Google

Director for Games, Google Cloud

Jack Buser

A game industry veteran leader who built numerous game platforms at Google and PlayStation.

I grew up with Toaplan games: Truxon, Hellfire, Tiger-Heli, and Twin Cobra, just to name a few. Congratulations on your 40th anniversary! All your base are belong to us!

Fast Travel Games

Designer and Chief Creative Officer

Erik Odeldahl

Author and game designer that worked on hit games like Apex Construct, and the Battlefield and Mirror’s Edge franchises.

When I was introduced to Batsugun by a friend I was so blown away that my life actually changed. I had to buy an imported Sega Saturn to play it, and that started a fascination with shoot em ups that remains to this day. I have spent an incredible amount of hours with Batsugun and the games that the ethos of Toaplan inspired, and have no plan to stop doing so.
Happy 40th anniversary from a big fan in Sweden!

Bitwave

Senior Game Developer

Carl-Henrik Skarstedt

Programmed video games since the early 90’s starting on 16-bit consoles. Ported the Toaplan shoot ‘em up games to PC.

Congratulations on 40 years of games that still play great! I have enjoyed studying the games in detail and still fondly remember discovering Flying Shark for the first time.

Blaze Entertainment

CEO

Andrew Byatt

Creator of the Evercade retro platform with cartridges containing classic games, including several Toaplan collections.

Congratulations on the 40th anniversary of Tatsujin. What an incredible journey it has been!
When I think of Toaplan’s games, classics like Truxton and Snow Bros immediately come to mind. These masterpieces have left a lasting impression, filled with nostalgia and memories for many fans. Here’s to another 40 years of game-changing innovation and unforgettable experiences!

game designer

Andreas Escher

German game designer known for the Turrican series and worked on games in the Star Wars, R-Type, Contra, and Indiana Jones series during his time at Rainbow Arts and Factor 5.

I spent so much time in the arcade with Tiger Heli and Truxton. These games were partly inspiration and success for my own games. Thank you for that and congratulations on your 40th anniversary! Toa Plan games that never get old!

ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO TOAPLAN DOCUMENTARY

Director

Joseph Michael Pierce

A young, passionate Toaplan fan who kickstared a documentary film about the company.

Wow! It has been forty years since those first six employees at Toaplan crammed into a small apartment room in Shinjuku, the atmosphere dense with ideas and cigarette smoke. They would end up blowing away the world with Tiger Heli, and thus began their work as shooting game craftsmen!!

TAITO CORPORATION

Producer

Yuichi Toyama

His long relationship with Toaplan reaches back to his time as a developer. Representative works: Musha Aleste, Sorcer Striker, etc.

At my previous job, Mr. Yuge and Mr. Uemura taught us the know-how of arcade games, even though we were only familiar with the development of console games, and for that we are very thankful! Of all the Toaplan games, I especially love ZERO WING, so I’d love to see a new release. Happy 40th, and here’s to many more!

TAITO CORPORATION

EGRETII mini Producer

Tetsuo Egawa

Began his career at Taito in store development, and is currently working on re-releasing classic retro games, including Toaplan titles.

I’m truly grateful to Tatsujin for letting us use TWIN COBRA and TRUXTON in the Egret II Mini launch, as well as TWIN HAWK, SLAP FIGHT and WARDNER for Arcade Memories. In future, we would love to include more Toaplan games in our projects. Congratulations on your 40th aniversary! We look forward to working together again.

M2 Co., Ltd.

Representative Director

Naoki Horii

The M2 brand’s ability to build trust through ability to port is due their president’s commitment.

Everyone knows the shot button, how to move your ship, and how to bomb.
You know, or rather, it’s ingrained into your muscle memory, right? It was Toaplan who created this template that all shooting game players know, and it was Toaplan who popularised it. From major game publishers to indie game developers, there are so many examples of shooting games developed in the mold that Toaplan made.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Toaplan, the creators of this universally popular style.
Let’s savor their accomplishments, praise them, and tell the world about them.
Happy 40th anniversary Toaplan.

exA-Arcadia

Head of Product

Eric Chung

The founder of exA-Arcadia, with a refined taste in arcade games, he takes on the world with their outstanding technology.

Congratulations on 40 years! When I was a kid and played a ton of “Rally Bike (Dash Yarou),” I dreamt of jumping around the road and riding on top of trucks just like in the game so when I could finally ride a real motorcycle, I was greatly disappointed at how different and boring real life riding is.
I’m looking forward to seeing what the modern Toaplan flavor is like…perhaps, there will be a sequel to this game?!

Matrix/IGCC

Representative Director and President

Yasuhiro Ohori

A legendary former game journalist who has written numerous articles on arcade games since his student names under the pen name Anzu Urusei.

