A name can say a lot about a company. When Sega's internal game development teams were spun off in 2000, each of them had to not only establish its place in the industry but also brand itself with a new moniker. For AM3, maker of arcade hits such as Crazy Taxi and Virtua Tennis, only a proud and memorable name would do. AM3's president and director, Hisao Oguchi, decided to get right to the point and name the company Hitmaker.

Born in Japan's Nagano prefecture, Oguchi struggled through school (thanks in part to late nights at the local arcade) before getting hired by Sega in 1984. Oguchi believes games should be simple and fun, and this philosophy shines throughout Hitmaker's body of work.

Software Highlights from Credited Titles

Hitmaker's first work that SPOnG is aware of is the 2000 title, "Crazy Taxi" (Dreamcast).

The company has been involved titles released on the PS2, PC, PSP, Xbox and Dreamcast. Of these, "Virtua Tennis" (Dreamcast), "Crazy Taxi" (Dreamcast), "Crazy Taxi 2" (Dreamcast), "Confidential Mission" (Dreamcast), "Virtua Athlete 2K" (Dreamcast) has been a best selling title.

The company's most recent involvement was on the 2007 release "Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light" (PSP).

Know something we don't? Let us know! If you work for Hitmaker, register now to manage this listing.