Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Shigeru Miyamoto GDC 2007.jpg|thumb|left|The success of [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]'s ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'' arcade game was a deciding factor in the creation of Nintendo R&D4.]]
[[File:Shigeru Miyamoto GDC 2007.jpg|thumb|left|The success of [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]'s ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'' arcade game was a deciding factor in the creation of Nintendo R&D4.]]


Circa 1983, Hiroshi Imanishi oversaw the creation of Research & Development No. 4 Department (commonly abbreviated to Nintendo R&D4), as a new development department dedicated to developing video games for dedicated consoles, complementing the other three existing departments in the [[Nintendo Manufacturing Division]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iwata Asks|quote='''Iwata''': How many years after you joined Nintendo did Ikeda-san become your boss? / '''Miyamoto''': About 7 or 8 years, I think. About the time we were making Super Mario Bros. [...] He was the first manager of the Entertainment Analysis and Development Department.|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/ds/dsi/7/2|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=iwataasks.nintendo.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Paumgarten|first=Nick|title=Nintendo's Guiding Spirit|quote=In 1976, Miyamoto, then age twenty-four, was a recent art-college graduate, with a degree in industrial design and an enduring fascination with the Japanese comic strips called manga. [...] Yamauchi hired him to be an apprentice in the planning department.|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/12/20/master-of-play|access-date=June 14, 2020|magazine=The New Yorker|date=December 13, 2010 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Inside Nintendo 52: Nintendos unbekannte Anime-Urgesteine|url=https://nintendo-online.de/artikel/report/18820/inside-nintendo-52-nintendos-unbekannte-anime-urgesteine|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=Nintendo-Online.de|language=de-DE}}</ref> Imanishi appointed Hiroshi Ikeda, a former [[anime]] director at [[Toei Animation]], as general manager of the newly created department, and Miyamoto as its chief producer, who would later become one of the most recognized video game developers in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hiroshi Ikeda|url=https://vglegacy.com/gameography/hiroshi-ikeda/|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=VG Legacy|language=en}}</ref> Nintendo also drafted a couple of key graphic designers to the department including [[Takashi Tezuka]] and Kenji Miki. With the [[arcade game|arcade]] market dwindling, [[Nintendo R&D1]]'s former focus, the department concentrated most of their software development resources on the emerging [[handheld video game console]] market, primarily thanks to the worldwide success of Nintendo's [[Game Boy]]. This catapulted the R&D4 department to become the lead software developer for Nintendo [[home video game console]]s, developing a myriad of games for the [[Family Computer]] home console (abbreviated to Famicom, known as the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America, Europe, and Australia).
Circa 1983, Hiroshi Imanishi oversaw the creation of Research & Development No. 4 Department (commonly abbreviated to Nintendo R&D4), as a new development department dedicated to developing video games for home consoles, complementing the other three existing departments in the [[Nintendo Manufacturing Division]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iwata Asks|quote='''Iwata''': How many years after you joined Nintendo did Ikeda-san become your boss? / '''Miyamoto''': About 7 or 8 years, I think. About the time we were making Super Mario Bros. [...] He was the first manager of the Entertainment Analysis and Development Department.|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/ds/dsi/7/2|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=iwataasks.nintendo.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Paumgarten|first=Nick|title=Nintendo's Guiding Spirit|quote=In 1976, Miyamoto, then age twenty-four, was a recent art-college graduate, with a degree in industrial design and an enduring fascination with the Japanese comic strips called manga. [...] Yamauchi hired him to be an apprentice in the planning department.|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/12/20/master-of-play|access-date=June 14, 2020|magazine=The New Yorker|date=December 13, 2010 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Inside Nintendo 52: Nintendos unbekannte Anime-Urgesteine|url=https://nintendo-online.de/artikel/report/18820/inside-nintendo-52-nintendos-unbekannte-anime-urgesteine|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=Nintendo-Online.de|language=de-DE}}</ref> Imanishi appointed Hiroshi Ikeda, a former director at [[Toei Animation]], as general manager of the newly created department, and Miyamoto as its chief producer.<ref name="Hiroshi Ikeda">{{Cite web|title=Hiroshi Ikeda|url=https://vglegacy.com/gameography/hiroshi-ikeda/|access-date=June 14, 2020|website=VG Legacy|language=en}}</ref> Also hired were [[Takashi Tezuka]] and Kenji Miki, graphic designers, Minoru Maeda, a designer, and [[Koji Kondo]], [[Akito Nakatsuka]], and [[Hirokazu Tanaka]], all sound designers.


