1990 · Kaiko · Bochum

Kaiko

Manga ink panel - anime art meets Amiga shmup
The studio behind Apidya, Gem'X, and Turrican 3

5 Years Active
4 Published Titles
1990 Founded
1995 Dissolved

The Studio

A small team in Bochum that brought anime aesthetics and virtuoso sound to the Amiga.

Kaiko was a German game development studio founded in 1990 in Bochum by Stefan Thierolf and Frank Matzke. Initially operating under the name A.U.D.I.O.S, the team renamed themselves Kaiko before their first release and went on to produce some of the most visually distinctive titles of the Amiga era.

Frank Matzke's background in Japanese anime gave Kaiko's games an unmistakeable visual identity - clean lines, bold composition, and an animated sensibility that stood apart from the darker aesthetics of contemporaries like Psygnosis. Their collaboration with composer Chris Hülsbeck on Apidya produced one of the finest game soundtracks of the 16-bit era, using the TFMX format to push the Amiga's Paula chip to its limit.

Explore the full history of Kaiko's rise and fall, or dive straight into the catalogue of published and unreleased titles.

Flagship Titles

Three games that define what Kaiko could do.

Apidya - box art

Apidya

1992 — Amiga

A horizontal shoot-'em-up where you play as a bee. Stunning anime art, an extraordinary TFMX soundtrack by Chris Hülsbeck, and fiendishly designed enemy patterns.

Amiga Shmup

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Gem'X - box art

Gem'X

1991 — Amiga, C64, Atari ST

Kaiko's debut - a stylish puzzle-action game with Matzke's anime art at full force. A commercial success that established the studio's visual signature.

Amiga C64 Puzzle

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Turrican 3 - box art

Turrican 3

1993 — Amiga (port)

Kaiko ported Factor 5's Mega Drive sequel back to the Amiga. A technically impressive conversion that kept the franchise alive on the platform where it began.

Amiga Action

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