Momotaro Dentetsu (桃太郎電鉄, Momotarō Dentetsu, Momotarō Electric Railway) (also known by the abbreviated name Momotetsu) is a long-running board game-style video game series in Japan; in which players travel by rail, ship, and airplane; attempting to acquire wealth through business transactions buying properties; and dealing with rival entrepreneurs and nemeses such as the God of Poverty (貧乏神, Binbōgami). The game mechanics are often compared to the board games sugoroku and Monopoly.
Started in 1988, the series was initially produced by Hudson Soft. The rights to the series are now owned by Konami Corporation, who absorbed Hudson in 2012. This series is spin-off from another video game series by Hudson Soft, Momotaro Densetsu. The project supervisor for the series is Akira Sakuma, with illustration by Takayuki Doi (土居 孝幸) and main music production by Kazuyuki Sekiguchi of Southern All Stars. In some works, Kazuaki Miyaji (宮路 一昭) and Takeshi Ike (池 毅) (composer of "Makafushigi Adventure!", opening theme song of the Dragon Ball anime) also participate in music production.
In June 2015, creator Akira Sakuma stated "I'm announcing here that Momotaro Dentetsu is officially done. Ishikawa at Konami squelched everything." However, in July 2015, Konami lends the license to Nintendo for an unspecified amount of money.[2]
After seven years with no releases, a new version of the game was released, exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. Momotaro Dentetsu II released in the US on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini.
The series is popular in Japan.[8] Momotaro Dentetsu 7 sold over 500,000 copies in Japan.[9] Total shipments exceeded 12 million units by 2011.[10] To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the series, Hudson collaborated with the financially troubled Chōshi Electric Railway Line, operating a train on the railway decorated with a Momotaro Dentetsu motif.[11] Opening on April 25, 2007, the train ran until its third anniversary.[12] In June 2009, two Momotetsu-themed restaurants opened at Japanese railway stations: one at Haijima Station, and another at Kaminagaya Station.[13]
Referencesedit
^"Hudson Soft". Archived from the original on 2004-09-13. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
^"Konami lends license for Momotaro Dentetsu to Nintendo, due for release next year". 3 August 2015.
^"Earnings Release for the Nine-Month Period Ended December 2016 — Supplementary Information" (PDF). Nintendo Co., Ltd. : Investor Relations Information. Nintendo. 31 January 2017. p. 6. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
^"「桃鉄」制作者が三陸鉄道支援 2000万寄付 名誉オーナーに - 産経ニュース". Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^Johnston, Chris (May 18, 1998). "Sony Awards Top PlayStation Games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 2, 2000. Retrieved November 20, 2022.