VGM Preservation & Publisher Credit Policies

Status: Reference. Documents industry-wide patterns: games without credits, publishers that prohibited credits, and methodology for uncovering hidden attribution.

Scale: Games Without Credits

• VGMPF: Category: Games Without Credits — 335 games in database.
• List of Games Without Credits

Publishers That Prohibited or Omitted Credits

Reasons cited (industry-wide): ROM space, anonymity, staff poaching prevention, rushed development, early-era norms.

Methodology: Uncovering Hidden Credits

ROM / Hex Dumps

• TCRF (The Cutting Room Floor): Documents hidden content, unused data, embedded credits.
• Example: Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES)—credits at 0x7FE0: “RARE93 BREN GUNN!”
• Example: PIN·BOT (NES)—credits embedded in ROM, not displayed.

Japanese vs. Western Materials

• Japanese manuals sometimes list more staff than Western releases.
• Action: Cross-reference GameStaff@Wiki, Japanese print materials, VGMPF.

Copyright Records

• EasySong, MusicBrainz: Legal attribution may list names not in game credits.
• Example: Aquatic Ambience—Beanland, Fischer, Wise, Kaneoka (four names; game credits less specific).

Sound Programming vs. Composition

• Sound programmers (Minoru Akao, Eiji Nakamura) may have arrangement/implementation input.
• Blurred roles in small teams; credit may not reflect contribution.

Cross-References

• rare-nintendo-rd.md — Battletoads, PIN·BOT, Rare policy
• capcom.md — Kinuyo Yamashita uncredited; Minakuchi contractor
• yasunori-mitsuda.md — CT sound staff; Akao, Nakamura

Sources

• VGMPF: Category Games Without Credits
• VGMPF: List of Games Without Credits
• TCRF: Battletoads in Battlemaniacs
• TCRF: PIN·BOT

Keywords: #Vgm #Preservation #Credits #Publisher #Credit #Policies