Jared Kasl and Tom Fry. They specialize in games made for iOS and Android devices. They are also well known for co-developing Sonic Mania alongside Christian Whitehead and indie studio, Headcannon.
In Ultimate, "Lights, Camera, Action! (Studiopolis Zone Act 1)", ripped directly from Sonic Mania, appears and plays on stages from the "Sonic the Hedgehog" and, as of version 8.1.0, "Super Smash Bros." series. Portuguese composer Tee Lopes is also credited in the staff roll by name for Ultimate.
Param[edit]
Param | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | 1996 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Takao Kurebayashi, Kazutoshi Iida, and Yana | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Parent | Marigul Management | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Param (company) |
Param was a Japanese video game developer which is known for only developing a single game, Doshin the Giant for the 64DD and GameCube, as well as its 64DD expansion Kyojin no Doshin Kaihō Sensen Chibikko Chikko Daishūgō. In May, 2003, Marigul Management went into liquidation and its subsidiaries were either sold off or shut down. Param was one of the casualties of this liquidation.
In Melee, Doshin the Giant is represented via two trophies, both being the forms that the Giant can take, Love Giant (Doshin) and Hate Giant (Jashin) (with the former holding an islander in his hands).
ParityBit[edit]
ParityBit Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games |
ParityBit is a Japanese video game developer that primarily creates sports video games like the Derby Stallion series, though not much else is known about them. They developed the Calciobit series with Nintendo, which is their sole representation in Smash.
A trophy for Nintendo Pocket Football Club, depicting two Blue Team soccer players, three Red Team soccer players, and a referee, appears in Smash for 3DS under the name "Athletes" in North America and "Football Players" in PAL regions. A single Pocket Football Player returns in Ultimate as a spirit.
Plato[edit]
PLATO CORPORATION | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | May 31, 1987 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Asakura Kosuke: President | ||
Industry | Entertainment | ||
Products | Video games, mobile apps | ||
Revenue | ¥38,000,000 (capital) | ||
Employees | 10 | ||
Website | PLATO CORPORATION |
Plato (stylized as PLATO CORPORATION) is a video game and mobile app developer. Plato is best known for their involvement in the development—as well as publishing in Japan—of a handful of Nintendo DS titles, being English Training and the Japan-exclusive Sing & Play DS Guitar "M-06", later reworked by Plato and localized by Ubisoft to other regions as Jam Sessions.
In Brawl, Dzuke-chan, the host of the Japanese version of English Training, appears as a sticker.
Prope[edit]
PROPE Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | May 23, 2006 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Yuji Naka | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Software planning and development | ||
Website | PROPE Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Prope |
Prope (stylized as PROPE) is an independent Japanese developer founded by Yuji Naka, a former employee of Sega. Known primarily for developing casual video games targeted at a general demographic as well as Rodea the Sky Soldier, they also assisted in developing the Monster Manor and Ultimate Angler minigames for StreetPass Mii Plaza. Following Naka's arrest on accounts of insider trading in 2022, the company has effectively shut down.
Iris Archwell and the Demon King Arzodius from Monster Manor appear as trophies in Smash for 3DS and spirits in Ultimate, with Coraline from Ultimate Angler, Shinobu from Ninja Launcher, and Crispin from Feed Mii.
Q-Games[edit]
Q-Games | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | August 9, 2001 | ||
Headquarters | Kyoto, Japan | ||
Key people | Dylan Cuthbert Kenkichi Shimooka | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Q-Games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Q-Games |
Q-Games is a Japanese development company formed by Dylan Cuthbert, a former developer for Argonaut Games, who assisted Nintendo in the 3D graphics technology used in developing X and Star Fox. They are known for developing the Pixeljunk series, as well as successors to the Star Fox series, such as Star Fox Command and Star Fox 64 3D, as well as X-Scape for DSiWare.
The Star Fox characters in Brawl are partially based upon their designs from Star Fox Command, combined with their designs from Star Fox Assault. A trophy, Falco (Command), and several stickers also represent the game. The latter half of "Theme from Area 6 / Missile Slipstream" in Smash 4 is taken from Star Fox Command. Also in Smash 4, the Star Fox characters are now based upon their designs from Star Fox 64 3D, including Falco's voice actor, Mark Lund. "Theme from Area 6 / Missile Slipstream" returns in Ultimate. Dash Bowman from Star Fox Command and Andross from Star Fox 64 3D appear as spirits.
The track "Tunnel Scene (X-Scape)" in Smash 4 is taken from X-Scape. The "Tunnel Scene - X-Scape" track also returns in Ultimate.
Racjin[edit]
Racjin Co. Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Limited | ||
Founded | 1995 (as Racdym) 2000 (as Racjin) | ||
Headquarters | Osaka, Japan | ||
Key people | Tetsuo Nakano | ||
Industry | Entertainment | ||
Products | Video games, mobile games, pachinko games, music production | ||
Website | Racjin Co. Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Racjin |
Racjin (formerly Racdym) is a japanese multimedia company that specializes in video games, pachislot systems, and music production. Originally founded in 1995, the company changed it's name in 2000 to make their name easier to pronounce for native Japanese speakers.
The company is best known for developing several Bomberman titles, the Snowboard Kids series, and several titles based on properties from Weekly Shonen Jump. They have also helped Nintendo and Sega with the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series.
In Ultimate, Princess Aisya from ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat, which Racjin co-developed alongside Mistwalker, appears as a spirit.
Also in Ultimate, the spirit artwork for Silver the Hedgehog is sourced from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.
Red Entertainment[edit]
Red Entertainment | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | 1976 (as the Red Company) December 4, 2000 (as Red Entertainment) | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Ohji Hiroi | ||
Industry | Entertainment | ||
Products | Video games, mobile games, pachinko games, animation, etc. | ||
Revenue | ¥105,969,632 (capital) | ||
Website | Red Entertainment | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Red Entertainment |
Red Entertainment (formerly known as the Red Company) is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily focuses on video games. They are best known for creating the Sakura Wars franchise with Sega, as well as the Bonk series for the TurboGrafx-16 and the Fossil Fighters series, as well as Project Hacker: Kakusei, with Nintendo.
A collective trophy of Jura, Tria, and Nibbles from Fossil Fighters: Frontier appear as a collectible trophy in Smash for 3DS, with Nibbles returning as a spirit in Ultimate alongside a T-Rex from the original Fossil Fighters. In addition, the "Battle Start - Fossil Fighters: Frontier" theme from Fossil Fighters: Frontier is added, only playing on Summit, Duck Hunt, stages from non-playable universes, and, as of 8.1.0, stages under the Super Smash Bros. categories.
