Koichi Nakamura | |
|---|---|
| 中村 光一 | |
| Born | (1964-08-15)August 15, 1964 (age 61) |
| Alma mater | University of Electro-Communications |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Employer(s) | Chunsoft (1984–2012) Spike Chunsoft (2012–2020) |
| Known for | Founder of Chunsoft |
| Notable work | Dragon Quest Mystery Dungeon |
Koichi Nakamura (中村 光一,Nakamura Kōichi; born August 15, 1964) is a Japanesevideo game designer. Nakamura gained fame as a programming prodigy while still in high school; in 1982, he enteredEnix's first national programming contest and claimed runner-up prize with his entry,Door Door. In 1984, he foundedChunsoft and served as the company's president. After Chunsoft merged withSpike in 2012, Nakamura served as chairman ofSpike Chunsoft until he left the company in 2020.[1]
Nakamura was a member of the math club at Marugame High School inKagawa Prefecture,Japan. There he wrote a version of the video gameGalaxy Wars in theBASIC programming language on aTandyTRS-80.
In order to play games such asGalaxian that were ported to theNECPC-8001 by Geimu Kyoujin fromI/O magazine, Nakamura bought a PC-8001 using money he'd saved up bydelivering newspapers. It was on that PC-8001 that he developed his program submissions. He submitted amachine code input tool toI/O magazine, which was published in the February 1981 issue as his debut publication, earning him¥20,000 for his work.
During spring break of his first year in high school, Nakamura cloned thearcade video gameSpace Panic asALIEN Part II. It was published in the May 1981 issue and released oncassette tape, earning ¥200,000 in royalties. In the January 1982 issue, his clone of Konami'sScramble (later renamed toAttacker) was also released on cassette, earning royalties of ¥1 million. A clone ofRiver Patrol, calledRiver Rescue, was published in theMaikon Game Book 4 special edition ofI/O, bringing Nakamura's total high school earnings from submissions toI/O to over ¥2 million.[2] Due to his activities withI/O, he became well known among young PC enthusiasts.[3]
Nakamura entered the first Annual Hobby Program Contest held byEnix during his 3rd year of high school in 1982.[4] Submitting his first original game,Door Door, Nakamura was selected as the runner-up prize winner for programming excellence, and received ¥500,000 in prize money.[5]
In 1983, Nakamura moved toTokyo and entered theUniversity of Electro-Communications. He portedDoor Door to various computer systems resulting in his annual royalties as a university student exceeding ¥10 million.[6]
Nakamura released his 2nd PC gameNewtron and founded the 5-personChunsoft on April 9, 1984, during spring break of his 2nd year of university. He started to work out of a room in acondominium inChōfu, Tokyo. The first Chunsoft release was the 1985PC-6001 version ofDoor Door mkII. Following that, joining Enix on theFamicom, Chunsoft began development on homevideo game consoles.[7] While the PC version had sold 80,000 copies, the Famicom version recorded sales of 200,000 copies, leading subsequent development to focus on home consoles. From that, fellow Enix program contest winnerYuji Horii joined Nakamura in collaborating on the Famicom port ofThe Portopia Serial Murder Case[8]
At the time, Nakamura and Horii were fans of thecomputer role-playing gamesWizardry andUltima, and so set out to develop a full-blown Famicom RPG calledDragon Quest.[9][10] Prior to its release, Nakamura also citedMasanobu Endō, creator ofaction role-playing gameThe Tower of Druaga, as his favorite game designer.[11] Nakamura continued development on theDragon Quest series through toDragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, before breaking away from Enix products.
Otogirisō marked Chunsoft's debut brand. Following that, successive genre-trailblazing titlesTorneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon,Kamaitachi no Yoru, andShiren the Wanderer established the company's good reputation. Nakamura himself had to move away from programming in order to run the company.[12]
For a time, the company's products were considered mediocre, but3-Nen B-Gumi Kinpachi Sensei: Densetsu no Kyoudan ni Tate! was a hit that showed signs of recovery.
From 2005 to 2010, Chunsoft had teamed up withSega's home video game business, where Sega funded and published eight games with Chunsoft.[13] In one of them, Nakamura served as producer for theWii game428: Shibuya Scramble.
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