Kaiko History - all about Kaiko

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please note: the interview was originally in german - so if the english is incorrect, I´m the one to blame.

T.R.Schmidt	Hello... I´m trying to get some data about kaiko - because until now there´s nothing to be found about it - to put it online. For what I want to ask would be some comments to the questions and, if possible, some graphics, especially sketches to design the page and to provide for download. Thanks a lot in advance ! T.R.Schmidt When was Kaiko foundet ?
Chris Huelsbeck	In autumn 1990, as far I remember.
T.R.Schmidt	Who stood behind Kaiko and where are these people working now ?
Chris Huelsbeck	Frank Matzke (graphics), Peter Thierolf (programming) and myself (Sound ;). Peter later was co-founder of Neon (Playstation and Gameboy developer) and mainly still is programmer. Frank works as Marketing Manager at Havas Germany (Sierra Online etc.). I emigrated 1998 to california and work there for Factor 5 (as Music Director / componist)
T.R.Schmidt	Who or what was AUDIOS ?
Chris Huelsbeck	A.U.D.I.O.S stood for "Art Under Design, Imaginations Of Sound" and was our original company name. We then called Kaiko to life as sub-label.
T.R.Schmidt	Were ther other releases then... Gem´X Apidya Gem´Z ?
Chris Huelsbeck	There was on more gamel (the Software Manager - ), that was never published in bigger style..
T.R.Schmidt	Whose idea was it to use a japanese style and Manga, which was nearly unknown at this time ?
Chris Huelsbeck	The idea came from Frank, our graphic-artist (or Art Director ;), who is a big fan of the japanese comic-culture. Additionally the best action- and thinking-gemes to this time in our opinion came from japan.
T.R.Schmidt	Is it true, that Apidya had a "II" in its name, because there was a japanese game with the same name ?
Chris Huelsbeck	No, this was a gag to provide for some excitement.... ;)
T.R.Schmidt	Who owns the rights the rights for the Kaiko-Games today ?
Chris Huelsbeck	Good question, I can´t answer it certainly..
T.R.Schmidt	Since when doesn´t Kaiko exits any more ?
Chris Huelsbeck	Since ~1995.
T.R.Schmidt	What was the reason for Kaikos end ?
Chris Huelsbeck	1993, the company was deep in the red numbers, what mainly was because of the bad business-management. The company was at the beginning of of 1993 deeply in the red numbers, which was particularly because of the bad management. None of the 3 original partners was commercially learned, or talented. We then looked for assistance in form of a backer and a commercial support. Instead of helping, finally a well-known German software house dismantled us systematically. I feeled rather used and have thereupon made myself independently. It still lasted to in the middle of 1999, before I finally was able to pay off my debts.
T.R.Schmidt	Besides: Is there possibly still material (designs, graphics, music etc..) which I could use for the web page ?
Chris Huelsbeck	I can possibly make the one or other music file available. Because of graphics etc. you would perhaps have to mail Frank ... Simply speak to me again on it on...
T.R.Schmidt	and for the further research: Who could I ask concerning RainbowArts and Loriciel ?
Chris Huelsbeck	Unfortunaly there I have only little data. Rainbow Arts is a part of THQ in the meantime, but I think there won´t happen much anymore. Loriciel does not exist anymore, already a long time. Greetings, Chris ----------------------------------------- Chris Huelsbeck Composer / Sound designer Official webpage: http://www.huelsbeck.com My Game Music CD label: http://www.synsoniq.com/ Check also out my latest releases on: http://www.mp3.com/huelsbeck

Here starts the second part of the interview, I mailed the above to Frank Matzke.
Please note: the answers of Chris Huelsbeck are italic !

T.R.Schmidt	Hello... I´m trying to get some data about kaiko - because until now there´s nothing to be found about it - to put it online. Chris Huelsbeck has already answered many questions, I attached the actual state. Thanks a lot in advance ! I thought out one new question:) Which games (especially japanese) were models for your games ?
Frank Matzke	Quite basically were above all many, many of the classical sega megadrive, pc engine and coin/ops of taito, jaleco, namco, sega, etc - and otherwise stylistic absolutely the, in the western lands at that time still very unknown (at least beyond of " captain future "), animes and mangas !
T.R.Schmidt	When was Kaiko foundet ?
Frank Matzke	In autumn 1990, as far I remember. right ! ...the first starts in point of APIDYA however are already from spring '90.
T.R.Schmidt	Who stood behind Kaiko and where are these people working now ?
Frank Matzke	Frank Matzke (graphics), Peter Thierolf (programming) and myself (Sound ;). Peter later was co-founder of Neon (Playstation and Gameboy developer) and mainly still is programmer. Frank works as Marketing Manager at Havas Germany (Sierra Online etc.). I emigrated 1998 to california and work there for Factor 5 (as Music Director / componist)
T.R.Schmidt	Who or what was AUDIOS ?
Frank Matzke	A.U.D.I.O.S stood for "Art Under Design, Imaginations Of Sound" and was our original company name. We then called Kaiko to life as sub-label. Peter and Chris both were very audiphile developers, as we started with the common company the two just had (hopefully that is the correct name?! -) developed TFMX... somehow the name then lay very close. KAIKO basically always was a marketing-Idea, while AUDIOS functioned as a company-name.
T.R.Schmidt	Were ther other releases then... Gem´X Apidya Gem´Z
Frank Matzke	Gem´X was the first real KAIKO-game and was published via DEMONWARE (one of the founders now works again at NEON)... developed for c64, atari st, pc and of course Amiga... all Versions were finished, but to my knowledge only the amiga and C64-discs actually reached the stores. As NEW BITS ON THE RAM (or similarly) we finished two budget-games: QUIK'N'SILVA and METAL LAW both came to the public over magazines. GEM´Z existed as PC- and Amiga-version. After the amiga-master was stolen us at one of the fairs in cologne, SOFTWARE 2000 refused to still publish the product... VISION MEDIA (www.vme.de) picked up the basic-idea and are now making a playstation-game out of it for UBI-SOFT. ...and then there was the never-finished playstation-game (work-)name ELFQUEST... unfortunaly SOFTWARE 2000 stopped the developement after 1,5 years ! apropos: NINJAS IN SPACE and MISS HONEYBEE were likewise very responding titles, which unfortunately had to be stopped due to the lack of perseverance of the main programmers, NINJA was started even twice ! Date:06.07.00