Satoru Amatsubo, the main protagonist of Project Hacker: Kakusei, appears as a spirit.
Sandlot[edit]
Sandlot | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | March 12, 2001 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Shiro Kuroda | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Sandlot | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Sandlot (company) |
Sandlot (stylized as SANDLOT) is a Japanese video game developer known for creating titles with unusual control schemes. Working with Nintendo, the company developed Chōsōjū Mecha MG for the Nintendo DS and Zangeki no Reginleiv for the Nintendo Wii, both of which are represented in Super Smash Bros.
Warrior Mech Gauss, HM Mech Rosa, and Musketeer Daltania appear as both collectible trophies and stickers in Brawl, while Ningyou Kouchuu Viigaru appears solely as a sticker. The music track "Marionation Gear" is remixed from Chōsōjū Mecha MG, playing on the Norfair stage. "Marionation Gear" returns in Smash for Wii U, once again playing on the Norfair stage. Warrior Mech Gauss returns as a spirit in Ultimate. "Marionation Gear" once again returns, now only playing on stages from the "Other" and, as of version 8.1.0, "Super Smash Bros. categories..
Frey and Freya, the main characters from Zangeki no Reginleiv, appear as individual trophies in for Wii U. Frey and Freya return as a shared spirit in Ultimate.
Saru Brunei[edit]
Saru Brunei Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | 1996 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Gento Matsumoto | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games |
Saru Brunei (credited in Ultimate as Sarubrunei) was a Japanese video game developer that worked in collaboration with Nintendo to create Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest. The company became defunct after the liquidation of Marigul Management in May of 2003.
A creature named Alpha from Cubivore appears as a trophy in Melee. As the game was still in development, it is credited as a "Future Release". A pig from Cubivore appears as a spirit in Ultimate.
SFB Games[edit]
SFB Games Limited | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | September 2, 2002 | ||
Headquarters | London, England | ||
Key people | Tom Vian Adam Vian | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | SFB Games Limited | ||
Article on Wikipedia | SFB Games |
SFB Games is an independent video game developer based in London, England. Notably, it was originally named Super Flash Bros. after the Super Smash Bros. series. As its name implies, the company was originally started by two brothers, Tom and Adam Vian, developing games in Adobe Flash; after incorporating, the studio went on to create Snipperclips for the Nintendo Switch.
In Ultimate, Snip and Clip, the main characters of Snipperclips, appear as a shared spirit. Additionally, the music track "Noisy Notebook" is remixed from the same game.
Shift[edit]
Shift | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | April 1996 | ||
Headquarters | Kanagawa, Japan | ||
Key people | Yuichi Sugiyama | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 66 | ||
Website | Shift |
Shift (stylized as shift) is an independent Japanese video game developer. Though they primarily develop titles for the PlayStation family of consoles, they also developed And-Kensaku, a party game for the Nintendo Wii.
In Ultimate, Ando Kensaku, the host of And-Kensaku, appears as a spirit.
Shueisha[edit]
Shueisha Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Kabushiki gaisha | ||
Founded | 1925 | ||
Headquarters | Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Marue Horiuchi | ||
Industry | Publishing | ||
Products | Magazines, manga, picture books, light novels, educational books, reference books, and other books | ||
Revenue | ¥28.97 billion (2014) | ||
Net income | ¥37.56 billion (2016) | ||
Employees | 757 (2019) | ||
Website | Shueisha Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Shueisha |
Shueisha is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Manga magazines published by Shueisha include the Jump magazine line, which includes shonen magazines Weekly Shōnen Jump, Jump SQ, and V Jump, and seinen magazines Weekly Young Jump, Grand Jump, and Ultra Jump. They also publish other magazines, including Non-no. Shueisha, along with Shogakukan, owns Viz Media, which publishes manga from both companies in North America.
In Smash 4 and Ultimate, Shogakukan-Shueisha Production, a production company co-owned by Shueisha, is listed in the credits under "Music and Voice Cooperation".
In Ultimate, Karin from the Street Fighter series, who originated from the Shueisha published manga, Street Fighter: Sakura Ganbaru!, appears as a spirit.
Hero's Final Smash Gigaslash originated from the manga Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump, and previously translated as Gigabreak, before making its video game debut in Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation. Additionally, explained during the Mr. Sakurai Presents "Hero" video, some of Hero's animations were inspired by mangaka artist Akira Toriyama, famous for working on the Dragon Ball franchise and as character designer for the Dragon Quest franchise, which some of his works were published by the company—Toriyama himself appears in Ultimate's credits. Furthermore, in one of Sakurai's YouTube videos "Assigning Animations", he confirmed that some of Hero's animations that were similar to Toriyama's combat animation were removed or altered to fit with the Luminary's model instead of Erdrick's, as the main costume was swapped to the former during development.[3]
Silicon Knights[edit]
Silicon Knights | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | 1992 | ||
Headquarters | Ontario, Canada | ||
Key people | Denis Dyack Michael Mays | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Silicon Knights (archive) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Silicon Knights |
Silicon Knights was a video game development company based in Ontario, Canada. They are best known for creating the Legacy of Kain series of games and the psychological horror game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, the latter of which was developed in partnership with Nintendo; together with Konami, they also developed Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, a remake of Metal Gear Solid. Following a failed legal battle with Epic Games over unauthorized use of the Unreal Engine for nearly ten years, thus forcing all unsold copies of Too Human and X-Men Destiny to be destroyed, Silicon Knights filed for bankruptcy on May 16, 2014. Regardless, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem receives representation in Super Smash Bros. due to Nintendo owning the game's copyright.
In Brawl, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is mentioned in the origins section for Snake, Gray Fox, Cardboard Box, and Metal Gear RAY's trophies when mentioning their other appearances.
In Ultimate, Alexandra Roivas, the main protagonist of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, appears as a spirit.
