Data West Inc
 | |
|---|---|
| Company Type | Publisher |
| Founded | 29th May 1984 |
| Status | Trading but exited the games market - 1998 |
| Head Quarters | Osaka, Japan |
| Website | https://www.datawest.co.jp/index.html |
3DO Games
Even though they were on the original "Signed up Developer List" I cannot find any 3DO games related to them. They did publish the 3DO game Tanjo Debut but on the FM Towns. They also had a relationship with Activision releasing Return to Zork on various platforms in Japan. They actually exited the gaming market in 1998.
Overview
Data West Co., Ltd. (データウエスト株式会社), sometimes written as DATAWEST, is a Japanese car navigation systems company and former video game publisher and developer. It produced several notable franchises during the 1980s and 1990s, such as the Rayxanber and Psychic Detective series, and are known for their early support of both CD-ROM technology and the FM Towns personal computer.
The company is entirely unrelated to the similarly-named Data East.
Company
Data West was founded on May 29, 1984 in Tsurumi, Osaka, and officially established two years later on May 26, 1986. The company initially focused on software development, ranging from peripheral firmware[5], car navigation systems, systems management, and video games[8], while also offering services like 3D computer graphics creation[9] and professional CD pressing (through a dedicated facility known as the DAPS Center). Data West later established a joint venture with Nichimen to form Strawberry Co., Ltd. (ストロベリー株式会社), a company which specializes in car navigation, mapping data, and multimedia integration.
The studio primarily focused on NEC's platforms (particularly the FM Towns), and was an early embracer of CD-ROM technology. It also experimented in more obscure platforms, releasing software for both the PC-FX and LaserActive. Data West was even one of the earliest developers to adopt JPEG technology, with the compression prominently featured in the Psychic Detective Series.
The majority of the company's soundtracks were composed by their in-house composer, guitarist Yasuhito Saito. Known for his jazzy style of video game rock, and occasionally drawing inspiration from diverse genres like hip-hop and latin, his music was and continues to be one of Data West's most well-remembered legacies.