Hiroshi Ikeda's creative team had many [[video game design]] ideas but was lacking the necessary programming power to make it all happen. Toshihiko Nakago, and his small company [[Systems Research & Development]] (SRD), had its expertise in [[computer-aided design]] (CAD) tools and was very familiar with the Famicom chipset, and was originally hired to work with [[Masayuki Uemura]]'s [[Nintendo R&D2]] to internally develop [[software development kit]]s. When Nintendo R&D2 and SRD jointly began porting over R&D1 arcade games to the Famicom, Shigeru Miyamoto took the opportunity to lure Nakago away from R&D2, to help Miyamoto create his first Nintendo R&D4 video game, ''[[Excitebike]]''. And so the original R&D4 department became composed of Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Kenji Miki, and Minoru Maeda handling design; [[Koji Kondo]], [[Akito Nakatsuka]], and [[Hirokazu Tanaka]] handling sound design; and Toshihiko Nakago and SRD became the technology and programming core.
Ikeda's creative team had many ideas, but lacked the programming skills to put them into action. ''[[Mario Bros.]]'', one of the unit's first games, required assistance in this regard from [[Gunpei Yokoi]] and R&D1. Toshihiko Nakago was familiar with the chipset for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Family Computer]], Nintendo's contemporary home console, as he was originally hired to work with [[Masayuki Uemura]]'s [[Nintendo R&D2]] to develop [[software development kit]]s for Nintendo consoles. When R&D2 and Systems Research and Development, Nakago's company, began porting R&D1-developed arcade games to the Famicom, Shigeru Miyamoto lured him and SRD to R&D4 to help develop ''[[Excitebike]]''.


The same Miyamoto-led team that developed ''Excitebike'' went on to develop a 1985 NES port of the scrolling [[beat 'em up]] arcade game ''[[Kung-Fu Master (video game)|Kung-Fu Master]]'' (1984) called ''Kung Fu''. Miyamoto's team used the technical knowledge they had gained from working on both side-scrollers to further advance the platforming "[[Platform game|athletic game]]" genre they had created with ''Donkey Kong'' and were key steps towards Miyamoto's vision of an expansive [[side-scrolling]] platformer.<ref name="Miyamoto Reveals All">{{cite web |last=Gifford |first=Kevin |title=Super Mario Bros.' 25th: Miyamoto Reveals All |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/super-mario-bros-25th-miyamoto-reveals-all.html |website=[[1UP.com]] |access-date=October 24, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105015455/http://www.ugo.com/games/super-mario-bros-25th-miyamoto-reveals-all.html |archive-date=January 5, 2015  }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Horowitz |first1=Ken |title=Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games |date=July 30, 2020 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-1-4766-4176-8 |page=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXD0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149}}</ref>
Following the release of ''Excitebike'', R&D4 developed a Famicom port of the [[beat 'em up]] arcade game ''[[Kung-Fu Master (video game)|Kung-Fu Master]]'', called ''Spartan X'' in Japan and ''Kung Fu'' everywhere else. The game improved on features introduced in ''Donkey Kong'', representing a key step in the life of the [[platform game]] genre.<ref name="Miyamoto Reveals All">{{cite web |last=Gifford |first=Kevin |title=Super Mario Bros.' 25th: Miyamoto Reveals All |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/super-mario-bros-25th-miyamoto-reveals-all.html |website=[[1UP.com]] |access-date=October 24, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105015455/http://www.ugo.com/games/super-mario-bros-25th-miyamoto-reveals-all.html |archive-date=January 5, 2015  }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Horowitz |first1=Ken |title=Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games |date=July 30, 2020 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-1-4766-4176-8 |page=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXD0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149}}</ref> Their next game was ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', a self-developed sequel to ''Mario Bros.'' The game standardized many aspects of the [[platform game|platform]] genre, and went on to be a critical and commercial success. Developed concurrently, but released a year later, was ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'', an action adventure game. The phenomenal sales of ''Mario'' and ''Zelda'' made Miyamoto a household name,<ref name="Hiroshi Ikeda"/> and allowed the department to expand. [[Hideki Konno]], [[Katsuya Eguchi]], [[Kensuke Tanabe]], and Takao Shimizu were all hired at this time, and they would become producers themselves.
 