Skip[edit]
skip Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | July 2000 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Hiroshi Suzuki Kenichi Nishi Keita Eto | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 34 | ||
Website | skip Ltd. (archive) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Skip Ltd. |
Skip (stylized as skip) was a Japanese video game development company that worked closely with Nintendo. They have most notably created the Chibi-Robo! series and Captain Rainbow, as well as GiFTPiA and the bit Generations/Art Style anthologies. On March 29, 2024, Hiroshi Moriyama, a director of the Chibi-Robo! series, confirmed in a tweet that Skip Ltd. has shut down.[4]
Chibi-Robo appears as a collectible trophy, along with his motivator, Telly. Several characters from the series also appear as stickers: Chibi-Robo (one in a stationary pose and one running), Telly, and Papa represent the original Chibi-Robo!, while Chibi-Robo and a Free Ranger represent the sequel Chibi-Robo!: Park Patrol. Chibi-Robo and a Chibi-Tot as they appear in Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder appear as a shared trophy in Smash for 3DS. A costume based on Chibi-Robo is available for Mii Gunners in Ultimate. Chibi-Robo, who can be enhanced into Super Chibi-Robo, Telly, and a Chibi-Tot all return as spirits, alongside a newcomer to the series, Drake Redcrest.
The logos for 5 out of the 7 games of the bit Generations series, referred to as "Digiluxe" in-game, appear as stickers in Brawl. The games include Orbiter, Chromatron, Boundish, Digidrive, and Rotohex.
Captain Rainbow from the eponymous game, as well as the obese version of Little Mac, appear as trophies in Smash for Wii U. A music track called "Tomorrow's Passion" appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as a track for the Boxing Ring stage. Captain Rainbow returns as a spirit in Ultimate, as well as his real identity, Nick. "Tomorrow's Passion" returns, now only playing on Summit, Duck Hunt, and stages from non-playable universes.
Mappo, the robot police chief from GiFTPiA, appears as a spirit.
Softnica[edit]
Softnica | |||
---|---|---|---|
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | Softnica |
Softnica (formerly Pax Softnica) is a Japanese video game developer that formerly worked with Nintendo. Aside from providing development support for EarthBound Beginnings, EarthBound, and Pokémon Snap, they also developed Shin Onigashima, Yūyūki, Mole Mania, and Hajimari no Mori. They currently work as an independent company.
Donbe and Hikari, the main characters of Shin Onigashima, appear as a trophy. Donbe returns as an individual sticker in Brawl, and the track "Shin Onigashima" is available on Summit. Only the track "Shin Onigashima Medley" returns in Smash for Wii U, it is available on Boxing Ring. Donbe and Hikari return in Ultimate as a shared spirit and can be enhanced into their older selves from the game's second disk. "Shin Onigashima Medley" also returns.
In Ultimate, Goku and Chao, the main characters of Yūyūki, debut as a shared spirit, along with the music track "Yūyūki Medley".
In Ultimate, Muddy Mole, the main protagonist of Mole Mania, appears as a spirit.
In Ultimate, Komurasaki from Hajimari no Mori, referred to as "Girl from Hajimari no Mori", appears as a spirit.
Spike Chunsoft[edit]
Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | Chunsoft: April 9, 1984 Spike: October 18, 1991 Merger: April 1, 2012 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Koichi Nakamura: Founder Mitsutoshi Sakurai: CEO Shin-ichiro Tomie: Writer Kojiro Nakajima: Composer Tokihiro Naito (Former employee) Kazutaka Kodaka (Former employee) | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Revenue | ¥480.9 million (capital, 2024) | ||
Net income | ¥793.8 billion (2024)[5] | ||
Employees | 225 (2022) | ||
Parent | Kadokawa Corporation | ||
Website | Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Spike Chunsoft |
Spike Chunsoft is a Japanese video game development studio best known for creating role-playing and visual novel games. The company is the result of a merger between Chunsoft Co., Ltd.—founded by Dragon Quest programmer Koichi Nakamura, the company who developed Portopia Serial Murder Case, the early Dragon Quest titles, Sound Novel games, Mystery Dungeon and Zero Escape series—and Spike Co., Ltd.—who developed the Danganronpa, Fire Pro Wrestling and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series. The company has previously collaborated with Sega for publishing some of their games in the 2000's, including the critically acclaimed game 428: Shibuya Scramble. The company also provides development support to other companies: they assisted with Nintendo, collaborated with Red Entertainment, and Bandai Namco for games related to the Weekly Shōnen Jump set of mangas. The company has also a western division for publishing and publishes western games in Japan, one being the Crypt of the NecroDancer series, including the Zelda themed Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer feat. The Legend of Zelda. Prior to the merging with Spike, both companies became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation. Chunsoft also originally developed the early Dragon Quest titles up to Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride for the NES and Super Famicom respectively. The Mystery Dungeon series appears as a dependent universe in the Super Smash Bros. series, in that case depending in the Final Fantasy universe.
The Chocobo headgear in Smash 4 is based on the main Chocobo character of the Chocobo series, most closely resembling its appearance in Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon; the third game in the Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon trilogy. The headgear returns in Ultimate and is updated to its latest appearance, being Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!, the remake of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon.
In both versions of Smash 4, Wentworth and Emperor Fynalle from Warrior's Way appear as trophies, while a collective trophy of Jura, Tria, and Nibbles from Fossil Fighters: Frontier appears exclusively in for 3DS. In Ultimate, Nibbles from Fossil Fighters: Frontier returns as a spirit. In addition, the track "Battle Start - Fossil Fighters: Frontier" from Fossil Fighters: Frontier is sourced from this game, and is playable on stages from the "Other" and, as of version 8.1.0, "Super Smash Bros." categories.
In Ultimate, Erdrick and Solo, who are alternate costumes for the Luminary, the alternate costumes of Erdrick and Solo whose colors matches the Hero of Dragon Quest V and Dragon Quest I respectively, the Hero from Dragon Quest I, Dragon Quest II and Dragon Quest V appearing in Hero's Final Smash Gigaslash, most spells from Hero's Command Selection and in their moveset, Mii costumes such as Martial Artist and Erdrick, soundtracks from Dragon Quest III and Dragon Quest IV, and monsters appearing as spirits and stage elements for Yggdrasil's Altar, like the Slime, were sourced from games prior to Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation.
Studio MDHR[edit]
Studio MDHR | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | October 25, 2013 | ||
Headquarters | Oakville, Ontario | ||
Key people | Chad Moldenhauer Jared Moldenhauer | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Website | Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc. |
Studio MDHR is a Canadian independent game development studio mainly known for the development of the run-and-gun game Cuphead.
In Ultimate, a downloadable costume for Mii Gunners based on Cuphead is available as downloadable content. Purchasing the costume will also unlock the "Floral Fury" music track, sourced from Cuphead. Additionally, in a Spirit Board event that began on February 14th, 2020 and lasted for 5 days, four characters from Cuphead were added as spirits: Cuphead, Mugman, the Devil, and King Dice.
