Taito Corporation

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Taito Corporation
Taito.svg
Founded 1953
Headquarters Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Website www.taito.com
Other Names Taito Trading Company

The Taito Corporation (株式会社タイトー, Kabushikigaisha Taito) began as a Japanese electronics company founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 under the name "Taito Trading Company." They started off developing vending machines and jukeboxes. In the late 1960s they were making electro-mechanical arcade games like pinball machines and light gun games. In 1972, they shortened their name to "Taito Corporation" and began working on video game cabinets. The company was very influential in the video game industry from the late 1970s to through to the 1990s developing popular franchises like Space Invaders, Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, Chase H.Q., and Bust-a-Move.

After its success in the arcade cabinet market, Taito opened two divisions in North America, Taito America in Wheeling, IL in 1979, and Taito Software in North Vancouver, BC in 1988. As the arcade market dwindled, both companies were closed in 1995.

In 2005, controlling interest in Taito was purchased by Square Enix and the company was made into a private subsidiary only to be dissolved a year later when Square Enix. Square Enix renamed their internal company SQEX Corporation to "Taito Corporation," but by 2010 that company was merged with ES1 Corporation to handle all of Square Enix's arcade development and distribution.

A small company called Taito Soft Corporation was formed briefly after to 2010 merger in order to handle Taito released on console platforms, but it was merged into Square Enix in 2011.

Games

Music Development

Arcade

Based on some text found in the ROMs of some of their games, it appears Taito used Ensoniq devices. These include Riding Fight and and Arabian Magic.

NES

According to Yasuko Yamada, the composers used a type of music sequencer.

Audio Personnel

Taito also had an in-house band called Zuntata.

Picture Gallery

Links