Treasure company

Considered by hardcore gamers to be one of the world's most talented developers of console action games, many of Treasure's games have long achieved cult status.

Headed by President Masato Maegawa, this Japanese game company is composed mainly of veteran Konami developers who struck out on their own during the 16-bit era. At Konami, the Treasure team developed the classic Contra and Castlevania games, as well as one-off titles such as Axelay.

Malcontent with the prospects of being shoehorned into franchise development, the team turned its back on SNES game development, left Konami, and founded the standalone company Treasure Co., Ltd in 1992. Starting with SEGA's Genesis, Treasure developed a long string of titles for all platforms, sticking to its mantra of creating original entertainment without succumbing to "sequelitis." Some of the more famous Treasure games include Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy, Alien Soldier, Guardian Heroes, Silhouette Mirage, Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, and licensed titles like Astro Boy and Wario World.