Supergiant Games[edit]
Supergiant Games, LLC. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | 2009 | ||
Headquarters | San Francisco, California, U.S. | ||
Key people | Amir Rao | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Employees | 23 (2023) | ||
Website | Supergiant Games, LLC. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Supergiant Games |
Supergiant Games is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in San Francisco. It was founded in 2009 by Amir Rao and Gavin Simon, and is known for the games Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and the Hades series.
In Ultimate, Zagreus from Hades appears as a spirit in the Sentinels, Gods, and Baseball Spirit Board event.
Suzak[edit]
Suzak Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | defunct | ||
Founded | June 26, 2000 | ||
Key people | Masahiro Yonezawa | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Website | suzak.com (archive) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Suzak Inc. |
Suzak Inc. was a Japanese game development studio. They have worked with companies like Atlus, Nintendo, and other companies, often developing games based on the F-Zero, Devil Children, and Wario series, as well as help develop Dokapon Journey of the Dokapon series, among other games. The company filed for bankruptcy on August 17, 2012.
In Ultimate, Count Cannoli from the Suzak developed Wario: Master of Disguise appears as a spirit.
Syn Sophia[edit]
syn Sophia, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | June 19, 1995 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Shuji Yoshida Tamura Oya | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Arcade games, video games | ||
Employees | 70 (2016) | ||
Website | syn Sophia, Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | syn Sophia |
syn Sophia is a video game development company formerly known as The Man Breeze and AKI Corporation. Previously known for wrestling titles, the company restructured under its current name in 2007; it now primarily develops series aimed toward young girls, such as PriPara and Nintendo's Style Savvy. They have also collaborated with Square Enix to develop Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai - Xross Blade for arcades and Sega to co-develop the Kurohyō games in the Yakuza series for the PlayStation Portable.
Evie, the owner of the shop in the Japanese and PAL versions of Style Savvy: Trendsetters, appears as a trophy in Smash for 3DS. Interestingly, Evie is referred to as "Michaela" in the North American version of for 3DS, who was a distinct character that replaces Evie in North American versions of Trendsetters. There are also two music tracks that play on the Wuhu Island stage in Smash for Wii U: "Style Savvy: Trendsetters" and "Pop Fashion Show". The girl who appears on the Japanese cover of the first Style Savvy game referred to as "Shop Assistant" appears as a spirit in Ultimate. "Style Savvy: Trendsetters" and "Pop Fashion Show" both return, along with the addition of the vocal song "Ring a Ding" from Style Savvy: Styling Star, "Ring! Dong! Dang!" in the Japanese version.
Taito[edit]
Taito Corportation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | August 24, 1953 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Koichi Ishii Tetsu Yamada Yukio Lizawa | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Arcade games, video games | ||
Employees | 645 (2018) | ||
Parent | Square Enix | ||
Website | Taito Corporation | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Taito |
Taito is a video game development company known for its arcade titles, such as Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble. Originally founded as a trading company, the corporation is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix, though the Taito brand name continues to be used separately. Within the Super Smash Bros. franchise, Taito is represented through their sound department Zuntata and by the game Takt of Magic, a role-playing game for the Nintendo Wii.
Taito's in-house sound department, Zuntata, did several music remixes: "Kapp'n's Song", "The Mysterious Murasame Castle Medley", and "Wii Shop Channel". In addition to the former musics from Smash 4 returning in their respective universes, "Staff Credits - Kirby's Dream Land", "We're Robots (Dr. Wily Stage 2)" and "Splattack! (Remix)" appear as new music remixes in Ultimate. "Wii Shop Channel" is named now as "Wii Shop Channel (Remix)" due to the inclusion of original Wii Shop Channel track being back from Brawl.
Orville, the protagonist of Takt of Magic, appears as a spirit.
Technōs Japan[edit]
Technōs Japan Corp. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | December 1981 | ||
Headquarters | Nakano, Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Kunio Taki: President | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Technōs Japan |
Technōs Japan was a Japanese video game publisher and developer. The company was known for the Kunio-kun and Double Dragon series, as well as being the developer of Karate Champ. After the bankruptcy of the company in 1996, the rights to their former IPs would be acquired by Million Co., who would later sell all of them to Arc System Works in 2015.
In Brawl, Super Spike V'Ball and Nintendo World Cup, both games previously owned by Technōs, are mentioned in Chronicle. The licensing rights for the two games were owned by Million Co., at the time.
In Ultimate, four spirits from Kunio-Kun appeared in the River City Smash Spirit Board event in Ultimate, those being Kunio, Riki, Goda, and the brothers Ryuchi & Ryuji (who both share a spirit).
The Tetris Company[edit]
The Tetris Company, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Incorporated | ||
Founded | June 1996 | ||
Headquarters | Nevada, USA | ||
Key people | Alexey Pajitnov Henk Rogers | ||
Industry | Licensing | ||
Products | Video games Multi-Media | ||
Parent | Tetris Holding, LLC Blue Planet Software | ||
Website | The Tetris Company, Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | The Tetris Company |
The Tetris Company (TTC) is a joint venture between Tetris Holding LLC and Blue Planet Software that owns the exclusive rights to the Tetris brand and handles licensing with third parties, similar to The Pokémon Company. Prior to its founding, the Tetris brand was solely owned by Elektronorgtechnica (Elorg), a former Soviet agency that was privatized after the fall of the USSR in 1991. TTC was originally founded in 1996 as a joint-venture between Elorg and Blue Planet Software, a company run by Henk Rogers and Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov. Henk bought out Elorg in 2005, and Alexey left Blue Planet to found Tetris Holding, which would co-own TTC with Blue Planet.[6] A biopic movie based on the franchise's origins and its company released in 2023. The Tetris Company has worked with Nintendo several times, including games like Tetris DX, Pokémon Tetris, Tetris DS and Tetris 99. All Tetris content in the Super Smash Bros. series is also owned by The Tetris Company.
Starting in Brawl, "Tetris: Type A" and "Tetris: Type B" appear as music tracks in almost every entry since, with only Type B skipping Smash for 3DS. Five spirits depicting different Tetrimino shapes were also added via the Attack of the Tetriminos! Spirit Board event. The singular spirits include the I, T, and O shapes, while shared spirits include the S & Z shapes and the L & J shapes.
