I didn’t realize Sunsoft went through heavy restructuring a couple of years ago, but it seems they’ve gotten a handle on things as they have just announced that they have bought defunct developer Nippon Telenet, acquiring all of the company’s IPs.

Telenet is most notable for the Valis series. The games were published in the US on the Genesis through the company’s American subsidiary, Renovation Productions.

To be honest, I’m not very familiar with Telenet as I was only six when a lot of their works came out and didn’t care for games that didn’t begin with Sonic.

However, with this acquisition, Sunsoft has made it known that they will be publishing many of their newly bought titles on the Virtual Console and other services. They are  even looking into the possibility of remaking some of Telenet’s more popular titles.

Great, now I’ll be able to check out what I’ve been missing.

The full press release detailing the acquisition can be found after the jump.

Source

SUNSOFT ACQUIRES ENTIRE NIHON TELENET SOFTWARE LIBRARY

Redding, CA – December 10, 2009 – Sunsoft, a division of SUNCORPORATION (JASDAQ: 6736) , has today announced that they have completed the purchase of the entire software library of defunct Japanese game publisher Nihon Telenet. This transfer of intellectual property gives Sunsoft the ability to publish or remake over 100 Telenet titles originally published on key platforms like Nintendo Entertainment System, SEGA Genesis/SEGA CD, and PC-Engine/Turbografx, and Sony Playstation.

Nihon Telenet, also known as Nippon Telenet, who published under the Renovation brand in the USA, was a prolific developer and publisher of popular and well-crafted titles like the Valis Series, El Viento, Earnest Evans, Tenshi No Uta (Poems of the Angel), Exile, and Cosmic Fantasy series, to name only a few. One of the interesting trademarks of a Telenet game was that it was not uncommon to see characters from one title make a guest appearance in a different Telenet game or series.

Kiharu Yoshida, CEO of SUNCORPORATION said of the acquisition, “I am proud to have succeeded in creating a home for this large family of key software. We plan to carefully cultivate the great software base we have purchased with this transaction.”

Victor Ireland, President of GAIJINWORKS was instrumental in helping the deal come about and will assist Sunsoft in the implementation of a publishing plan for existing titles and development plans for those that are chosen to be remade. Ireland effused “After Telenet closed, I was sure there was a way to keep their great ideas and characters alive, and I’m extremely happy that Sunsoft has stepped into that role. There are numerous fantastic products to work with in this acquisition, and there is nothing but amazing possibilities for the Telenet IP as a whole.”

Initial plans are to quickly begin publication of the original software releases on Virtual Console systems available on the Wii and other platforms. Then new development of key titles in the library will be initiated, targeting the best and most-wanted to be remade for current consoles and services. Given that many of the Telenet series had only one of the installments released in the US, some of these Virtual Console and remade releases will be seen for the first time in Western markets.

In the coming months, the order of release for titles from this library will be announced and publication will begin, events sure to work game fans into a frothing lather. Suggestions and comments for the games to be chosen are welcome and can be made on the new Sunsoft USA message boards at www.sunsoftgames.com.

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