(クインテット ''Kuintetto'', properly Quintet Co. Ltd) is a
Videogame developer, founded in
1989 . The company name is derived from musical terminology, as well as 5 elements of game design - planning, graphics, sound, programmers, and producers. Quintet was most active in the
1990 's, when it had a strong relationship with
Enix (now incorporated into
Square-Enix ); the company was also a member of
GD-NET group of
Sega Saturn developers. The current status of Quintet is unclear.
The director and president of Quintet is Tomoyoshii Miyazaki, the scenario writer the first two entries for
Nihon Falcom 's classic
Y's series. Masaya Hashimoto, the main programmer for the same titles, is also a member. Thanks to that connection, composer
Yuzo Koshiro (also an Y's veteran) lent his talents to the score of the company's inaugural title, ''
Actraiser '', a soundtrack which has since been adapted for orchestra. Koshiro's sister,
Ayano Koshiro , drew the character designs.
One unique feature of Quintet games is the strong, sometimes dark themes addressed in the storylines of their titles, particularly the theme of duality, most often exemplified by 'creation vs. destruction'. The world has two aspects which both oppose and compliment each other, and everything in existence is built upon that relationship. Many of Quintet's games concern a conflict between a being that brings destruction and a being that controls creation. Humans are often victims in this conflict, but they are also depicted as being capable of shaping their own destinies. Unflinching portrayals of the suffering and sacrifices that are a part of life set Quintet games apart.
As of 2006, Quintet's official website has not been updated in 4 years, and the company has been silent. There was an active
Bulletin Board on the official site until March 29, 2002 (the release date of the
Gameboy Advance Action RPG ''
Magical Houshin '', or ''
Mystic Heroes '' in North America), but in response to an overflow of angry comments from fans made impatient by the lack of news, Quintet staff posted, "As we cannot currently release any information, we will close this bulletin board". Afterward, the bulletin board was shut down.
Since 2002, games have been released that credit Quintet staff members, but make no mention of Quintet as a company, including ''
Super Robot Taisen A '' (GBA), produced by
Banpresto and ''Mystic Heroes'' (GBA) from
Koei .