TOSE[edit]
Tose Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | November 1979 | ||
Headquarters | Kyoto, Japan | ||
Key people | Yasuhito Watanabe Shigeru Saito | ||
Industry | Interactive entertainment | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 1,000 (2015) | ||
Website | Tose Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Tose (company) |
Tose (stylized as TOSE) is a Japanese game development company that often collaborates with other companies, typically going uncredited. Working with Nintendo, the company's most notable franchise is The Legendary Starfy; it also developed the Game & Watch Gallery series and Super Princess Peach, among many other titles where it remains uncredited.
Starfy, then known as Stafy, makes his debut as an Assist Trophy in Brawl. Starfy and his sister, Starly (then known as Stapy), appear as collectible trophies. Perry, Peach's parasol companion from Super Princess Peach, also appears as a trophy. Starfy returns as an Assist Trophy in Smash 4 and Ultimate, and also appearing as a spirit for the latter title. Moe, and Mattel all return as spirits, along with newcomers to the series Old Man Lobber and the Mermaid. Perry also returns as a spirit. Several stickers from the series are available: Herman (Yadokarita) and Starfy represent Densetsu no Stafy, a Chonmagyo and Starfy wearing the Aloha Shirt Stuff represent Densetsu no Stafy 2, Seiuchi-kun and Starly represent Densetsu no Stafy 3, and, Moe (Kyorosuke) and Mattel (Materu) represent Densetsu no Stafy 4. Perry also appears in two stickers, one while being carried by Peach and the other solo.
In Ultimate, two of Hero's spells, Kafrizz and Zapple, originate from the TOSE developed Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker and appear as the character's neutral and side special moves respectively.
Traveller's Tales[edit]
Traveller's Tales | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Subsidiary | ||
Founded | 1989 | ||
Headquarters | Knutsford, England | ||
Key people | Jon Burton Andy Ingrand David Dootson | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Parent | TT Games (2005-present) Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | ||
Website | Traveller's Tales | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Traveller's Tales |
Traveller's Tales is a British video game developer and a subsidiary of TT Games. Traveller's Tales was founded in 1989 by Jon Burton and Andy Ingram. Initially a small company focused on its own content, it grew in profile through developing games with larger companies such as Sega and Disney Interactive Studios. They are primarily known for developing games based on the Danish construction toy Lego since Lego Star Wars: The Video Game's release in 2005. Soon after, Traveller's Tales acquired its publisher, Giant Interactive Entertainment, and the two formed TT Games, with Traveller's Tales becoming its development arm and Giant Interactive becoming TT Games Publishing. Within the Sonic the Hedgehog series, they are known for co-developing Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic R alongside Sonic Team.
In Brawl, "Super Sonic Racing", the main theme of Sonic R which was sourced from the game, appears and plays on Green Hill Zone. The track returns in Ultimate, and plays on stages from the "Sonic the Hedgehog" and, as of version 8.1.0, "Super Smash Bros." categories.
Treasure[edit]
Treasure Co., Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | June 19, 1992 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Masato Maegawa | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Employees | 20-30 (2009) | ||
Website | Treasure Co., Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Treasure (company) |
Treasure is a Japanese game development company that primarily creates run and gun and shoot 'em up games. Though they are best known for their collaborations with Sega, such as Gunstar Heroes, McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure and Dynamite Headdy, they also developed some titles in collaboration with Nintendo, such as Sin and Punishment and Wario World, both of which represent the company within Super Smash Bros.
Saki Amamiya, the main character of Sin and Punishment, appears as an Assist Trophy, in which he uses his Dolphin Gun for a combination of either slash attacks or shooting his opponent. Saki returns as an Assist Trophy in Smash 4, and both a costume for Mii Gunners and a spirit in Ultimate. Isa Jo, Saki's son as he appears in Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, appears as a support spirit.
A sticker of the Wario World symbol appears as a collectible sticker in Brawl. Wario's forward throw originates from Wario World.
Ubisoft[edit]
Ubisoft Entertainment | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public (Symbol: UBI) | ||
Founded | March 12, 1986 | ||
Headquarters | Montreuil, France | ||
Key people | Yves Guillemot: Chairman & CEO Serge Hascoët: CCO Alain Martinez: CFO | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Revenue | 1,731.894 million EUR (2018) | ||
Net income | 139.452 million EUR (2018) | ||
Employees | 13,742 (2018) | ||
Website | Ubisoft Entertainment | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Ubisoft Entertainment |
Ubisoft, formerly known as Ubi Soft, is a French video game company. They are mainly known for developing games for franchises such as Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed, Tom Clancy, Raving Rabbids, Rayman, and Just Dance as well as publishing games such as Brawlhalla, a fighting game inspired by the Super Smash Bros. games, and the modern South Park role-playing games, which drew heavy inspiration from Nintendo titles.
Ubisoft's Rayman franchise is represented in Smash for Wii U through collectible trophies of the series' main characters, Rayman and Globox, as well as Barbara from Rayman Legends. Rayman returns later in Ultimate as a primary spirit, and using the artwork from Rayman Legends. Additionally, the Rabbids subseries is represented with spirits of Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Peach, and Rabbid Kong from the crossover title Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Later in 2020, a Rabbid hat appears as a downloadable hat for all Mii Fighters.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad from the first Assassin's Creed game appears as a downloadable Mii Swordfighter costume in Ultimate.
Vanillaware[edit]
Vanillaware Ltd. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Yūgen gaisha | ||
Founded | 2002 | ||
Headquarters | Osaka, Japan | ||
Key people | George Kamitani | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Employees | 29 (2019) | ||
Website | Vanillaware Ltd. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Vanillaware |
Vanillaware is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka, founded in 2002 as an independent company by George Kamitani, a game developer who had previously worked at Capcom and Atlus, and directed Princess Crown for the Sega Saturn. The company was previously known as Puraguru. Beginning as a small studio developing Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion for Enix, in 2004 the company moved to Osaka, Kansai, and changed its name. Kamitani wanted Vanillaware to create successor projects to Princess Crown, beginning with Odin Sphere.
In Ultimate, a combined spirit of the protagonists from 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim appears in the Sentinels, Gods, and Baseball Spirit Board event.
