Technos Japan was established in December 1981 by Kunio Taki and a group of other former Data East staff. The company became well known in the late '80s for the Double Dragon and Nekketsu High School franchises. The 16-bit era saw a decline in the popularity of these franchises, and with no big hits, the company was forced to close in early 1996. The rights to their back catalog have moved between several publishers, including Million and Atlus, but they are today owned by Arc System Works. Several companies were formed by former Technos Japan staff, including Almanic (later Givro) in 1992 and Avit (later Avit-Niigata) in 1996.