Yumekobo

Yumekobo Co., Ltd. (株式会社夢工房; lit. "Dream Workshop") was established on August 2, 1996, with joint investment from original company president and former Takara managing director Nobuyuki Okude (奥出修之), SNK, and Aicom president Akio Inoue (井上昭男).^{1 2} The initial staff consisted of about 80 employees, some of whom came from Aicom.¹ Staff from AI Electronics,³ Eleca,⁴ and Santos would also join the company.⁵

Yumekobo was started primarily to create original games for the Neo Geo and convert Neo Geo titles to the PlayStation and Saturn.¹ It went on to produce games for the Neo Geo Pocket, then was dissolved in March 2000 as part of SNK's restructuring.⁶

Yumekobo was based in the 2nd Kioicho Building in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, where SNK's Tokyo branch was also located.^{7 8 9} (Aicom and Saurus were also based there.¹⁰)

Footnotes:
1. Source: Neo Geo Freak October 1996. Interview with Nobuyuki Okude, p. 84-85. [1]
2. Okude is, in fact, referred to in Neo Geo Freak as the former managing director of Takara, and Inoue is referred to as the president (not former president) of Aicom, which would suggest Aicom still existed. Okude was allegedly replaced as president by someone from SNK after about a year. Okude's name does not appear on later Yumekobo games.
3. Facebook profile of former AI Electronics and Yumekobo employee
4. Game credits back up this claim.
5. A former Yumekobo staff member tweeted that they joined Yumekobo from Santos. [2] Akio Inoue was allegedly an investor in Santos. He is credited as producer on the Santos PlayStation shooting game Stahlfeder.
6. Source: Game Machine July 15, 2000. [3]
7. Game Machine: SNK's Tokyo branch relocated to the 2nd Kioicho Building (第２紀尾井町ビル) in 1995. [4]
8. Aforementioned former employee remembered that Yumekobo and SNK were in the same building. (Someone else replied that Saurus was also there.) [5]
9. US trademark registration for Biomotor Unitron gives the following address: "3-8 Kioi-cho Chiyoda, Tokyo JAPAN"
10. See addresses on Fuuun Gokuu Ninden (Aicom) [6] and Denryuu IraIra Bou Returns (Saurus) [7]

Research Methods: Actual mentions, shared staff

Neo Geo

• Blazing Star (JP Publisher: SNK)

Sound Design: First Circle

• Genshitou 2 / Prehistoric Isle 2 (co-developed with Saurus) (JP Publisher: Yumekobo)

Neo Geo Pocket

• Biomotor Unitron (JP/US/EU Publisher: SNK)

Direction, Some Planning (System & Scenario), Some Programming, Some Graphics (Some Character Design): M's Factory; Sound: Studio Cliche

• Garou Densetsu: First Contact / Fatal Fury: First Contact (JP/US/EU Publisher: SNK)
• Kikou Seiki Unitron (JP Publisher: SNK)
• Pocket Tennis / Pocket Tennis Color (JP/EU/US Publisher: SNK)
• Renketsu Puzzle Tsunagete Pon! / Renketsu Puzzle Tsunagete Pon! Color / Puzzle Link (production) (JP/US/EU Publisher: SNK)

Developer: TUG; Sound: Warm Jets

• SNK Gals Fighters (JP/US/EU Publisher: SNK)

Sound: Paon

• Tsunagete Pon! 2 / Puzzle Link 2 (production) (JP/EU/US Publisher: SNK)

Developer: TUG; Sound: Paon

PlayStation

• Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life (production) (JP Publisher: SNK)

Developer: Japan Vistec

• Bakumatsu Rouman: Gekka no Kenshi (JP Publisher: SNK)

Opening Movie: Digimation

• The King of Fighters '96 (JP Publisher: SNK)

Sound: First Circle

• The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends (co-developed with TUG) (JP Publisher: SNK; AS Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment)

Sound: First Circle

• The King of Fighters '99 (co-developed with TUG) (JP Publisher: SNK; US Publisher: Agetec)
• The King of Fighters Kyo (production) (JP Publisher: SNK)

Developer: Japan Media Programming

• Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special: Dominated Mind (JP Publisher: SNK)

Sound: First Circle

• Samurai Spirits: Amakusa Kourin Special (co-developed with TUG) (JP Publisher: SNK)
• Samurai Spirits: Kenkaku Shinan Pack ("Shin Samurai Spirits: Haoumaru Jigoku-hen") (JP Publisher: SNK)

"Samurai Spirits": Santos

• SNK Fan Collection: Garou Densetsu (production) (JP Publisher: SNK)

Included as a bonus disc with the limited edition of Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special: Dominated Mind

Developer: Japan Vistec

Saturn

• The King of Fighters '96 (co-developed with TUG) (JP Publisher: SNK)

Sound: First Circle

• The King of Fighters '97 (co-developed with TUG) (JP Publisher: SNK)

Sound: First Circle

• Metal Slug (JP Publisher: SNK)
• Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special (JP Publisher: SNK)

Sound: First Circle

• Samurai Spirits: Amakusa Kourin (co-developed with TUG) (JP Publisher: SNK)