Vanpool[edit]
Vanpool, Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Defunct | ||
Founded | 1999 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Taro Kudo Kazuyuki Kurashima | ||
Industry | Entertainment | ||
Products | Video games, computer software, toys | ||
Website | Vanpool, Inc. (archive) | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Vanpool (company) |
Vanpool was a Japanese development company that created video games, computer software, and toys. Within the gaming industry, they were most known for developing the Dillon's Rolling Western series; they had previously developed Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland and Irodzuki Tingle no Koi no Balloon Trip, a pair of games starring Tingle from The Legend of Zelda series. Vanpool became defunct on May 31, 2023.
Three stickers from Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland appear in Brawl: Tingle, Barkle, and Pinkle.
Dillon, the main protagonist of his titular series, appears as an Assist Trophy in Smash 4, in which he continuously uses Roll Attacks at the opponent before charging a final, extra-charged Roll Attack. Dillon returns in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy, now sporting his appearance from Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers. A shared trophy of Gallo, Boone, and Nomad, three mercenaries from The Last Ranger that help Dillon, appears in Smash for 3DS. Dillon and his companion Russ later appear as spirits, both using their artwork from Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers. The music track "Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger", the version of the main overworld theme from The Last Ranger, plays on Pilotwings in Smash for Wii U. In Ultimate, two music tracks from the Dillon series are included: "Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger", returning from for Wii U, and a new track, "Frontier Battle", the overworld Grock Invasion theme from Dead-Heat Breakers.
Vitei[edit]
VITEI Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Public | ||
Founded | 2002 | ||
Headquarters | Kyoto, Japan | ||
Key people | Giles Goddard | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | VITEI Inc. |
Vitei (stylized as VITEI) is a Japanese development company which, like Q-Games, was founded by a former Argonaut Games employee: Giles Goddard, who was involved with the 3D graphics technology used in X, Star Fox, and Super Mario 64. The company developed the Steel Diver series and Tank Troopers with Nintendo.
The Steel Diver item is based on the BlueShark submarine from the eponymous game. It, alongside the Manatee and the Serpent submarines, appear as a collective trophy in Smash for 3DS. The BlueShark also appears as a spirit in Ultimate. The music track "Filled with Hope" from Steel Diver: Sub Wars also debuts in said game.
The "Garage" theme from Tank Troopers is also available as a music track.
Vivarium[edit]
VIVARIUM Inc. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | April 4, 1996 | ||
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Key people | Yoot Saito | ||
Industry | Video game industry | ||
Products | Video games, computer software | ||
Website | VIVARIUM Inc. | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Vivarium Inc. |
Vivarium (stylized as VIVARIUM and formerly known as OPeNBooK, which it is credited as within Super Smash Bros.) is a Japanese development company that develops video games and computer software, known for creating The Tower series and Seaman. Their sole representation in the series comes from the game The Tower SP.
In Ultimate, Yama, the boss from The Tower SP, appears as a spirit.
WayForward Technologies[edit]
WayForward Technologies | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Private | ||
Founded | 1990 | ||
Headquarters | Valencia, California | ||
Key people | Voldi Way: Founder John Beck: CEO Matt Bozon: Creative director | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Website | WayForward Technologies | ||
Article on Wikipedia | WayForward Technologies |
WayForward Technologies is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. They are mainly known for original series such as Shantae and Mighty, sequels to existing franchises such as Contra 4 and Double Dragon Neon, and re-imaginings of dormant properties such as A Boy and His Blob, Capcom's DuckTales, and Nintendo's Nintendo Wars series with Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp.
In Ultimate, Shantae from the eponymous series appears as a spirit, alongside series antagonist Risky Boots. Later in 2021, Shantae would appeared as a DLC Mii Brawler costume. With the costume, it includes the track "Burning Town" from Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, and is playable on stages from the "Other" and "Super Smash Bros." categories.
Yacht Club Games[edit]
Yacht Club Games | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | Privately held company | ||
Founded | 2011 | ||
Headquarters | Valencia, California | ||
Key people | Sean Velasco | ||
Industry | Video games | ||
Products | Video games | ||
Employees | 5 (as of July 2014) | ||
Website | Yacht Club Games | ||
Article on Wikipedia | Yacht Club Games |
Yacht Club Games is an American independent video game development studio founded in 2011 by former WayForward Technologies director Sean Velasco. On March 14th, 2013, the company announced their first title, Shovel Knight, on Kickstarter, and released it on June 26th, 2014. The project had a goal of $75,000, and reached over four times the amount in nearly a month's time, with the total amount reaching $311,502. In 2016, the company announced that it would start publishing games from other companies, and that their first published game would be Azure Striker Gunvolt and its sequel, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, compiled into one game: Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack.
In Ultimate, Shovel Knight, the star of the titular game, appears as an Assist Trophy. He uses his shovel to dig the ground, hitting opponents with the dirt and occasionally pulling up items, as well as hopping on opponents with it. Shovel Knight, Plague Knight, King Knight, Specter Knight, and Shield Knight all appear as spirits as well.
Credited companies[edit]
The following companies were credited throughout the Super Smash Bros. franchise, although their roles are smaller than the companies above. These roles include being credited solely out of legal obligation, being hired to create content specifically related to the Smash series, or owning the copyright to an asset that another company made and appears in one or more games in the Smash series.
- 4Kids Entertainment was an American licensing company that specialized in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment. It was responsible for providing some Pokémon voices in the English versions of 64 and Melee, including the fighter Jigglypuff and some Pokémon from Poké Balls and Saffron City. 4Kids Productions, the production subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment, is credited in 64 for their Pokémon voices. Although 4Kids stopped being involved with Pokémon in 2005, the voice clips it provided for Jigglypuff, Snorlax, Goldeen, and Bellossom have continued to be used in later Smash games. Additionally, Sonic and Shadow's voice actor from the anime Sonic X, Jason Griffith, first voiced both characters in that dub, and would later reprise the role in Brawl.
- Ancient Corp. is a Japanese video game development company run by composer Yuzo Koshiro, founded in 1990 along with members of his family. The company is known for co-working with franchises such as the Shenmue and Actraiser series, whilst Yuzo has contributed in Nihon Falcom's Ys, Sega's Streets of Rage, and Atlus's Etrian Odyssey series. Ancient is credited exclusively for any arrangements made by his author since Brawl. Yuzo Koshiro is also credited in the staff roll by name for Ultimate.
