Dimps

Dimps Corporation is a Japanese video game development studio founded in 2000. The team included, amongst others, former developers from SNK, which meant that from the outset the studio had extensive experience, particularly with fighting and arcade games. It gradually began collaborating with major companies such as Capcom, Bandai Namco and Sega.

One of the studio’s most significant franchises is Dragon Ball. Dimps has worked on a large number of games based on the popular manga and anime series and has played a significant role in shaping the look and feel of Dragon Ball fighting games across several console generations.

Among its older projects is the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series. The first instalments were released on the PlayStation 2 and later on other platforms as well. The games combine fast-paced combat, familiar characters and attacks with storylines inspired by individual episodes of the Dragon Ball Z anime.

Later, Dimps created Dragon Ball Xenoverse and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. These games expanded on the classic combat by incorporating RPG elements, character customisation, the acquisition of abilities, and a storyline based on time travel and alterations to familiar events in the Dragon Ball universe.

The collaboration with Capcom is also highly significant. Dimps contributed to the development of Street Fighter IV, which in 2008 helped restore the famous fighting series to its place amongst the most significant modern fighting games. The collaboration continued with subsequent versions and titles associated with Street Fighter.

The studio also has strong ties to Sega and the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Dimps has created or co-developed a number of primarily handheld Sonic games, including Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure.

On the Nintendo DS, Sonic Rush became a standout entry in the series thanks to its combination of fast-paced 2D gameplay with 3D elements and the introduction of the character Blaze the Cat.

Dimps has also worked on several console versions of the Sonic series, including projects from the Sonic the Hedgehog 4 series. Its expertise in classic 2D gameplay has thus been utilised across several generations of consoles.

The studio’s portfolio also includes its own fighting series, The Rumble Fish, which was originally developed for Japanese arcade machines. Alongside this, Dimps has collaborated on a number of other licensed and fighting titles.

Interestingly, one of the studio’s founders is Takashi Nishiyama, a game designer associated with the history of the Street Fighter and Fatal Fury series. It was precisely the experience of former Capcom and SNK developers that helped the studio establish a strong position in the fighting game sector.

Thanks to games such as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush, as well as its collaboration on Street Fighter IV, Dimps ranks among Japan’s leading studios specialising in fighting, action and licensed games.