Bullet-Proof Software

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The original Bullet-Proof Software started operation in 1983 in Japan by Henk Rogers. Its first title was The Black Onyx, which went on to become the number one title of 1984, and the number two video game of 1985. The company had an ability to import Western games to Japan, most notably the hit game Tetris, which became an instant blockbuster success. The company name is taken from the term, "Bullet-Proof", which means "bulletproof," it also means "perfect," and the name was chosen to signify perfect software. The original BPS had an American operation from October 1989 to late 1993, based in Redmond, Washington. Among games from the US operation was a technological first-person shooter based on MIDI Maze, Faceball 2000 for the Game Boy and the SNES. The American operation of BPS was sold to Spectrum HoloByte in 1993, and its development team moved to a startup led by Scott Tsumura, who was president and CEO of the US BPS, in Redmond after selling the BPS subsidiary, called Big Bang Software, which was later merged into Nintendo Software Technology. The original BPS closed on 22 February 2001.

In Their Own Story

In 1983, Henk Rogers founded Bullet-Proof Software in Japan. The company's first title, The Black Onyx, became the number one title of 1984 and the number two video game of 1985. The company name was chosen to signify perfect software, taken from the term "Bullet-Proof," meaning "bulletproof" and also "perfect." BPS had an ability to import Western games to Japan, most notably the hit game Tetris, which became an instant blockbuster success. The company operated an American branch from October 1989 to late 1993 in Redmond, Washington, which produced Faceball 2000 for the Game Boy and the SNES. That American operation was sold to Spectrum HoloByte in 1993, and its development team moved to a startup led by Scott Tsumura, who was president and CEO of the US BPS. The subsidiary was called Big Bang Software, later merged into Nintendo Software Technology. The original BPS closed on 22 February 2001.

Reader's Guide

Bullet-Proof Software was founded in 1983 in Japan by Henk Rogers. Its first title was The Black Onyx, which became the number one title of 1984 and the number two video game of 1985. The company was known for importing Western games to Japan, most notably Tetris, which became an instant blockbuster success. The company name means "bulletproof" and also "perfect," chosen to signify perfect software. The original BPS had an American operation from October 1989 to late 1993, based in Redmond, Washington. This US operation produced Faceball 2000 for the Game Boy and the SNES, a technological first-person shooter based on MIDI Maze. In 1993, the American operation was sold to Spectrum HoloByte. The development team moved to a startup led by Scott Tsumura, who had been president and CEO of the US BPS, in Redmond after selling the BPS subsidiary, called Big Bang Software. Big Bang Software was later merged into Nintendo Software Technology. The original BPS closed on 22 February 2001.

Did You Know?

• Bullet-Proof Software started operation in 1983 in Japan by Henk Rogers.
• The company's first title, The Black Onyx, became the number one title of 1984 and the number two video game of 1985.
• The company name was taken from the term 'Bullet-Proof,' which means 'bulletproof' and also 'perfect,' chosen to signify perfect software.
• The original BPS had an American operation from October 1989 to late 1993, based in Redmond, Washington.
• The American operation of BPS was sold to Spectrum HoloByte in 1993, and its subsidiary Big Bang Software was later merged into Nintendo Software Technology.