- ANIMA is a Japanese animation studio. The studio produces animation and trailers for other companies, mostly products from Nintendo's IP. The company is responsible for making the animation for Lucina and Robin's Smash 4 reveal trailers.[7]
- Armor Project is a company run by Dragon Quest's creator and scenarist, Yuji Horii, founded in 1985. Horii has created the company primarily for the development of properties from this franchise and has an exclusive production contract with Enix, now Square Enix. The company was credited for Mii Costumes related to the franchise in Ultimate. Yuji Horii is also credited in the staff roll by name for Ultimate.
- avex entertainment is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate that specializes in music acts and licensing. Founded on June 1, 1973 as Avex D.D. Incorporated and established in 1988, Avex has grown into one of the largest talent agencies in the world, overseeing the management of popular groups like AKB48, Breaking Benjamin, and Katy Perry, as well as the A-Nation concert series. They had some involvement with the soundtrack of the 2015 video game, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE, a pseudo-crossover between Fire Emblem and Megami Tensei. The likenesses of several AKB48 members appear in a special trailer for Smash for 3DS. Subsidiary avex music publishing Inc. is credited for owning the copyright to "Ring a Ding" from Style Savvy: Styling Star, which appears in Ultimate. Avex manages artist MARICO, who wrote the lyrics alongside composer Kazuaki Yamashita.
- Bird Studio is a manga and design production studio founded by late Akira Toriyama in 1983, following the success of the Dr. Slump series. The company was credited for Mii Costumes related to the Dragon Quest franchise in Ultimate. Akira Toriyama is also credited in the staff roll by name for Ultimate.
- CoroCoro Comic is a popular manga magazine geared towards elementary school-aged children. Starting in 1977, the CoroCoro magazine and its spinoffs have been the home to many of the most popular manga franchises ever created, including tie-in manga to various Nintendo properties. One of these tie-in manga is The Nintendo All-Stars Free-For-All! Smash Brothers, which was a one-shot chapter published in January 1999.
- DCT Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Japan and is primarily associated with the band Dreams Come True, of which the label is named after. Dreams Come True, particularly band member Masato Nakamura, was the primary composer for the soundtracks of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, meaning the rights to those songs belong to the label under Nakamura's name, which is reflected in the copyright for the tracks from the two aforementioned games that appear in Brawl onward. Masato Nakamura is also credited in the staff roll by name for Ultimate.
- Designwave Co., Lt. is a music production company founded by Masato Koda in 2008. Koda through Designwave has arranged numerous tracks for the series in Brawl onward, as well as composed the tracks in the games Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., Fire Emblem Fates and Hey! Pikmin that appear in the Smash series.
- Digital Media Lab is a company in Japan known for producing consumer game software, smartphone apps, and xR content, among other content related to CGI production. The company has a list of main clients for contributing to its content, such as Nintendo. They are responsible for making half of Smash 4's reveal trailers.[7]
- Digital Frontier, also called Frontier Pictures, is a motion picture and CG production company based in Japan. They are responsible for making Mega Man's reveal trailer in Smash 4,[7] and later, Isabelle's reveal trailer in Ultimate.[2] Additionally, Nina Williams' spirit artwork is taken from the film Tekken: Blood Vengeance, which was produced by Digital Frontier.
- Domerica is a Japanese animation studio that utilizes digital animation techniques for video production. They are also known for working on anime adaptation of video game franchises, whether they are used for in-game cutscenes like in the Persona franchise, or for a full season like The World Ends With You. In Ultimate, they are responsible for making the animation for Joker's reveal trailer during The Game Awards 2018.[2]
- EMI Music Japan was a record label founded in 1960 as Toshiba Musical Industries before being acquired by british record label EMI Group Limited in 1973 and changing to Toshiba-EMI before Toshiba fully sold its stake in 2007. EMI itself was bought by Universal Music Group in 2012, who then shut down it and its subsidiaries and restructured them as EMI Records in 2013. During the Toshiba-EMI era, the label managed the group Strawberry Flower, comprising of songwriter and instrumentalist Gan Matsumoto and vocalist Tomoe Watanabe, who created the songs Ai No Uta and Ai No Uta (french version) for Pikmin, and Tane No Uta for Pikmin 2, all of which appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
- FILM SCORE LLC is a music production company owned and operated by Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi since 1999. Primarily known for creating music for film and television, the duo also created music for several video games. Film Score is credited for the arrangement of "Menu (Melee): Ver. 2" for Smash 4 (renamed to Battlefield - Super Smash Bros. Melee (for 3DS / Wii U) in Ultimate), as well as "Snake Eater" in Ultimate. The company also helped distribute Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: A Smashing Soundtrack.
- GASCOIN Co., Ltd. (also known as GASCOIN Company) is an audiovisual company. It is mainly known for producing the GameCenter CX series for Fuji TV. Gascoin helped Masahiro Sakurai in the production and recording of Mr. Sakurai Presents presentations for Nintendo across their regional YouTube channels.
- Kai Graphics (stylized as KAI GRAPHIC) is a Japanese software developer and production studio that primarily develops custom software for internal use by corporations, as well as assisting the development of video games. In Ultimate, artwork used for Gigaslash is directly sourced from Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road Victory, which Kai Graphics developed.
- Kenji Ito is a well known composer who started his career with SquareSoft on the SaGa and Mana series before becoming freelance in 2001 and composing music for several companies. Ito owns the copyright to all music tracks from the Culdcept series, including all remixed tracks that appear in the Smash series.
- KIRKCOPHONY LLC is a music production company run by Scottish composer Grant Kirkhope, founded in 2016. Kirkcophony is credited in Ultimate for the arrangement of "Spiral Mountain". Grant Kirkhope is also credited by name in Ultimate.
- M2 Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer. Founded in 1991 but only acknowledged public in 1993, M2 is known for delivering high-quality Arcade ports, remakes, and fidelity emulation of old games for consoles and PCs. This includes the various Virtual Console services on the Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and the Nintendo Switch Online service. The company has also developed the 2D animation engines E-Mote and CheeseWare. M2 is credited on Smash 4 and Ultimate for the tracks "Duck Hunt Medley" and "Wrecking Crew Medley", both arranged by Manabu Namiki.
- Midiplex Co., Ltd. is a music production company run by Japanese composer Yoko Shimomura, founded in 2002 after the release of the first Kingdom Hearts game. Along with the aforementioned franchise, she is known for composing music in the Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, and Mario series, the lattermost for the Mario & Luigi spin-off series and Super Mario RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Rabbids starting with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. The company is credited exclusively for any arrangements made by her author since Brawl. Yoko Shimomura is also credited in the staff roll by the name for Ultimate.
