Epoch logo

Epoch

Japan Founded 1958 Website

Logo of Epoch Co. Epoch Co., Ltd. (株式会社エポック社, Kabushikigaisha Epokku Sha) is a Japanese toy and computer games company founded in 1958 which is best known for manufacturing Barcode Battler and Doraemon video games, Aquabeads, and the Sylvanian Families series of toys. Its current Representative President is Michihiro Maeda. They also made Japan's first successful programmable console video game system, the Cassette Vision, in 1981.

Epoch at a Glance

Epoch Co., Ltd. stands as a long-standing Japanese entity founded in 1958 that transitioned from toy manufacturing into video games. The company launched Japan's first successful programmable console with the Cassette Vision in 1981 and continued releasing titles through 2024. Their catalog on PlayPile includes 108 total entries, split between 104 games where they served as publisher and 68 where they acted as developer. The data shows a heavy focus on arcade experiences with 34 titles, followed by platformers at 16 and sports games at 15. They also produced adventure, shooter, puzzle, and role-playing games alongside racing and strategy entries. Their platform reach is dominated by their own proprietary hardware. The Epoch Super Cassette Vision holds the top spot with 24 games, while the original Cassette Vision accounts for 12 more. Handheld electronic LCD devices appear frequently with 20 titles. They also released content for major systems like the Super Famicom with 15 games, Game Boy Color with 12, and the Family Computer with 5. Smaller numbers of releases exist for Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, and Nintendo 64. The quality metrics for this publisher are notably low. The average IGDB rating sits at 39.8 based on just two rated titles. Their breakdown shows no games in the great or good categories. They have one mixed title and one poor entry. The highest-rated game listed is Dragon Ball: Dragon Daihikyou from 1986, which scored 49.6 out of 100. Another title, Doraemon: Nobita to 3-tsu no Seireiseki from 1997, received a score of 30. Their output volume has declined significantly over time. They released 43 games in the 1980s and 36 in the 1990s. This number dropped to 15 in the 2000s and fell to just one release in the 2020s. Recent entries include titles like Minna no Tetris in 2007 and various Doraemon games from the early 2000s.

108
Total Games
39.8
Avg Rating
1981
First Release
2024
Latest Release

Genre Breakdown

Arcade
31%
Platform
14%
Sport
14%
Adventure
10%
Shooter
6%

Platform Spread

Epoch Super Cassette Vision
24
Handheld Electronic LCD
20
Super Famicom
15
Game Boy Color
12
Epoch Cassette Vision
12

Release Timeline

1980s
43
1990s
36
2000s
15
2020s
1

Rating Distribution

0
80-100
0
60-79
1
40-59
1
0-39