One of the first games developed by the R&D4 department was ''[[Mario Bros.]]'' in 1983, designed and directed by Miyamoto. The department was, however, unable to program the game with such an inexperienced team, and so counted on programming assistance from [[Gunpei Yokoi]] and the R&D1 department. One of the first completely self-developed games was ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', the sequel to ''Mario Bros.'' The game set standards for the [[platform game|platform]] genre, and went on to be both a critical and commercial success. In 1986, R&D4 developed ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'', for which Miyamoto again served as a director. The phenomenal sales of ''Super Mario Bros.'' and ''The Legend of Zelda'' fueled the expansion of the department with young game designers such as [[Hideki Konno]], [[Katsuya Eguchi]], [[Kensuke Tanabe]], Takao Shimizu, who would later become producers themselves.


===1989–2003: Renamed to Entertainment Analysis & Development===
===1989–2003: Renamed to Entertainment Analysis & Development===
In 1989, one year before the [[Super Famicom]] was released in Japan, the R&D4 department was spun-off and made its own division named ''Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development'' (commonly abbreviated as ''Nintendo EAD'').<ref name="renaming">{{cite web|title=Nintendo EAD|url=http://www.ign.com/companies/nintendo-ead|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|access-date=September 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708091837/http://www.ign.com/companies/nintendo-ead|archive-date=July 8, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> The division was comprised into two departments: the ''Software Development Department'', which focused on video game development and was led by Miyamoto, and the Technology Development Department, which focused on programming and developing tools and was led by Takao Sawano.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Nintendo-3DS-Guide-Louvre/Nintendo-3DS-Guide-Louvre/2-Over-500-Antennas/2-Over-500-Antennas-837738.html|title=Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre|website=Nintendo of Europe GmbH|language=en-GB|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref> The technology department was born out of several R&D2 engineers that were assisting SRD with [[software libraries]]. After that, the same department later collaborated with [[Argonaut Software]] to develop the [[Super FX]] chip technology for the SNES, first used in ''[[Star Fox (1993 video game)|Star Fox]]'' in 1993. This venture allowed the Technology Development Department to become more prominent in the 3D era, where they programmed several of Nintendo EAD's 3D games with SRD.
In 1989, one year before the [[Super Famicom]] was released in Japan, the R&D4 department was spun-off and made its own division named ''Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development'' (commonly abbreviated as ''Nintendo EAD'').<ref name="renaming">{{cite web|title=Nintendo EAD|url=http://www.ign.com/companies/nintendo-ead|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|access-date=September 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708091837/http://www.ign.com/companies/nintendo-ead|archive-date=July 8, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> The division was comprised into two departments: the ''Software Development Department'', which focused on video game development and was led by Miyamoto, and the Technology Development Department, which focused on programming and developing tools and was led by Takao Sawano.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Nintendo-3DS-Guide-Louvre/Nintendo-3DS-Guide-Louvre/2-Over-500-Antennas/2-Over-500-Antennas-837738.html|title=Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre|website=Nintendo of Europe GmbH|language=en-GB|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref> The technology department relied on R&D2 engineers who assisted SRD with [[software libraries]]. Following the release of ''[[F-Zero (video game)|F-Zero]]'', the first video game fully programmed by EAD,<ref name="F-Zero Interview">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendo-classic-mini-snes-developer-interview-volume-2-f-zero|title=Nintendo Classic Mini: SNES developer interview - Volume 2: F-ZERO|website=Nintendo|language=en|access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref> they collaborated with [[Argonaut Software]] to develop the [[Super FX]], a chip which, when placed in Super Famicom cartridges, enabled the use of 3D graphics. As 3D gaming became more prominent, so, too, did the department, programming several of Nintendo EAD's 3D games with SRD.
 