Congratulations on 40 years of Toaplan games!! My relationship with Toaplan began in 1984 when I met the Orca’s development team, Flying Tigers to interview them about Vastar. From Buzzard to Batsugun, I have been a Toa-fan from the time before the internet, going to location tests based on word of mouth, and my love for Toaplan’s music grew so much that I even did product planning for a music CD at a previous employer. I felt a sense of loss when they disappeared, so I will continue to follow the restart of Tatsujin and their shooting legacy as a fan. Thank you so much for bringing wonderful shooting games to the world!

CITY CONNECTION

Representative Director

Nobuhiro Yoshikawa

A passionate CEO who loves music and is delivering an evolution in Jaleco-IP-based retro games to players around the world.

I’ve been deeply involved with the games and soundtracks, so I feel a timeless bond with TOAPLAN’s works. Here’s hoping we can continue working together into a new era!

hosplug

composer

Soushi Hoshoi

A composer and arranger who has a wide range of styles and is active in live performances and streaming. His representative works include the Sonic Wings series.

Congratulations on your 40th anniversary! When I was a teenager, I remember being excited by Slap Fight’s growing ship, admiring Twin Cobra’s helicopter, and having my hope destroyed by Truxton. These are the masterpieces of the 80s that shaped my adolescent years. Please keep destroying people’s hope for many years to come!

Professional Wrestler

KANA

Japan’s premier female pro-wrestler, active all over the world, and also a huge video game lover.

I love Toaplan. Sadly, Toaplan disappeared a long time ago.
But now, I can launch the masterpieces Toaplan left behind anytime and anywhere on various devices. And as part of one my life projects to build my own private arcade, I own the Toaplan arcade boards as they’re must-haves. The works created by Toaplan, have transcended time and made their mark on history, are still entertaining us today.
But I still believe Toaplan has a place in the world, and now Tatsujin, which bears the Japanese name of the legendary Truxton, has inherited and revived the spirit of Toaplan, so it may continue to entertain us in the future. For that I am very grateful.

J.C.STAFF

Executive Officer / Chief Producer

Yuji Matsukura

An animation producer who started out in games. His representative works include Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Congratulations on your 40th anniversary! The first board I bought with my part-time job’s pay was Tiger Heli! Time passes, and platforms change, but great games are always great! I still love Toaplan! Please continue to make great games!

Game Designer

Hideki Kamiya

A retro-game-loving game producer who Japan is proud to call its own. His representative works include “Sol Cresta” and many others!

Congratulations on your 40th anniversary. I am very happy to see that the DNA of Toaplan is still being passed down from generation to generation. There was always a certain richness to a Toaplan game that could be recognized at a glance in the arcades. I hope that Toaplan will continue to share its sense of intensity with the world.

CAVE Interactive

Executive Officer

Tsuneki Ikeda

Mr. Shmup himself, he laid the foundation for bullet hell at Toaplan and went on to have a great influence on its subsequent development!

At Toaplan, I learnt what it mean to be a professional, and that made me the person I am today. I sincerely hope that the Toa-spirit will be passed on to the next generation.

Composer

Hiroyuki Kawada

A renowned game music composer, whose representative works are too many to mention but include Yokai Dochuki and Valkyrie Densetsu.

I can understand the weight of coming to a 40th anniversary, having been in the industry nearly as long. I hope you will continue to entertain past fans as well as those in the future!

Ancient Corp.

Representative Director and President

Yuzo Koshiro

The crown prince of the game music world. His representative works include “Actraiser”, “Ys” series, and many others!

Toaplan made many shooting masterpieces, but my favourite is Guardian! It was one of the most memorable arcade games of the mid-80s with its unique world. I was still in high school at the time, but I remember playing it like crazy. Congratulations on your 40th anniversary!

Composer

Tsukasa Masuko

A well-known composer and arranger who notably ported and arranged Toaplan’s works. His representative works include the Megami Tensei series and many others!

Toaplan is a jewel of a developer that has played a huge part in creating a lineage of vertical shooting games whose influence is still present now. And their shooting games are full of great songs.

Freelance

Composer / Sound Designer / Game Designer / Director

Manabu Namiki

Composer and arranger of sound for numerous shooting games, and a stickler for game production itself.

What?!
You’re telling me it’s already been 40 years since the development of Tiger Heli, the ancestor of the modern vertically scrolling shooting game?!
Does that mean all the Toaplan fans (the Twintrux Bike Brothers and the Wardener’s Batsugun Dogyuun Sisters) can look forward to being ‘Pumped full of Bullets’ in a new game?!

CAVE Interactive

Yagawa

A legendary game creator who never reveals his face to his fans. Representative works Battle Garegga, Ibara, etc.

