Compile

Background

Originally founded as Programmers-3, Inc., Compile was a Japanese video game developer founded by Masamitsu Niitani in 1982. Initially developing games for home computers such as the MSX line and several game consoles, the company would distribute the Disc System magazine since the late 1980s leading to the distribution of various games by the company on the MSX, PC-98 and Windows platforms, including the Madou Monogatari series of games. In the 1990s, the company would become best known for the Puyo Puyo and Madou Monogatari franchises, with Puyo Puyo becoming a huge success for the company and was a Japanese phenomenon ever since Tsuu hit the arcades, spawning CD albums, toys, plushies and televised events. Due to the amount of success of the game, as well as some poor investment choices, this lead to their partners at Sega to buy the rights to the game until August 2002. Despite their best efforts, the deadline was passed with no IP to replicate the success of Puyo Puyo. The last game developed under the Compile name was Pochi and Nyaa, in association with Taito. The company had filed bankruptcy in November 2003.

Aiky was the second incarnation of Compile and was the original rightsholder to all of the original company's IPs except for Puyo Puyo and to finish Pochi and Nyaa in 2003 and release it on Neo Geo arcades and later the PlayStation 2 in Japan only. They also developed mobile games as well which was published through G-Mode, including a Madou Monogatari game, a series of spin-offs of the Game Boy Advance game Guru Logic Champ, and enhanced ports of Zanac and Power Strike. It did not lasted very long leaving Aiky no choice but to sell the rights to their IP's to D4 Enterprises, and was since closed around 2006 or 2007. During the time, most of Compile's key staff took a part on founding the Compile Heart company, often considered as Compile's spiritual successor.

Compile Maru (or CompileO) is the current incarnation of Compile. Founded in April 2016, its only original game was Nyoki Nyoki: Tabidachi Hen, which was based on Pochi and Nyaa and also resurface an rare, yet unreleased precursor and prototype to Puyo Puyo back when the original Compile was in business entitled Dominon. Despite this, however, they have yet to release another original game.

Programmers-3, Inc.

TBA