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Feelplus

feelplus Inc. (株式会社フィールプラス, Kabushiki-gaisha Fīrupurasu) was a video game development studio based in , specializing in programming, motion design, and co-development for console titles. Founded on May 1, 1992, as Scarab (株式会社スカラベ) by Tsutomu Fujisawa following the bankruptcy of his previous employer UPL, the company focused on arcade and console games for publishers like and . After Fujisawa's death in 1998, his wife Noriko Fujisawa took over leadership. Acquired by in September 2002 and renamed feelplus in March 2005, it became a wholly owned subsidiary of , where it employed around 100 staff including veterans from and . The studio was merged into in August 2011, effectively dissolving as an independent entity. Under its original Scarab name, the company contributed to several projects, including motion capture and programming support for (1999) and porting to (2001). As feelplus, it gained prominence through collaborations on major RPGs and action games, most notably co-developing (2007) with using Unreal Engine 3, a project initiated specifically for the studio's formation and funded by Game Studios. Other key contributions included visual production for (2008), full development of (2011), and ports such as No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise (2010) for and 360. The studio's work often involved partnerships with established creators like of , emphasizing high-fidelity graphics and innovative gameplay mechanics in its titles.

History

Founding and early years

Feelplus traces its origins to the establishment of Scarab (株式会社スカラベ) on May 1, 1992, by a group of former employees from UPL, a prominent arcade game developer that had declared bankruptcy earlier that year. Led by Tsutomu Fujisawa, who had been involved in UPL's operations, the new studio emerged in the wake of UPL's financial collapse, which was exacerbated by unsuccessful ventures into the pachinko machine business alongside its core arcade titles. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Scarab began as a small-scale independent operation, leveraging the expertise of its founders to navigate the competitive landscape of video game development. During its early years in the , Scarab concentrated on creating and console games, aligning with the era's emphasis on fighters and action titles. Key projects included the 1993 Survival Arts, which featured digitized graphics and weapon-based combat, and the 1995 release Battle Monsters, a digitized brawler that drew on similar stylistic influences. While these efforts showcased Scarab's capabilities in the fighting genre, specific credits for the studio were often limited or overshadowed by publishers like and Naxat Soft, reflecting the collaborative and sometimes uncredited nature of mid-1990s development. Scarab's formation coincided with the rapid expansion of Japan's during the 16-bit console generation, marked by fierce competition between platforms like the Super Famicom and Mega Drive, followed by the shift to early 3D hardware such as the and Saturn in the mid-1990s. This period of innovation and market growth allowed mid-tier studios like Scarab to contribute to both arcade halls and emerging home console ecosystems, though the company maintained a modest profile amid larger industry players.

Acquisition by AQ Interactive

In September 2002, Cavia Inc. acquired a stake in Scarab Studio, Inc., by subscribing to its third-party allotment of shares, making it a subsidiary. In March 2005, Cavia made Scarab a wholly-owned subsidiary through a share exchange and renamed it feelplus Inc. Later that year, on October 1, 2005, Cavia Inc. changed its name to AQ Interactive Inc., a Japanese video game publisher dedicated to high artistic quality in its titles—as reflected in its name standing for "Artistic Quality"—making feelplus a subsidiary of AQ Interactive. As a consolidated , feelplus gained access to greater resources and infrastructure from , enabling the studio to undertake more ambitious projects in RPG and action genres, including early collaborations with Microsoft Game Studios on titles like .

Closure and absorption

In the late 2000s, encountered financial pressures that prompted a series of studio consolidations to streamline operations and reduce overhead costs. These challenges, stemming from a contracting market and rising development expenses, led the company to integrate its subsidiaries more closely into its core structure. In August 2010, the websites of , , and were shut down and redirected to a new development page on 's site, signaling the consolidation of their teams into the parent company's main operations. The formal absorption-type merger was announced on April 28, 2011, effective August 1, 2011. Approximately 71 staff members from were integrated or reassigned within , with no major layoffs reported in the immediate aftermath. This move allowed the talent to continue contributing to ongoing projects, such as the final -led title , without disrupting workflow. The closure of Feelplus represented the dissolution of several key subsidiaries, underscoring the industry's shift toward larger, more centralized publishers capable of weathering economic volatility through .