Happy 40th Anniversary! When I think of Toaplan I think of Dogyuun! I love Dogyuun! Please make a sequel to Dogyuun as soon as possible. Or let me make one instead!

KICK THE CAN CREW

MCU

The biggest game enthusiast in the hip-hop group “KICK THE CAN CREW,” known for performing on NHK’s Kohaku annual music contest.

Next year marks your 40th anniversary! Congratulations!
For unleashing Tiger Heli, Twin Cobra, Hellfire, and many other beastly shooting games, I say arigato-aplan! I have the game I used so many 100 yen coins on; Wardner, running in a cocktail cab at home! I’ll be waiting for more wonderful games from you! Congratulations!

Manga Artist

Rensuke Oshikiri

Manga artist who pioneered the unique horror gag genre. Representative works: “HIGH SCORE GIRL” and others.

Congratulations on your 40th anniversary! Next let us celebrate your 100th anniversary, I will always be a fan!

Studio HISEKUTTA

Representative Director / Manga Artist

Jyunya Inoue

Manga artist from Toaplan. Currently serializing “Kaiju JSDF” in Shinchosha’s “Comic Bunch” to rave reviews!

I consider the employment offer I received from my beloved Toaplan my start as a creator. I would like to sincerely thank you for giving me that chance.

INH／Gesen MIKADO

Representative Director

IKEDAMINOROCK

Manager of the legendary arcade Game Center Mikado, an arcade that puts its existance on the line for the survival of arcade video games.

I spent my junior high school days playing Twin Cobra, struggling with Truxton, and getting my heart broken by Fire Shark… And I loved every minute of it. Toaplan was a stubbornly hard-core, but also a quiet and masterful company, a rugged mountain-man of a company… Happy 40th anniversary!

Japan Online Game Association

Head of the Secretariat

Youji Kawaguchi

Since becoming editor-in-chief of Beep, Japan’s first video game magazine, he has worked hard for the development of the video game industry and the improvement of its social standing!

I owe a lot to Toaplan from my time at Beep and BEEP! Megadrive. To this day, I still regret not being able to publish the double page spread for Teki Paki.

Game Writer

Zenji Ishii

Editor-in-chief of Gamest magazine during the Toaplan’s heyday and has since been active in writing opinion pieces on the industry!

The 80’s was a time of shooting game masterpieces such as Twin Cobra. The times may have changed, but my core feelings remain the same. I look forward to seeing more enjoyable works from you in the future.

CITY CONNECTION

Former Editor-in-Chief of GAMESIDE

Syusaku Yamamoto

Many people became Toaplan fans after reading the special feature in Shooting Gameside magazine, where he served as editor-in-chief.

Toaplan games create an inherent desire within you to practice and hone your skills and overcome enemies who defeat us, also train our minds as we continue to fight and overcome challenges in our daily lives.

NintendoDREAM

Editor-in-Chief

Naoyuki Kayama

Editor-in-Chief of NintendoDREAM, a magazine specializing in Nintendo game consoles, he can also be spotted at Toaplan live music performances.

The sense of tension and accomplishment I got in the arcades back then is irreplaceable. Seeing how they are tackling new games again now, I feel more than just nostalgia. Please lay the gauntlet down for the gamers of today too!

Freelance Writer

Moriyuki Shigihara

In addition to writing in various media, promotes activities to preserve the game industry and culture through the Japan Society for Digital Game Studies and other organizations.

Congratulations on your 40th anniversary.
I will forever remember the first time I pulled an all-nighter in my early days as a writer while writing a strategy article on Batsugun, and the cooperation I received from everyone at Toaplan.
I hope that Tatsujin will continue to release many more games with challenging strategy patterns in the future.

RETRO GAME SUMMIT Executive Committee

RETRO GAME SUMMIT Representative / Megadriver

Memi Aizawa

She is currently organizing fan event “RETRO GAME SUMMIT” to support the retro game industry!

– Celebrating your 40th anniversary –
It still seems like a dream that I got to work together with you as an MC.
Please don’t tell anyone that I bomb-pause on the Megadrive version of Truxton. Toaplan is our treasure!

Game Music Historian

hally(VORC)

He is a composer and coordinator with a deep understanding of chiptune music, and is also active on TV and in other media as a researcher of game history!

For me, both Toaplan’s music and their games are a kind of blues. Simple yet rich in emotion, familiar yet solitary. Above all, they are the home of the shooting game’s soul. It is a place to which I should return someday, but also a place that I can never reach. Just as jazz and rock evolved from the blues in the past, new branches and leaves sprout all around from the seed that Toaplan sowed 40 years ago.