Yuke's
Type | Kabushiki gaisha |
---|---|
Industry | Video games |
Founded | 26 February 1993 |
Founder | Yukinori Taniguchi |
Headquarters | , |
Products | WWE 2K series (2000–2018)[1] |
Number of employees | 192 (January 2021) |
Website | www |
Yuke's Co. Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. It was established on 26 February 1993 by Yukinori Taniguchi. The company is best known for their development of the WWE video game series, until the release of WWE 2K19.
History[]
Founded in 1993, Yuke's was named after founder Yukinori Taniguchi's high school nickname. The first two games that the company developed were the platform game Hermie Hopperhead and the pro wrestling game Toukon Retsuden.[2] The latter title was a best-seller in Japan.[3] Though Activision purchased the rights to publish the game in North America and began localization work,[3] only the first game was localized, becoming Power Move Pro Wrestling with a different roster of wrestlers.
After a string of successful Toukon Retsuden titles, the company began to develop wrestling games for THQ based on the World Wrestling Federation. They were recommended to THQ by Aki, who had developed their own successful line of wrestling games.[2]
From 2005 to 2012, Yuke's also owned 54% of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the top professional wrestling promotion in Japan. It was also their DVD production house.
In August 2019, 2K Games announced it had moved WWE 2K game development away from Yuke's to California-based studio Visual Concepts.[4] Earlier that year, Yuke's had revealed its frustration over what it had been able to achieve with recent WWE 2K games and suggested that its relationship with publisher 2K Sports was partly responsible. Producer Hiromi Furuta revealed that Yuke's had established a new development team tasked with creating a rival wrestling IP, with the intention of reinvigorating its staff.[5] On November 10, 2020, All Elite Wrestling announced an upcoming console game with Yuke's, led by Def Jam Vendetta and WWF No Mercy director, Hideyuki "Geta" Iwashita.[6]
Games developed[]
These are the list of games that the company developed.[7]
Year | Title | Publisher(s) | Platform(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden | Tomy | PlayStation |
1995 | Hermie Hopperhead: Scrap Panic | SCEI | |
1996 | New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 2 | Tomy | |
1997 | Ucchannanchan no Honō no Challenger: Denryū Iraira Bō | Hudson Soft | Nintendo 64 |
1998 | |||
1998 | Tomy | PlayStation | |
1998 | Soukaigi | SquareSoft | |
1998 | Hudson | Nintendo 64 | |
1999 | Evil Zone | Titus Software | PlayStation |
1999 | Last Legion UX | Hudson | Nintendo 64 |
1999 | Tomy | Dreamcast | |
1999 | Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage | ASCII Corporation | |
2000 | WWF SmackDown! | THQ | PlayStation |
2000 | WWF Royal Rumble | Arcade, Dreamcast | |
2000 | WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role | PlayStation | |
2000 | The Pro Wrestling 2 | D3 Publisher | |
2001 | WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It | THQ | PlayStation 2 |
2002 | EOE: Eve of Extinction | Eidos Interactive | |
2002 | D3 Publisher | ||
2002 | WWE WrestleMania X8 | THQ | GameCube |
2002 | WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth | PlayStation 2 | |
2003 | WWE WrestleMania XIX | GameCube | |
2003 | WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain | PlayStation 2 | |
2004 | Online Pro Wrestling | Yuke's | |
2004 | WWE Day of Reckoning | THQ | GameCube |
2004 | Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō | Sammy Corporation | PlayStation 2 |
2004 | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw | THQ | |
2004 | Rumble Roses | Konami | |
2005 | Yuke's | ||
2005 | WWE Day of Reckoning 2 | THQ | GameCube |
2005 | Yuke's | PlayStation 2 | |
2005 | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 | THQ | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
2005 | Wrestle Kingdom | Yuke's | Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 |
2006 | The Dog: Happy Life | PlayStation Portable | |
2006 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 | THQ | PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable |
2007 | The Dog Island | Ubisoft | PlayStation 2, Wii |
2007 | Wrestle Kingdom 2 | Yuke's | PlayStation 2 |
2007 | Petz Catz 2, Petz Dogz 2 | Ubisoft | PlayStation 2, Wii |
2007 | Go! Sports Ski | SCEI | PlayStation 3 |
2007 | Neves | Atlus | Nintendo DS |
2007 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 | THQ | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 |
2007 | Bandai Namco Entertainment | PlayStation 2 | |
2008 | Double D Dodgeball | Yuke's | Xbox 360 |
2008 | Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Gundam Meisters | Bandai Namco Entertainment | PlayStation 2 |
2008 | Idea Factory | PlayStation Portable | |
2008 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 | THQ | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 |
2009 | WWE Legends of WrestleMania | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS | |
2009 | UFC 2009 Undisputed | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
2009 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 | Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 | |
2010 | UFC Undisputed 2010 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable | |
2010 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 | |
2011 | Real Steel | Yuke's | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
2011 | WWE '12 | THQ | PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 |
2012 | UFC Undisputed 3 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
2012 | WWE '13 | PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 | |
2013 | Pacific Rim | Yuke's | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
2013 | WWE 2K14 | 2K Sports | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
2014 | WWE 2K15 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
2015 | WWE 2K16 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows | |
2016 | WWE 2K17 | ||
2017 | WWE 2K18 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | |
2018 | WWE 2K19 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
2019 | Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain | D3 Publisher | PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows |
2020 | Earth Defense Force: World Brothers | PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows | |
TBA | Untitled All Elite Wrestling console game | AEW Games | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
References[]
- ^ Andy Robinson. "2K splits with veteran WWE studio Yuke's". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
- ^ a b Ekberg, Brian (November 11, 2005). "Yukes Behind the Scenes". GameSpot. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ a b "Buyers Beware". GamePro. No. 98. IDG. November 1996. p. 24.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (August 6, 2019). "2K splits with veteran WWE studio Yukes". Video Games Chronicle.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (May 13, 2019). "WWE 2K studio creating rival wrestling IP". Video Games Chronicle.
- ^ Walker, Ian (November 10, 2020). "Three All Elite Wrestling Games In Development". Kotaku. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ "Yuke's Company Information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
External links[]
- Video game companies established in 1993
- Video game companies of Japan
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- Video game development companies
- Japanese companies established in 1993
- Companies based in Osaka Prefecture