- Name
- K2
- Abbreviation
- Founded
- 4 August 2000
- Location
- Japan
- Website
- http://www.kei-two.co.jp/
- Aliases
- Kei-Two
K2
Japan
K2 is a subsidiary of Capcom, best known for their work on the Tenchu series during the PS2-era.
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Early History
K2 (Kei-Two) was founded by ex-SNK (Company) and ex-Square staff members on August 4, 2000. Graphic designer and cartoonist Mitsuo Kodama (Person) was the CEO and owner of the studio. Activision had considered sales of Acquire's Tenchu 2 to be underperforming so they commissioned K2 to develop Tenchu 3 as their debut game for the PlayStation 2. Tenchu 3's reception in the west would also be disappointing for Activision so as a result the rights to future Tenchu games was sold to FromSoftware, who continued to work with K2 make smaller budget Tenchu titles until 2008.
== Acquisition by Capcom== On May 1, 2008 they were officially acquired by Capcom (Company) to be a wholly-owned subsidiary through an exchange of stock ( reference). This agreement between the two companies was signed on March 28, 2008. Capcom and K2 had a working relationship prior to the stock transfer. At the time of the transfer, the company was based in Osaka, Japan and employed 60 people, with Kodama as the "Representative Director" and 100% owner of the company. Capcom listed the following as the "purpose" of this arrangement: "Upgrading development activities, which is the core competence of Capcom, is essential to the successful execution of the company's growth strategy. K2 has a proven record as a reliable provider of game development services for Capcom. By making this company a wholly owned subsidiary, Capcom plans to make its game development activities more efficient and speedy. Capcom also believes that pursuing a business strategy based on closer ties with K2 will help increase the value of the entire Capcom Group. " Capcom listed the following as their outlook in the press release announcing this information: "Capcom believes that making K2 a consolidated subsidiary will make it possible to allocate development resources more efficiently in response to shifts in market conditions. This is expected to facilitate the strategic development of software and create synergies. As a result, Capcom believes this exchange of stock will help improve customer satisfaction and make the company even more competitive."
Financial Information
At the time of the transfer of stock to Capcom, K2 had 515 million yen in assets. The most recent fiscal year information (FY 2007) listed 311 million yen in sales and 11 million yen in net profit. This compares to 331 million yen in sales and 4 million yen in net profit the previous year.
Sole Developer Credits
K2 is listed as the sole developer for the following releases:
- Samurai Shodown Sen (2010)
- Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga (2009)
- Tenchu Z (Game) (2007)
- Tenchu: Time of the Assassins (2006)
- Tenchu: Fatal Shadows (2005)
- Tenchu: Return from Darkness (2004)
- Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (2003)
K2 is listed as the publisher for the following release:
Developed Games
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Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (Game)
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven is the third Tenchu game and a sequel to the first installment. It had the same basic gameplay as the first two Tenchu games but modernized the movement controls.
Tenchu: Fatal Shadows (Game)
Ayame, while patrolling the border of Ghoda territory, suddenly stumbles upon a ruined village; its only survivor being a young assassin by the name of Rin. Together, the two work to uncover the plot behind the village's destruction, and the annihilation of Rin's clan.
Tenchu Z (Game)
Tenchu Z is a spinoff where players create their own ninja. It was released exclusively for the Xbox 360.
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga (Game)
The first game in the Valhalla Knights series for a non-portable platform features two chapters. In the first, the player fights to unite the races of the world. The player then takes control of the hero's grown child in the second.
Published Games
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