Company histories

Namco's own history (Bandai Namco's) gives the company as Nakamura Manufacturing Co., Ltd. from its 1959 reorganization, and under 1977 says it "changed company name to NAMCO LIMITED"; the NAMCO brand name had been in use since 1971. companies/namco-rename

{
 "from": "Nakamura Manufacturing Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Namco Limited",
 "year": 1977
}

Konami's corporate history says Konami Industry Co., Ltd. changed its trade name to Konami Co., Ltd. in June 1991. companies/konami-rename-1991

{
 "from": "Konami Industry Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Konami Co., Ltd.",
 "year": 1991
}

Konami's corporate history says its name changed from Konami Co., Ltd. to Konami Corporation in July 2000. companies/konami-rename-2000

{
 "from": "Konami Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Konami Corporation",
 "year": 2000
}

Konami's corporate history says Konami Corporation changed its trade name to Konami Holdings Corporation in October 2015; from then on the name is the holding company's. companies/konami-rename-2015

{
 "from": "Konami Corporation",
 "to": "Konami Holdings Corporation",
 "year": 2015
}

Konami's corporate history says Konami Holdings Corporation changed its trade name to Konami Group Corporation in July 2022. companies/konami-rename-2022

{
 "from": "Konami Holdings Corporation",
 "to": "Konami Group Corporation",
 "year": 2022
}

Capcom's history says it was established as I.R.M Corporation in May 1979 and that in September 1981 its "corporate name was changed to SANBI CO., LTD."; that the renamed firm is the 1979 one, not the subsidiary set up that May, is the atlas's reading. companies/capcom-rename-1981

{
 "from": "I.R.M Corporation",
 "to": "Sanbi Co., Ltd.",
 "year": 1981
}

Capcom's history says a sales company named Capcom Co., Ltd. was set up in June 1983, and that in January 1989 it was merged with Sanbi and the corporate name was changed to Capcom Co., Ltd. companies/capcom-rename-1989

{
 "from": "Sanbi Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Capcom Co., Ltd.",
 "year": 1989
}

Sega's Japanese history lists Nihon Goraku Bussan Co., Ltd. as founded in 1960, and under 1965 says it absorbed Rosen Enterprises and changed its trade name to Sega Enterprises, Ltd. (the atlas's translation). companies/sega-rename-1965

{
 "from": "Nihon Goraku Bussan Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Sega Enterprises, Ltd.",
 "year": 1965
}

Sega's Japanese history says it changed its trade name to Sega Corporation in 2000 (the atlas's translation). companies/sega-rename-2000

{
 "from": "Sega Enterprises, Ltd.",
 "to": "Sega Corporation",
 "year": 2000
}

Sega's Japanese history says that in 2015 Sega Corporation absorbed Sega Networks and changed its trade name to Sega Games Co., Ltd., while new companies, Sega Holdings and Sega Interactive, were split off (the atlas's translation). companies/sega-rename-2015

{
 "from": "Sega Corporation",
 "to": "Sega Games Co., Ltd.",
 "year": 2015
}

Sega's Japanese history says that in 2020 Sega Games and Sega Interactive merged and the company changed its trade name back to Sega Corporation (the atlas's translation). companies/sega-rename-2020

{
 "from": "Sega Games Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Sega Corporation",
 "year": 2020
}

Taito's 70th-anniversary history says it was founded as Taito Boeki Co., Ltd. in Minato, Tokyo, in August 1953, and changed its company name to Taito in August 1972 (the atlas's translation). companies/taito-rename

{
 "from": "Taito Boeki Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Taito Corporation",
 "year": 1972
}

Tecmo's Japanese history says the company changed its trade name to Tecmo, Ltd. on 8 January 1986 (the atlas's translation); it doesn't give the earlier name, though it calls the US subsidiary it set up in 1981 U.S. Tehkan, Inc. companies/tecmo-rename

{
 "to": "Tecmo, Ltd.",
 "year": 1986
}

A Sony Computer Entertainment press release of 24 March 2016 says the company would change its name to Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. effective 1 April 2016. companies/sie-rename

{
 "from": "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.",
 "to": "Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.",
 "year": 2016
}

Square Enix's history says Eidansha Boshu Service Center was founded in September 1975 and that in August 1982 "Eidansha System's name" was formally changed to Enix Corporation; the page doesn't explain the two forms of the earlier name. companies/enix-rename

{
 "from": "Eidansha Boshu Service Center",
 "to": "Enix Corporation",
 "year": 1982
}

Square Enix's history says Square Co., Ltd., founded in September 1986, merged with Enix Corporation in April 2003, and the new company was renamed Square Enix Co., Ltd. companies/square-enix-merger-square

Square Enix's history says Enix Corporation and Square Co., Ltd. merged in April 2003, and the new company was renamed Square Enix Co., Ltd. companies/square-enix-merger-enix

Spike Chunsoft's Japanese history says Spike Co., Ltd. and Chunsoft Co., Ltd. merged in April 2012 to become Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. (the atlas's translation). companies/chunsoft-merger

Nintendo's company history says it was established as Marufuku Co., Ltd. in 1947 and changed its name to Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd. in 1951. companies/nintendo-rename-1951

{
 "from": "Marufuku Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd.",
 "year": 1951
}

Nintendo's company history says it changed its name to Nintendo Co., Ltd. in 1963. companies/nintendo-rename-1963

{
 "from": "Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd.",
 "to": "Nintendo Co., Ltd.",
 "year": 1963
}

A certificate of amendment filed with California's Secretary of State on 22 December 1999, and signed 19 November 1999, changes the name of Atari Games Corporation to Midway Games West Inc. companies/atari-games-rename

{
 "from": "Atari Games Corporation",
 "to": "Midway Games West Inc.",
 "year": 1999
}

Jimmy Maher's history of Westwood says the company was formed in March 1985 as Westwood Associates and became known as Westwood Studios in 1992. companies/westwood-rename

{
 "from": "Westwood Associates",
 "to": "Westwood Studios",
 "year": 1992
}

IGN reported on 23 April 1997 that Paradigm Simulation, Inc. had formed its new entertainment division, Paradigm Entertainment, Inc., into a separate company; Infogrames later described Paradigm Entertainment as founded in 1997. Paradigm Entertainment was not a renamed Paradigm Simulation. companies/paradigm-spin-off

3D Realms' own company history says Apogee created 3D Realms Entertainment in July 1994 as a division for 3D action games, and released its last Apogee game, Stargunner, in November 1996, shifting nearly all its work to the 3D Realms division. The page doesn't say the company was renamed. companies/3d-realms-division