Nintendo development teams

Nintendo is one of the world's biggest video game developing companies, having created multiple successful franchises. Because of its storied history, the developer employs a methodical system of software and hardware development that is mainly centralized within its offices in Kyoto and Tokyo, in cooperation with Redmond and Seattle. The company also owns several worldwide subsidiaries and funds partner affiliates that contribute technology and software for the Nintendo brand.^[1][2]

Main Offices

Nintendo Central Office

Nintendo Tokyo Office.

Nintendo Co., Ltd (NCL) has a central office located in Minami-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan (34°58′11.89″N 135°45′22.33″E / 34.9699694°N 135.7562028°E / 34.9699694; 135.7562028) and a nearby building, its pre-2000 headquarters, now serving as a research and development building, located in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan (34°58′29.00″N 135°46′10.48″E / 34.97472°N 135.7695778°E / 34.97472; 135.7695778). Its original Kyoto headquarters can still be found at (34°59′30.03″N 135°45′58.66″E / 34.991675°N 135.7662944°E / 34.991675; 135.7662944). Additionally, Nintendo has a third operation in Tokyo, Japan, where research and development, manufacturing, and clerical work are conducted. All three offices are interconnected and have video conferences often for communication and presentation purposes.

Nintendo Kyoto Research Center

In 2009, it was revealed that Nintendo was expanding both its Redmond and Kyoto offices. The new office building complex of Nintendo of America in Redmond is 275,250 square feet (25,572 m²) and would expand its localization, development, debugging, production, and clerical teams. Nintendo Co., Ltd. announced the purchase of 40,000 square-meter lot that would house an all new research and development (R&D) office that would make it easier for the company's two other Kyoto R&D offices to collaborate easier as well as expand the total work force on new upcoming console development and new software for current and future hardware.^[3][4]

Nintendo owns several buildings throughout Kyoto and Tokyo housing subsidiary and affiliated development studios. One of the more famous buildings is the Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo building – previously known as the Nintendo Tokyo Prefecture Building – now jokingly called The Pokémon Building, accommodates the complete Pokémon family which includes The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc., and Genius Sonority.^[5]

Main Offices

• Nintendo Central Office – Kyoto, Japan – Nintendo main R&D divisions, SRD
• Nintendo Kyoto Research Center – Kyoto, Japan – Super Mario Club, Intelligent Systems
• Nintendo Tokyo Office – Tokyo, Japan – Nintendo EAD Tokyo Group
• Nintendo Osaka Office – Osaka, Japan –
• Nintendo Sapporo Office – Sapporo, Japan –
• Nintendo Australia Pty Ltd - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Nintendo of Europe GmbH - Großostheim, Germany
• Nintendo Tokyo Prefecture Building - Tokyo, Japan – The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc., Genius Sonority.
• Nintendo of America inc. Headquarters – Redmond, United States – NOA Treehouse, Nintendo Software Technology

Nintendo Worldwide R&D Divisions

Nintendo Software Planning & Development (Nintendo SPD)

• The development group includes several of the original development officers from the old software and hardware development sectors. While the group leaders are decade old veterans, the bulk of the development teams working alongside are mainly newer employees. The development teams are minuscule compared to the average larger staffed Nintendo EAD project teams. The division is divided into three groups, one that develops in-house software, while the other two mainly co-develop and produce Nintendo Co. software with outhouse or external development teams.

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development (Nintendo EAD)

• The premier development team at Nintendo. The group is the largest concentration of R&D, housing more than 500 engineers and designers. The division is rather large and currently broken into six different subdivisions, each led by a designated producer. The overseeing managers are Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Currently, five divisions are located in the central Kyoto R&D building, while the sixth division resides in the Tokyo offices.

Nintendo Software Design & Development (Nintendo SDD)

• The experimental team that created the Touch Generations line of software. The team is responsible for creating several Nintendo DS retail software and downloadable applications. Most of the Wii Channels are also developed by this R&D group.

Nintendo Network Service Development (Nintendo NSD)

• Originally operated under Nintendo Special-Planning & Development. The division is described as an interesting mix of a hardware team coupled with a design team. The team creates both hardware peripherals, gadgets, toys, and software.

Nintendo Integrated Research & Development (Nintendo IRD)

• Nintendo's hardware group specializing in all engineering and technological aspects of Nintendo's console development. The division also houses industrial designers who design peripherals such as the WaveBird, Wii Zapper, and Wii steering wheel. The group was originally known as Research and Development Department 3 (R&D3),^[6] with the same primary functions, with the exception that manager Genyo Takeda enjoyed moonlighting by developing console and arcade games.

Nintendo RED

• Nintendo's hardware group specializing in all engineering and technological aspects of Nintendo's handheld development.

Nintendo Business Technology Development

• The group in charge of producing and overseeing Nintendo Co. published software developed by other developers that need little development assistance other than funding and marketing. Examples of the software are games like Ogre Battle 64 and Kuru Kuru Kururin.

NSTC

• American-based software development arm with a direct connection to the Nintendo-funded DigiPen University. The development team also features several employees who were transplanted from Nintendo Co., Ltd, Rockstar Games, and Electronic Arts among others.

NTD

• American-based technology development arm.

Nintendo 1st Party Developers (Worldwide)

Retro Studios inc.

• Software development studio located in Austin, Texas, United States. Former Nintendo of America employee Michael Kelbaugh was appointed president of the branch. It is 100% owned and directed by Nintendo of Japan.

