Camelot Software Planning, the studio that has become known for its line of Mario sports software, will be taking a break from Nintendo development for a partnership with Eleven-Up Inc. and Yahoo! Japan. The studio revealed it will develop a new golf title for the PC called Golf Daisuki: I Love Golf. The game begins beta testing later this month and once complete, will be distributed on the G-Planet service created by Eleven-Up and Yahoo! Japan.
Camelot is a small studio of only around 30 development staff. Although the team has not ruled out future Nintendo development, it remains absent from their current agenda. Camelot president Hiroyuki Takahashi said the studio will devote its full resources to G-Planet because he sees immense potential in the service's future. Takahashi recalled a moment when Nintendo of America referred to the company as "Columbus, who discovers unopened markets." He continued, "We're once again becoming Columbus and taking off on the great seas in search of a new continent. We're confident that ahead of us, there lay a continent larger than Mario Tennis."
This group of golf fiends has a long history through which they've learned a hole-in-one requires foresight of the future. Camelot was originally established as a sub-division of Sega. It was known then as Sonic Software Planning. Camelot recognized the Genesis console lacked a standout RPG, whereas the Super Nintendo had Square's Final Fantasy and Enix's Dragon Quest. So development began on Shining in the Darkness. The title debuted in 1991 and spawned the company's most recognized series with nearly a dozen sequels released in the years that followed.
In 1994, Sega launched its Sega Saturn console. It was at this time that Camelot realized Sega might not have the qualities nor the platform necessary for success in this industry. Camelot made the calculated decision to split from Sega and drop the Sonic name but as to not soil relations, agreed to continue the Shining series. In the subsequent year, Sega faced many hardships and came to realize the Saturn could not compete with the Sony PlayStation. With Sega's turmoil, Camelot's worst fears had come true and the studio was now faced with the possibility that its last chapter in the Shinging Force series would be shelved. To counter the unknown, Camelot continued to pour more resources into PlayStation development -- an RPG called Beyond the Beyond and a golf simulation dubbed Hot Shots Golf. The studio still tried its best to finish up the last two scenarios of Shining Force III. Unfortunately, it soon became evident that Sega had lost interest and perhaps the ability to support the Saturn. The last two scenarios Camelot had labored over were never to be seen outside Japan.
With Sega now in its rear-view mirror and having gained experience from Hot Shots Golf, Camelot was lured by the opportunity from Nintendo to include Mario in a new golf game. Mario Golf released for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color in 1999 and proved a huge hit. Camelot had tapped a brand new market of gamers. The studio still had more ideas up its sleeves which culminated in the release of Mario Tennis the following year. The game proved that Camelot knew how to create the definitive multiplayer sports game experience. With the introduction of the Game Boy Advance, Camelot decided to return to its RPG roots with the 2001 release of Golden Sun. In the years that followed, Camelot has enjoyed its financially beneficial partnership with Nintendo while Nintendo has gained from the exclusive software talent of a studio who had once been a competitor.
What the future holds for Camelot is anyone's guess but we rest assured in their decision and wish them the best of luck.