Sapporo, Japan · 1973 – 2012
Bombers, adventurers, and the tiny white box from Sapporo.
PC Engine co-creators. Bomberman architects. A 39-year legacy.
Hudson Soft didn’t just make games - they co-engineered the machine that ran them. The PC Engine was as much a Hudson creation as an NEC one.
From a Hokkaido electronics shop to the forefront of Japanese game development - a story of technical ambition, creative invention, and lasting cultural impact.
Hudson Soft was founded in 1973 by brothers Hiroshi and Yuji Kudo in Sapporo, Hokkaido - the northernmost major island of Japan. What began as a small electronics retail business evolved, by the late 1970s, into one of Japan’s most technically sophisticated game developers. The company took its name from the Hudson River, which the founders admired as a symbol of breadth and ambition.
Through the early 1980s, Hudson established itself on personal computers: the NEC PC-88 and PC-98, the MSX, and the Sharp X1. Their 1983 port of Lode Runner - one of the first games to individually credit its developer inside the software - demonstrated both technical skill and a commitment to originality that would define the studio. That same year, the earliest version of Bomberman appeared, a humble maze game that would grow into a franchise spanning 30 years.
The pivotal moment came in 1987 when Hudson joined NEC Corporation to co-develop the PC Engine. Hudson contributed the HuC6280 CPU design, the HuCard storage format, and core system architecture - NEC provided manufacturing and distribution. The result was a console that fit in the palm of a hand and outperformed machines twice its size.
Through the late 1980s and 1990s, Hudson was the PC Engine’s primary publisher, delivering landmark titles: Bomberman ’93 redefined multiplayer gaming with its 5-player mode; Bonk’s Adventure became the platform’s mascot franchise; Gate of Thunder and Lords of Thunder showcased CD-ROM audio in ways rivals couldn’t match. Hudson also published Konami’s Castlevania: Rondo of Blood - a game so lauded it served as the direct prequel to Symphony of the Night.
Retrospectives and longplays that capture what made Hudson Soft’s output so enduring.
A comprehensive look at Hudson Soft’s rise from Sapporo electronics shop to PC Engine co-creator and Bomberman franchise architect. Covers their MSX roots, Famicom era, PC Engine peak, and eventual absorption by Konami in 2012.
The multiplayer game that changed everything. Bomberman ’93 on the PC Engine introduced the 5-player battle mode that made the series a party staple. Watch the chaos unfold in its original form.
From the PC-88 origins of Bomberman to the PC Engine golden era - these are the titles that made Hudson Soft’s reputation.
NES · 1985
The NES wider release that launched a franchise. What began as a humble PC-88 maze game became one of gaming’s most durable multiplayer concepts.
PC Engine CD · 1992
Hudson’s CD-ROM showcase - redbook audio, fluid parallax scrolling, and five stages of escalating intensity. The PC Engine’s finest shoot-em-up moment.
PC Engine · 1989
PC Engine’s answer to Mario - a cave-boy platformer with buttery smooth animation, creative boss fights, and a charisma that made Bonk the console’s mascot.
MSX origins → Famicom era → PC Engine golden age → Konami absorption, 2012.
Complete catalogue with year, platform, and design notes. Platform filter included.
Box art from Japanese PC Engine and Western TurboGrafx-16 releases.
Takahashi Meijin, Yuji Toyoda, Takeaki Kunimoto - the faces behind the games.
30-year franchise deep dive - from PC-88 maze to 5-player multiplayer revolution.
PC Engine creation story - NEC partnership, HuCard, CD-ROM², Duo.
12+ curated videos: OSTs, longplays, retrospectives, Bomberman evolution.
MobyGames, LaunchBox, fan communities, PC Engine fan sites.