Human Corporation (ヒューマン株式会社), often doing business as Human Entertainment, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher founded in 1983. The company produced games for a number of platforms, including home consoles, portable consoles, and personal computers. Human declared bankruptcy in 2000 and disbanded. Its former members went on to form new companies including Nude Maker, Sandlot, Spike, and Grasshopper Manufacture.
The company is known for originating the popular Fire Pro Wrestling series, as well as other sports games such as Formation Soccer and Final Match Tennis, and racing video games such as Human Grand Prix and Fastest 1. They are also known for developing the first music rhythm video game, Dance Aerobics (1987), the 3D open world game Mizzurna Falls (1998),[1][2] and some early horror games including the Twilight Syndrome and Clock Tower series.
History
Originally, Human was two different entities known as TRY Corporation and Communicate, Inc. until the two merged into one as Sonata. The company then changed its name into Human Corporation in 1989 and later started a division called Human Creative School, where their students would start out developing video games. One example of its efforts was for the Famicom game Egypt. In addition, the company also had an in-house sound team known as HELP.
On November 1, 1999, Human Corporation began to negotiate restructure with Tokyo Hachiōji district court over the approximately 4 billion yen outstanding debt. As part of the deal, the game creator school subsidiary was to be transferred.[3] At the same time, the rights for the Fire Pro Wrestling series, Twilight Syndrome series, and Bakusou Dekotora series went to Spike Co., Ltd.[4][5]
In January 2000, Human Corporation declared bankruptcy for failing to negotiate for a restructuring deal over the 3.79 billion yen (as of November 1999) outstanding debt.[6]
Former Human members went on to form different development teams including Nude Maker, Sandlot, and Spike, and notable member Goichi Suda formed his own company, Grasshopper Manufacture, with former members.
Games
Developed by Human Entertainment
Arcade
- Front Row (unreleased)
- Mad Dancing (unreleased)
- Grand Striker - Human Cup (released 1993)
- Blazing Tornado (released 1994)
- Grand Striker 2 (released 1996)
Famicom Disk System
- The Mysterious Murasame Castle (released 1986)[7]
Game Boy
In popular media
In the 1993 tokusatsu series Denkou Choujin Gridman, episode 9 "The Fiendish Brainwashing Strategy," the building, classrooms and offices of Human Creative School are used as set for this episode.[14]
External links
- via Internet Archive
- Human Entertainment at MobyGames
References
- If Twin Peaks had been a PSone game, it would have been Mizzurna Falls Polygon, 18 January 2016^
- What Made This Fan Translate an Obscure 1998 'Twin Peaks'-Inspired PS1 Game September 2017^
- [http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/news/9911/02/news02.html ヒューマン,和議開始を申請. 約40億円の負債]^