HexaDrive

• 1. Introduction

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  HexaDrive is a Japanese independent video game developer operating out of Osaka, and its origin story begins with a single programmer walking away from one of Japan's most storied studios. Masakazu Matsushita had spent years at Capcom before founding HexaDrive in February 2007. From that starting point in Osaka, the company he built would go on to contribute to some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming history. The questions worth asking are: how did a small independent studio earn the trust of giants like Nintendo, Square Enix, and Konami? What kinds of work did HexaDrive specialize in? And what does a company look like when it carves out a niche not by creating blockbuster originals, but by handling some of the most technically demanding projects in the industry?

• 2. The Capcom Connection

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  Masakazu Matsushita carried his Capcom experience directly into HexaDrive's earliest work. The studio's first released title was Rez HD in 2008, published by Q Entertainment. Rez HD was a high-definition remastering of the original Rez, built exclusively for Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. Choosing an HD remaster as the debut project was a statement of intent: HexaDrive would be a studio that could take existing work and make it shine on new hardware. That specialty would define much of the company's first decade. The Capcom relationship did not end when Matsushita left the company. HexaDrive later contributed to Okami HD for PlayStation 3, E.X. Troopers, and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iOS, all published by Capcom, keeping the connection between founder and former employer alive across multiple platforms.

• 3. Collaboration and HD Mastery

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  Square Enix became one of HexaDrive's most significant partners. The 3rd Birthday, released in 2010 for PlayStation Portable, was a collaboration directly between HexaDrive and Square Enix, and it stands as one of the most prominent joint projects in the studio's history. The relationship continued well beyond that single game. HexaDrive worked on Demons' Score and Rampage Land Rankers for mobile platforms, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows, and contributed to Final Fantasy XV. The work on Okami HD, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D for Nintendo 3DS, and Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner HD Edition for PlayStation 3 placed HexaDrive at the center of some of the industry's most beloved remaster projects. Konami's Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops, a trading card and action game for Android and iOS, rounded out the Konami relationship.

• 4. Nintendo and the Wii U Era

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  The Wii U years brought HexaDrive into contact with Nintendo directly. The studio contributed to The Wonderful 101, an action adventure game published by Nintendo for Wii U in 2013. That same year, HexaDrive also worked on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, another Wii U title and one of the most high-profile remasters the studio was ever associated with. Mario Sports Superstars followed in 2017 for Nintendo 3DS. Working with Nintendo on flagship franchise titles, particularly a mainline Zelda remaster, signaled that HexaDrive had built a reputation for careful, quality-focused work on legacy properties. The Wind Waker HD project placed HexaDrive's name alongside one of the most beloved entries in the Zelda series.

• 5. Original Games and Later Work

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  HexaDrive did not confine itself entirely to publisher-led work. King Radish's Ambition, a tower defense game for Android and iOS released in 2014, was self-published under the HexaDrive name. Voidcrisis followed in 2022 as an action game for Microsoft Windows, again published by HexaDrive itself. Infinity Bullets, a shoot 'em up for Android and iOS, appeared in 2025 under the studio's own label. These original titles show the studio exercising creative control between contract projects. The studio's work for hire continued in parallel: Super Bomberman R in 2017 for Nintendo Switch, Super Bomberman R Online across multiple platforms in 2020 and 2021, and Super Bomberman R 2 in 2023 kept Konami's Bomberman franchise in HexaDrive's hands across nearly a decade. Silent Hill: The Short Message, released for PlayStation 5 in 2024, extended the studio's Konami relationship into one of gaming's most famous horror franchises. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, a Square Enix role-playing game for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows, is the studio's 2026 title.