Whoopee Camp
Whoopee Camp (ウーピーキャンプ) is a Japanese video game development company known for creating the Tomba games.
History
The company was founded in 1997 by Tokuro Fujiwara (藤原 得郎), a former Capcom employee known for his work on classic franchises such as Ghosts 'n Goblins and Mega Man, to serve as his studio for developing original franchises. Whoopee Camp gained recognition for developing the platforming game series Tomba! (known as Tombi! in Europe).
Tomba games
The company's debut game, Tomba!, was released in 1997 for the PlayStation. The game received critical acclaim for its unique blend of 2D and 3D gameplay, vibrant graphics, and whimsical storyline. Players take on the role of Tomba, a pink-haired wild child who embarks on a quest to retrieve his grandpa's stolen bracelet from the Evil Pigs who have cursed the land. The game was noted for its open-ended exploration aspects.
Building on the success of the first game, Whoopee Camp developed a sequel called Tomba! The Wild Adventures, released as Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return overseas, in 1999. The second installment expanded upon the original with fully 3D graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and a continuation of the original game's storyline. Like its predecessor, Tomba 2 was well-received but struggled to achieve significant commercial success, particularly outside Japan.
Closure and legacy
Despite the critical success of the Tomba series, Whoopee Camp faced financial difficulties. The studio ended up being closed in 2000.
Though short-lived, Whoopee Camp left a lasting legacy in the gaming community. The Tomba series remains a cult classic cherished by a dedicated fanbase. MonkeyPaw Games called it "our number one requested game from Japan" in a blog post announcing Tomba's re-release in 2012.
After its closure, some of its employees went over to Access Games, notably Hidetaka Suehiro.