[[F-Zero (video game)|F-Zero]], released in 1990, was the first video game fully programmed at the division. Prior to that, most programming was outsourced to SRD Co. Ltd.<ref name="F-Zero Interview">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendo-classic-mini-snes-developer-interview-volume-2-f-zero|title=Nintendo Classic Mini: SNES developer interview - Volume 2: F-ZERO|website=Nintendo|language=en|access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref>


<!-- Team disclose (1997) -->
<!-- Team disclose (1997) -->
In 1997, Miyamoto explained that about twenty to thirty employees were devoted to each Nintendo EAD title during the course of its development.<ref name="npinterview">{{cite book|year=1997|author=Takao Imamura, Shigeru Miyamoto|title=Nintendo Power August, 1997 - Pak Watch E3 Report "The Game Masters"|pages=104–105|publisher=Nintendo}}</ref> It was then that he also disclosed the existence of the SRD programming company within the division, formally Nintendo R&D2's software unit, which was composed of about 200 employees with proficiency in software programming.<ref name="npinterview"/>
In 1997, Miyamoto explained that about twenty to thirty employees were devoted to each Nintendo EAD title during the course of its development,<ref name="npinterview">{{cite book|year=1997|author=Takao Imamura, Shigeru Miyamoto|title=Nintendo Power August, 1997 - Pak Watch E3 Report "The Game Masters"|pages=104–105|publisher=Nintendo}}</ref> and that SRD was a company within the division, formally Nintendo R&D2's software unit, and was composed of about 200 programmers.<ref name="npinterview"/>


<!-- 2000 - Change in hierarchy -->
<!-- 2000 - Change in hierarchy -->
In the advent of launching both the [[GameCube]] and [[Game Boy Advance]], Nintendo sought to change the structure of its corporate management. In June 2000, in an attempt to include both software and hardware experts in the board of directors, EAD and [[Integrated Research & Development]] general managers, Shigeru Miyamoto and [[Genyo Takeda]] respectively, entered the body. In addition, former [[HAL Laboratory]] president and future Nintendo president, [[Satoru Iwata]], also entered the board. With Miyamoto being promoted to the board of directors, he was now in charge of overseeing all of Nintendo's software development. To fill Miyamoto's void as a producer, there were a series of promotions in the division: starting with long-time Miyamoto colleague [[Takashi Tezuka]], as deputy general manager, as well as promoting several senior directors like [[Eiji Aonuma]], [[Hideki Konno]], Takao Shimizu, [[Tadashi Sugiyama]] and [[Katsuya Eguchi]] to producers overseeing their own development teams in the division. Nevertheless, after the promotion, Miyamoto still went on to produce some games.
In June 2000, in an attempt to include software experts, Nintendo's board of directors invited Miyamoto to join; he also gained responsibility for all of Nintendo's software development, though he would produce further games with EAD.


<!-- 2002 - New Tokyo branch -->
<!-- 2002 - New Tokyo branch -->
In 2002, Nintendo opened a Nintendo EAD studio in [[Tokyo]], appointing Takao Shimizu as manager of the branch. The studio was created with the goal of bringing in fresh new talent from the capital of Japan who wouldn't be willing or able to travel to Kyoto. Their first project was ''[[Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]]'' for the [[GameCube]] which made use of the DK Bongos, initially created for ''[[Donkey Konga]]''.
In 2002, to acquire talent from [[Tokyo]] who were hesitant to move to Kyoto, Nintendo opened a branch of EAD, appointing Takao Shimizu as manager. Their first project was ''[[Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]]'', a [[GameCube]] game which made use of the DK Bongos introduced in ''[[Donkey Konga]]''.