- MONACA is a music production company founded by Keiichi Okabe in 2004, known for working on the soundtrack of the Nier series. Okabe through MONACA is credited for the arrangement of "Dark World / Dark World Dungeon" and "Ashley's Song (JP) Ver. 2" in Smash 4 and "Ground Theme - Super Mario Bros. 2" in Ultimate, with "Aerith's Theme" later added as downloadable content. Keiichi Okabe is also credited in the staff roll by name for Ultimate.
- Naru2 Co., Ltd. is a music production company founded by Michiko Naruke. Naru2 is credited for the arrangement of "Stickerbush Symphony in Brawl, "Full Steam Ahead" in Smash 4, and "Bloody Tears/Monster Dance" in Ultimate, with "Mad Monster Mansion" and "Let's Go to Seoul!" later added as downloadable content.
- NexTone Co., Ltd is a copyright agency from Japan that manages digital rights for musical works. Despite not being referenced in Ultimate, but rather, appearing only on the official website when the region is set to Japan, the NexTone License Number for Ultimate is ID000003763. Initially, such license ID from NexTone was not available on the website and it only appeared on the bottom of the website when Hero was released as part of Challenger Pack 2 in Fighters Pass, which implies NexTone worked in licensing Dragon Quest music for Ultimate.
- PROCYON STUDIO (named Our Millennial Fair internationally) is a record label founded by former Square composer Yasunori Mitsuda in 1999. He is acknowledged for contributing music in the Chrono and Xeno franchise. Mitsuda through Procyon has composed several music tracks that appear in the Super Smash Bros. series, including all tracks from Soma Bringer, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country alongside several collaborators. Mitsuda himself has composed several remixes for the series, including "Vs. Marx" and "World Map (Pikmin 2)" for Brawl, and "Forest/Nature Area" and "Mii Plaza" for Smash 4.
- Sanzigen is a Japanese animation studio specializing in CGI animation, founded in 2003, then later becoming formally incorporated in 2006 by former employees of Gonzo, and has contributed to various anime series, films, and video games. In Ultimate, they are responsible for making the animation for Byleth's reveal trailer.[2]
- Shaft (also known as Studio Shaft) is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Suginami, and founded in 1975. Since 2004, the studio's productions have been broadly influenced by director Akiyuki Shinbo, whose visual style and avant-garde cinematography are featured in works. In Smash 4, they are responsible for making the animation for Palutena and Dark Pit's reveal trailers.[7]
- SMILE PLEASE CO. Ltd. is a freelance music production company owned and operated by Nobuo Uematsu since 2004. Uematsu through Smile Please composed "Super Smash Bros. Brawl Main Theme" for Brawl. Uematsu was also the main composer of Final Fantasy VII and a co-composer for the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, of which two tracks were introduced in Smash 4 and nine more were added to Ultimate as of version 10.0.0 as downloadable content.
- Sound Prestige LLC. is a music production company founded by Masafumi Takada in 2008, known for working on the soundtrack of the Danganronpa franchise. Sound Prestige is credited for the arrangement of multiple tracks in Smash 4 and Ultimate. Masafumi Takada is also credited in the staff roll by name for Ultimate.
- Sugiyama Kobo Co., Ltd. is a music production company run by late Japanese composer of the Dragon Quest franchise and Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer series, Koichi Sugiyama. The company is credited in Hero's reveal trailer, as Sugiyama's Symphonic Suite arrangements were used throughout the trailer, and in Ultimate for the franchise's synthesized soundtrack. Koichi Sugiyama is also credited in the staff roll by name for Ultimate.
- TARGET ENTERTAINMENT INC. is a music and sound production company that is primarily outsourced by other companies since 2005. The company is credited exclusively for any arrangements made by them since Brawl.
- Toby Fox is a trademark run by his eponymous director, Toby Fox, known for creating the Undertale franchise. The company is credited for the Sans Mii Costumes and the new arrangement "MEGALOVANIA" in Ultimate. Toby Fox is also credited in the staff roll for Ultimate.
- Unique Note Co., Ltd is a music production company founded by Tetsuya Shibata and Yoshino Aoki in 1995 that primarily works on video game soundtracks. Unique Note is credited for the arrangement of "Ground Theme / Underground Theme (Super Mario Bros.)" in Smash 4 as well as "Lost Painting", "Prelude (Ablaze)", and "Wrecking Crew Medley" in Ultimate.
- Wham-O is an American-based toy company founded in 1948 that has made and distributed many iconic children's toys. One of these toys is the Frisbee, of which they have registered the trademark to the name and are subsequently credited in the Disc Dog trophy in Smash for Wii U in Europe where it is named Frisbee® Dog. Another toy is the Hula Hoop, of which they have registered the trademark to the name and are also subsequently credited in the Canadian French version of Ultimate, where Wii Fit Trainer's Super Hoop is named Super Hula Hoop™.
References[edit]
- ^ https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-04-born-slippy-the-making-of-star-fox
- ^ a b c d Take a look back at Super Smash Bros. fighter reveals with Masahiro Sakurai! – Part 2. Nintendo (March 31, 2022). Retrieved on March 31, 2022.
- ^ 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai on Twitter. Twitter (September 18, 2022). Retrieved on September 18, 2022.
- ^ Hiroshi Moriyama on Twitter. Twitter (March 29, 2024). Retrieved on July 9, 2024.
- ^ スパイク・チュンソフト、24年3月期決算は最終利益3.8%増の7億9300万円と増益…『レインコード』や『風来のシレン6』が貢献 (ja). gamebiz (July 18, 2024). Retrieved on September 22, 2024.
- ^ The Man Who Won Tetris - Gamasutra
- ^ a b c d Take a look back at Super Smash Bros. fighter reveals with Masahiro Sakurai! – Part 1. Nintendo (March 24, 2022). Retrieved on April 2, 2022.
Companies involved in the Super Smash Bros. series | |
---|---|
First- and second-party | Nintendo (Monolith Soft · Retro Studios) · HAL Laboratory · Game Freak · Creatures · Intelligent Systems · Rare Ltd. · Sora Ltd. |
Third-party | Konami · Sega (Atlus) · PlatinumGames · Capcom · Bandai Namco · Square Enix · Microsoft (Rare Ltd. · Mojang Studios) · SNK · Disney |
Other related | Game Arts · Hatena · Havok · Paon DP · Tri-Crescendo · List of companies with minor representation |