Idea Factory

Background

Idea Factory (アイディアファクトリー株式会社 Aidia Fakutorī Kabushiki-gaisha?) is a Japanese video game developer and publisher founded by former employees of Data East on October 26, 1994 headed by company chairman Shingo Kuwana and president Yoshi-teru Sato.

1st Logo (January 13, 1996-October 9, 1997)

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  Early version, Blob
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  Early version, Globe
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  Blob
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  Globe

Visuals: On a black background, there is a dirt brown blob with a stem coming from the top on it. The stem is revealed to be a sprout, and the camera moves back as the waterdrop falls into the sapling, turning the blob green (like a grass texture). Japanese text "自然を大切に" ("Cherish the nature") appears above the blob, and the Idea Factory logo, a cursive "!f" in silver along with "IDEA FACTORY", rises up below.

Variants:

• A secondary version of the logo exists, where the screen zooms out from a rotating Earth globe. It is later revealed that the globe has a tap on it. The tap begins dripping, and the water gets emptied out of the globe. The Japanese text "資源を大切に" ("Cherish resources") and logo then appear.
• An early version exists where the models are different, and blob doesn't change colors. There also exists an early version of the globe variant, with different Japanese text appearing: "資源とエネルギーを節約しましょう" ("Save resources and energy").

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A calming bell and string fanfare.

Audio Variants:

• On the globe variant, sounds of water dripping are heard.
• On the early variant, a windchime soundtrack is heard.

Availability: Seen on Spectral Tower and Yaku Tsuu: Noroi no Game. The early variant is only seen on Yaku: Yuujou Dangi and CG Mukashi Banashi: Jiisan 2-do Bikkuri!!. Starting with Spectral Tower, the 2nd logo preceeds this logo.

2nd Logo (October 4, 1996-October 9, 1997)

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Visuals: On a moving space background with a purple nebula in the corner, there is a upside down globe of the Earth rotating around. The globe zooms away to reveal a chrome teardrop shape, forming an exclamation point. The camera then whips around the exclamation point before zooming out as the globe turns chrome and a chrome "f" zooms out right beside it. The camera then turns towards the dark section of the background and "IDEA FACTORY", which is also chromed, zooms out to the logo as a chrome bar flies under the name. A shine appears on the globe.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A triumphant fanfare with a ping at the end.

Availability: Seen on Spectral Tower and Yaku Tsuu: Noroi no Game, which was exclusive to the PlayStation in Japan.

3rd Logo (October 9, 1997-May 27, 1999)

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  Early version
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Visuals: Over a water surface, there is the Idea Factory logo seen in grey. At first, the image is distorted, but becomes normal after a second. The water waves up and down as the camera zooms out. The logo then quickly zooms in before fading to the logo in silver focusing in. A brown blob with a stem on it and the text "Don't spite the nature" in a script fade in one by one as a lens flare comes in.

Variant:* An early version exists where the stem and text fade in first, followed by the logo zooming out and a shine appearing.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The sound of water rippling followed by an majestic fanfare along with a rising ding. The early version has a quick piano tune.

Availability: Seen on Spectral Force 2: Eien naru Kiseki, Spectrel Tower II, and Oasis Road, among others. The early variant is only seen on Monster Complete World.

4th Logo (August 26-December 22, 1999)

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Visuals: The scene of a forest outing fades in. There are multiple trees, a waterfall and river, and the sun rising up. It then fades to a shot of a tree by the river, but with the Idea Factory logo carved into the bottom of the trunk. The camera then pans down to the logo as butterflies come towards the screen. As a result, the logo then fades to white and moves towards the center of the screen as everything else fades to black. "IDEA FACTORY" then wipes in below.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Just the sounds of birds chirping.

Availability: Seen on Spectral Force: Lovely Wickedness, Junjou de Karen Meimai Kishi-dan: Spectral Force Seishoujo Gaiden, and Spectral Blade.

5th Logo (April 20, 2000-August 7, 2003)

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Visuals: On a white background, a black ball appears and rolls along before stopping and the teardrop shape pops in, forming the exclamation point. The "f" and "IDEA FACTORY" then fade in.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: A boing is heard, followed by a little chime and an announcer saying "Idea Factory" in its Japanese name.

Availability: Seen on almost all of its games during this era.

6th Logo (October 30, 2003-)

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• 
  Later Version
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  Green Version
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  Still version (chrome on a black background)
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  Still version (black on a white background)

Visuals: On a blue background, a white Idea Factory logo slowly zooms in as many light trails start emerging from it and the background rotating. The logo then quickly zooms into the screen, in which the background becomes black and several copies of the logo with the name in blue move all across the screen. The screen then phases out and several lights then quickly light up a black Idea Factory logo. The light trails continue to shine before they retract when the logo fades out.

Variants:

• A still version, either chrome on a black background or black on a white background, exists.
• A later version was later introduced with cleaner and brighter light effects, the middle section cut out, and bars appearing in the first section.
• The logo may be in green rather than blue.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A loud whoosh is heard at first, followed by many beeps and another whoosh. Ambiance is then heard before a final whoosh occurs. The theme was abridged in the later version. None for the still version.

Availability: Seen on current games from them and their Steam ports. The original version is seen on their PS2 games.