Nd Cube inc.

• Software development studio located in Tokyo, Japan. Nintendo and Nintendo advertising firm Dentsu co-ventured this software studio which is 98% Nintendo owned, and 2% 3rd Parties

Project Sora inc.

• Software development studio located in Tokyo, Japan. Nintendo and former Nintendo/HAL Laboratory employee Masahiro Sakurai founded this group to develop unique software possibly aimed at the core market.

Brownie Brown

• Nintendo-funded and owned software development studio located in Tokyo, Japan.

Monolith Soft

• Software development studio located in Tokyo, Japan. This studio was previously owned by Namco Bandai, until 2007 when Namco-Bandai transferred 80% of its 96% stake to Nintendo. The company is currently 80% Nintendo owned, 16% Namco-Bandai, and 4% 3rd Parties

Intelligent Systems

• Software Development Studio located in Kyoto, Japan. This studio primarily focuses on the Fire Emblem series, and has worked with Nintendo since the launch of the NES. It is 100% owned and directed by Nintendo of Japan.

HAL Laboratory

• Software Development Studio located in Tokyo, Japan. This studio is 100% owned by Nintendo.

Partnered Developers and Affiliates

• AlphaDream
• Camelot Software Planning
• Jupiter Corp.
• Monster Games
• Next Level Games
• Paon
• Skip Ltd.
• Noise
• Game Freak
• Ambrella
• Kuju Entertainment
• Creatures Inc.
• The Pokémon Company
• Genius Sonority

Original development teams

Nintendo R&D1 (1970–2002)

• The original game development team at Nintendo. Originally created in the 1970s by Hiroshi Imanishi as the "games division" of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Gunpei Yokoi was the original engineer and inventor designated to create electronic toys and arcade coin-up software. With the conception of the Famicom (called the Nintendo Entertainment System in the West), and Game Boy, the group was reassigned to concentrate on developing the premier software for console and portable gaming straying away from its original toys, Game & Watch, and arcade roots.

Nintendo R&D2 (1972–2002)

• This group mainly concentrated on hardware technology and system operating tools. Masayuki Uemura was hired away from Sharp Corporation where he specialized in solar cell technology. The solar technology fueled the original bean gun games which Nintendo introduced to huge success. The team would go on to develop several peripherals and eventually even some video game software. The team generally assisted Nintendo R&D1 and Nintendo R&D3 with their arcade games, but it also became the first team to specialize in software ports at Nintendo with the task of porting all the original arcade titles like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and Popeye to the Famicom.^[7]

Nintendo R&D3 (1974–1996)

• Originally created as a hardware engineering division, Genyo Takeda managed to diversify his group and create software on the same arcade boards being designed for Gunpei Yokoi's R&D1 team. After developing the arcade hits like Sheriff, Punch-Out!! and Arm Wrestling, the team was involved in developing a variety of unique software for the NES that was mainly aimed at the Western market, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out and StarTropics to name a few. The team also helped create bank switching and the MMC chips in the NES cartridges.

Nintendo Tokyo R&D Products (1987–1989)

• In the early 1980s, Nintendo planned to expand software R&D into the Tokyo manufacturing branch building to operate alongside its overcrowded Kyoto headquarters. The initial plans became delayed and shortly after the development of the original Mother, the group ceased development.

NOA Special-Projects (1990–1994)

• The first development branch at Nintendo of America. Nintendo wanted to deliver more software based at the U.S. market following the trails of the Sega Genesis marketing blitz. Nintendo of America appointed product analysts Jeff Hutt and Don James to head the division. The group initially concentrated on sports games, which lead to the NES Play Action and Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball franchises.

Iwata Asks

"Iwata Asks" (社長が訊く, Shachō ga Kiku^?, lit. "The President Asks") is a series of internal and external development staff interviews conducted by Satoru Iwata, the current president of Nintendo Co., Ltd. The interviews become available after the completion and release of the selected product, and reveal insider details about the staff and game development.

See also

List of all Nintendo published and developed products

External links

• Nintendo Company History
• Iwata Asks Links
• Iwata Asks Links (Japanese)

References

1. ^ "Nintendo History Lesson". N-Sider. 2003-09-12. http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=34. Retrieved 2003-09-12. 
2. ^ "Nintendo Corporate Information". Nintendo. 2010-01-15. http://www.nintendo.com/corp/. Retrieved 2010-01-12. 
3. ^ "Nintendo opening new $141M R&D facility". GameSpot. CBS Interactive Inc.. 10 February 2009. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6204485.html. Retrieved 22 August 2010. 
4. ^ "Introductory Section". 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. City of Redmond. 15 June 2010. http://www.redmond.gov/insidecityhall/finance/cafr/pdfs09/IntroductorySection.pdf. Retrieved 22 August 2010. 
5. ^ "HAL Laboratory: Company Profile". N-Sider. 2005-10-05. http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=325&page=5. Retrieved 2010-02-10. 
6. ^ "Investigating a Glove Interface". Iwata Asks: Punch-Out!!. Nintendo of America, Inc.. 13 September 2009. http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/punchout/vol1_page2.jsp. Retrieved 22 August 2010. 
7. ^ "Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros. Wii Volume 2". Nintendo of America, Inc.. 13 November 2009. http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol2_page1.jsp. Retrieved 22 August 2010.