Developed games

Collaborations with external studios

Feelplus engaged in key co-development partnerships with external studios, contributing technical expertise to RPGs, titles, and ports during its active years. These collaborations often leveraged Feelplus's programming strengths and connections for console projects. Feelplus contributed visual production and effects to (2008, Xbox 360), an action developed primarily by and published by . A major collaboration was with on Lost Odyssey (2007, Xbox 360), published by Game Studios. Feelplus co-developed the title, managing programming, the turn-based battle system, and unique mechanics for the game's immortal protagonists, drawing on staff experience from projects. Feelplus assisted in developing Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009, Wii), an on-rails shooter published by Capcom, working with Cavia. Feelplus extended this partnership with Mistwalker for Blue Dragon Plus (2008, Nintendo DS), working alongside Brownie Brown on the adaptation and expansion of the original Xbox 360 RPG. The team handled porting duties, integrating new narrative elements and DS-specific gameplay tweaks to enhance portability while preserving the core shadow-based combat. In 2010, Feelplus partnered with to remaster No More Heroes for as No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise (international) and No More Heroes: Red Zone Edition (). They optimized the action-adventure hack-and-slash gameplay for HD, adding visual upgrades, while implementing toned-down violence in the Japanese version to comply with regional content ratings. Feelplus also co-developed Ninety-Nine Nights II (2010, Xbox 360) with oversight. The studio refined the action formula from the original, introducing a darker aesthetic, larger-scale battles, and online co-op modes to deepen tactical army command. These joint efforts underscored Feelplus's specialization in robust systems and efficient porting, often benefiting from affiliations that secured exclusivity for early high-profile releases.

Original titles

Feelplus's original titles represent the studio's independent efforts in crafting new intellectual properties, primarily in and horror genres, distinct from their collaborative projects. These games were developed in-house, leveraging the team's expertise in mechanics and narrative design following their earlier Microsoft-era focus on turn-based titles. One of the studio's key original releases was (2011), a for and published by . The game centers on mind-hacking mechanics, enabling players to seize control of enemies, civilians, vehicles, and robots in to turn the tide of combat, emphasizing tactical infiltration in a near-future setting plagued by corporate espionage and neural technology. Internal Feelplus teams managed core shooting systems, enemy AI, and story progression, highlighting the studio's pivot toward fast-paced action experiences. In the same year, Feelplus released (2011) as a digital download for and , also published by . This 2D side-scrolling action-platformer supports up to four-player cooperative multiplayer, focusing on acrobatic combat across dynamic levels where characters traverse floors, walls, and ceilings while battling mechanical foes in a post-apocalyptic world. The game's design incorporates light elements, such as skill progression through experience points, and was handled entirely by Feelplus staff for platforming physics, level creation, and multiplayer integration. Earlier, : The Grudge (2009) marked Feelplus's entry into , a Wii-exclusive title based on the Japanese franchise, published by in and D3 Publisher internationally. Structured episodically across five short chapters—each lasting 15 to 30 minutes—players assume roles of different characters navigating a cursed house, using the Wii Remote as a to reveal environments while evading vengeful s with unpredictable appearances that build tension through limited visibility and slow-paced exploration. Feelplus's internal teams developed the adaptive ghost behaviors, episodic narrative tied to , and atmospheric audio-visual elements, prioritizing instant scares over complex puzzles. These titles, developed by Feelplus's core teams for gameplay, art, and storytelling, illustrated the studio's transition from Microsoft-backed collaborations like to standalone action and horror projects. Released during AQ Interactive's late-period financial strains leading to mergers, notably embraced to reach broader audiences amid shrinking physical retail viability.

Ports and adaptations

Feelplus specialized in the technical aspects of and adapting games across platforms, with a focus on optimizing performance, visuals, and user interfaces for diverse hardware, including transitions from Nintendo's to Sony's and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Their expertise was evident in handling control scheme adaptations, such as replacing motion-based inputs with traditional analog controls, while enhancing graphical fidelity for high-definition outputs. A prominent example of their porting work is No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, an enhanced adaptation of Grasshopper Manufacture's 2007 Wii title No More Heroes, released in 2010 for and Xbox 360. Feelplus upgraded the game to support HD resolutions, improved AI behaviors, and introduced a dynamic camera system for more cinematic combat sequences. The port also retained compatibility with advanced peripherals like for optional motion controls, broadening accessibility. To cater to regional markets, Feelplus incorporated localized adaptations, such as the Japanese-exclusive , which expanded on the base port with additional uncensored content, ten new sub-missions from the original version, online rankings, and a "Character Viewer" mode featuring alternate outfits for replay value. These enhancements demonstrated Feelplus's versatility in tailoring ports to cultural and platform-specific needs within a competitive industry landscape. Such projects highlighted Feelplus's role in sustaining studio operations amid periods of original IP development, leveraging their technical skills to support external titles and facilitate cross-platform accessibility.

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