Cave Online Begins Operations

Cave Co., Ltd, a Japanese arcade and consumer game company known largely for its traditional scrolling shooter titles, has unveiled details of its new subsidiary, Cave Online. After recent successful forays into the mobile market via ports of its own titles, as well as ringtones from the Tokyo Philharmonic and Blue Note Jazz, the company has chosen to throw its hat into the online gaming arena. The newly-formed group is owned in 90% part by Cave, with 5% owned independently by Cave and Cave Online CEO Kenichi Takano, with an additional 2.5% owned by former Atlus director, now Cave Online COO Hideyuki Yokoyama, and Kim Jon Rai, director of Korean software group Windysoft. Cave Online’s announced lineup includes three titles, the first of which is the casual action game Online Tank Battle (tentative name), developed in conjunction with Windysoft, which developed the popular, similarly themed GetAmped in Korea. Also planned is Shin Megami Tensei Online, co-developed with Atlus, which ended its closed beta in January. Hideyuki Yokoyama executive produced the series in its earliest incarnation on the Super Famicom in 1992, during his stint at Atlus. The final announced game is Tamiya Super Online, a multiplayer online game based on the models of prolific toymaker Tamiya. The game promises model customization, user community and collaborative world design, but otherwise shies away from detail. Cave Online, with a current staff of twelve, will become an official corporate entity as of July 15, joining Beads Mania as Cave Co. Ltd’s second subsidiary.