===2004–2015: Restructure, new managers, and merger with SPD===
===2004–2015: Restructure, new managers, and merger with SPD===
In 2004, as a result of a corporate restructure Nintendo was undergoing, in which several members of the Nintendo R&D1 and R&D2 were reassigned under Nintendo EAD, the department was consolidated into a division and began welcoming a new class of managers and producers.<ref>N-Sider. [http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=248&page=3 Nintendo Revolution FAQ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201608/http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=248&page=3 |date=March 3, 2016 }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|sure=y|reason=N-sider has been recognized for inaccuracy and deliberate misinformation by way of passing off speculation as fact. They are deemed unreliable and listed as such in the [[WP:VG/RS]].|date=May 2021}} Hideki Konno, Katsuya Eguchi, Eiji Aonuma, Hiroyuki Kimura, and Tadashi Sugiyama were appointed project managers of their own groups within the Software Development Department; Shimizu was appointed project manager of the Tokyo Software Development Department, and Keizo Ota and Yasunari Nishida were appointed project managers of their own groups in the Technology Development Department.
In 2004, as a result of a restructuring at Nintendo, several employees at R&D1 and R&D2 were reassigned to EAD, and the department was consolidated into a division, welcoming a new class of managers and producers.<ref>N-Sider. [http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=248&page=3 Nintendo Revolution FAQ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201608/http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=248&page=3 |date=March 3, 2016 }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|sure=y|reason=N-sider has been recognized for inaccuracy and deliberate misinformation by way of passing off speculation as fact. They are deemed unreliable and listed as such in the [[WP:VG/RS]].|date=May 2021}} Tezuka became deputy general manager, and [[Eiji Aonuma]], Konno, Shimizu, [[Tadashi Sugiyama]], and [[Katsuya Eguchi]] became producers overseeing their own development teams. Keizo Ota and Yasunari Nishida were appointed project managers of their own groups in the Technology Development Department.


In 2013, [[Katsuya Eguchi]] was promoted Department Manager of both Software Development Departments in Kyoto and Tokyo. As such, he left his role as Group Manager of ''Software Development Group No. 2'', and was replaced by [[Hisashi Nogami]]. On June 18, 2014, the EAD Kyoto branch was moved from the Nintendo Central Office to the ''Nintendo Development Center'' in Kyoto. The building housed more than 1100 developers from all of Nintendo's internal research and development divisions, which included the Nintendo EAD, [[Nintendo Software Planning & Development|SPD]], [[Nintendo Integrated Research & Development|IRD]] and [[Nintendo System Development|SDD]] divisions. On September 16, 2015, EAD merged with [[Nintendo Software Planning & Development]] to establish [[Entertainment Planning & Development]] (EPD). The move followed an internal restructuring of Nintendo executives and departments after the death of president [[Satoru Iwata]] in July 2015.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Kohler|first1=Chris|title=Nintendo Consolidates Its Game Development Teams|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/09/nintendo-ead-spd-merge/|magazine=Wired|access-date=September 15, 2015}}</ref>
In 2013, Eguchi was promoted to Department Manager of both Software Development Departments in Kyoto and Tokyo. As such, he left his role as Group Manager of ''Software Development Group No. 2'', and was replaced by [[Hisashi Nogami]]. On June 18, 2014, the EAD Kyoto branch was moved from the Nintendo Central Office to the ''Nintendo Development Center'' in Kyoto. The building housed more than 1100 developers from all of Nintendo's internal research and development divisions, which included the Nintendo EAD, [[Nintendo Software Planning & Development|SPD]], [[Nintendo Integrated Research & Development|IRD]] and [[Nintendo System Development|SDD]] divisions.
 
On September 16, 2015, during a restructuring overshadowed by the recent death of president [[Satoru Iwata]], EAD merged with [[Nintendo Software Planning & Development]], forming [[Entertainment Planning & