Irem Software Engineering, Inc.
Moby ID: 2163
- Irem Corp. (from 1979 to 1997)
- IPM - Former company name (from 1974 to 1979)
Overview edit · view history
Based in Hakusan, Japan, Irem was founded 1974 under the name IPM (International Playing Machine). The company initially manufactured, sold, and rented arcade hardware cabinets. Their first arcade game was IPM Invader (1978). Later they shifted the focus to console game development, their most popular series being R-Type.
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake Irem announced the cancellation of two long in development PlayStation 3 titles: Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 4 and Bumpy Trot 2. Soon afterwards Kazuma Kujo, director on both games as well as many of Irem's previous console games, left the company along with other key staff to form Granzella inc. This was followed by Irem delisting all of their PSN and XBLA games and PlayStation Home spaces, with the exception of PachiPara games. As of 2012 only Spelunker HD has been relisted due to Tozai Games, the owner of the Spelunker license, purchasing the rights from Irem.
Credited on 148 Games from 1978 to 2021
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History +
- December 2001
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Irem establishes a development branch in Osaka.
- 1998
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The publishing department of Irem Corporation is sold to Apies.
- July 1997
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Took over management from Irem Corporation.
- July 1997
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Irem Software Engineering Inc. takes over the development department of Irem Corporation and absorbs it.
- April 15, 1997
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Eizo Nanao founds Irem Software Engineering Inc.
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Trivia +
Oddly enough, IREM's USA representative in the early eighties was called REMI, Inc.
IREM is short for International Rental Electronics Machines.
Irem originally stood for "International Rental Electronics Machines", however in the mid-1980s they changed the abbreviation to mean: "Innovations in Recreational Electronic Media"
Related Web Sites +
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Irem Software Engineering, Inc.
official site
Frequent Collaborators
Companies- 21 games with DotEmu SAS
- 17 games with Irem America Corp.
- 10 games with HAMSTER Corporation
- 9 games with Tamtex
- 5 games with Brøderbund Software, Inc.
- 5 games with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
- 4 games with Bits Studios Ltd.
- 4 games with Hudson Soft Company, Ltd.
- 4 games with Agetec, Inc.
- 4 games with Activision Publishing, Inc.
- 20 games with Kazuma Kujo
- 15 games with Kazuhiro Masuda
- 15 games with Yoshiyuki Yoshita
- 15 games with Takaha Sha
- 14 games with Minoru Yoshita
- 14 games with Miyabi Tashiro
- 13 games with Ginta Ito
- 13 games with Yoshio Hatakenaka
- 13 games with Masato Ishizaki
- 12 games with Daikoku Azuma
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