{"id":342263,"date":"2025-10-21T11:37:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/nihon-falcoms-40-years-of-rpg-glory\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T11:37:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:37:51","slug":"nihon-falcoms-40-years-of-rpg-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/nihon-falcoms-40-years-of-rpg-glory\/","title":{"rendered":"Nihon Falcom’s 40 Years of RPG Glory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Founded in March 1981, Nihon Falcom is one of the oldest active video game studios. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the company helped pioneer the action-RPG genre, shaping both the JRPG industry and PC gaming scene in Japan. These days, Falcom is best known for its iconic Ys and Trails franchises. While only recently attracting more attention in the West, the studio has retained a strong reputation in Japan, often cited alongside juggernaut Square Enix as one of the most influential and distinguished RPG developers. To honor four decades in the business, we chatted with Nihon Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo to reminisce about the company\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Nihon Falcom\u2019s roots are very much in the PC scene; the Falcom name even nods to it. For the moniker, founder Masayuki Kato was inspired by Star Wars\u2019 Millennium Falcon<\/em>, but he changed \u2018con\u2019 to \u2018com\u2019 to represent the company\u2019s focus on computer gaming. The studio\u2019s first game, Panorama Toh, hit in 1983, with Yoshio Kiya at the helm. Kiya would later go on to create Falcom\u2019s popular and influential Dragon Slayer and Brandish franchises.<\/p>\n

When asked about the company\u2019s most outstanding achievements, Kondo recalls the first Dragon Slayer game, which debuted in 1984. The top-down adventure is credited for pioneering the action-RPG genre, featuring real-time combat, an in-game map, and resource management. It also introduced item-based puzzles, serving as an inspiration for The Legend of Zelda series. \u201cDragon Slayer has been called our first real hit,\u201d Kondo says. \u201cThat is still considered a great achievement for the industry in Japan, and I believe that was the title that determined the direction of Falcom, which now excels at creating fantasy and RPG titles.\u201d Its sequel, Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu, continued the fanfare, setting records for PC game sales in Japan at the time, selling 400,000 copies.<\/p>\n

\"\" Ys IX <\/article>\n

Just a couple of years later, in 1987, Falcom would release Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished. The series became a flagship franchise for the company and is still going today with nine mainline entries and several remakes. Falcom\u2019s other key series, The Legend of Heroes, followed in 1989, and debuted as part of the Dragon Slayer series. It donned the Dragon Slayer name for two entries before the Gagharv Trilogy hit in 1994. In turn, that franchise eventually evolved into the Trails subseries in 2004, culminating in the massive interconnected series that we know today.<\/p>\n

Kondo said much of the staff, including himself, had respect for Falcom\u2019s games before joining the company but says working on them lent a new appreciation for what made them special. \u201cIn the case of Ys, it was the action-packed gameplay that was addictive as popping bubble wrap, as well as art which contributed to the epic feel of the setting. And in the case of The Legend of Heroes, it was the concept of creating a proper story,” he says.<\/p>\n

Because these flagship series have been running for decades, the team has strived to maintain their legacy while also modernizing them. Kondo said he will always have a special place in his heart for 2004\u2019s Trails in the Sky, for this reason, calling it a \u201cseminal title\u201d for him and other staff members, as it was one of the first to represent Falcom in a new era. \u201cIn the case of our [work on the] series, we will be careful not to stray from those things [I mentioned earlier] and add new challenges that are appropriate to the times,\u201d Kondo says. \u201cIf nothing new is brought to the table, then I don\u2019t think we would be able to stand out as much as we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kondo did just that when he took over as president in 2007 and decided to tap into the console market. \u201cFor me, switching focus from PC gaming to consoles shortly after I became president was a major event,\u201d he says. \u201cCompared with the times before that, I feel like the company\u2019s thought process regarding games has become more flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a company so rooted in PC game development, it was a huge change, but Kondo says it was necessary. \u201cThat shift came about because at that time, floor space for PC games in stores was beginning to shrink, and we were being told by distributors that they could no longer take orders as they had in the past,\u201d Kondo explains. \u201cSince download sales were not as viable as they are today, one option we had was to go to consoles.\u201d<\/p>\n

This move allowed Nihon Falcom to expand its audience and redefine its approach to games. \u201cI think in the shift to console gamers, game mechanics and visuals were changed to be more flexible and easier to understand for as many people as possible,\u201d Kondo says. \u201cIt was The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero that determined this direction. During the PC era, titles were likely being made specifically for Nihon Falcom fans.\u201d<\/p>\n