Technosoft

Japan Founded 1982

The company also went by Techno Soft, Tecnosoft, Tecno Soft and Tecno-Soft. They are known for the Thunder Force series of free-scrolling shooters, the first 3D computer game Plazma Line, and the Herzog strategy series which included the first real-time strategy Herzog Zwei. It was acquired and folded into Japanese pachinko manufacturer Twenty-One Company in late 2001. Twenty-One began to release products in 2008 under the Technosoft brand, and sold the entirety of its video game library to Sega in 2016. The Technosoft name continues to be in use in the present day as the name for Twenty-One's research and development division, and as a brand name for various products such as soundtrack albums.

Technosoft at a Glance

Technosoft is a Japanese developer and publisher that operated from 1982 until its acquisition by Twenty-One Company in late 2001. The studio was active primarily between 1988 and 1999, releasing most of its output during the 1990s with 19 games compared to just 4 titles in the 1980s. Today, the Technosoft name serves as a brand for Twenty-One's research division and various non-game products, though their video game library was sold to Sega in 2016. The company released 23 games that appear on PlayPile, with 14 credited as publisher titles and all 23 as developer works. Their catalog spans a wide variety of genres, though they are best known for shooters, which make up 10 of their listed titles. They also produced five role-playing games, four strategy games, and four adventure titles. Other genres in their portfolio include simulators, real-time strategy, arcade games, puzzles, point-and-click adventures, and visual novels. The PlayStation family of systems dominates their platform presence with 13 releases on the original PlayStation, while the Sega Saturn follows with seven titles. They also released ten games for the PlayStation Portable and ten for the PlayStation 3, alongside older platforms like the Sega Mega Drive and Arcade cabinets. Their quality ratings show a consistent track record without any poor or mixed scores among their three rated entries. All three titles fall into the good range of 60 to 79 points. Herzog Zwei from 1989 holds the highest rating at 79.9, followed by Thunder Force III in 1990 with a score of 73. Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar from 1992 sits lower at 60.8. These games represent their focus on free-scrolling shooters and strategy concepts like Herzog Zwei, which is noted as one of the first real-time strategy games. Recent activity from the studio prior to its folding includes titles like Silent Mobius: Genei no Datenshi in late 1998 and Neorude: Kizamareta Monshou at the end of 1999. Their output was relatively small for a major developer, with only 23 total games available on this platform. While they did not achieve great ratings above 80 points, their consistent performance in the good range suggests a steady level of quality throughout their active years.

Total Games

71.2

Avg Rating

1988

First Release

1999

Latest Release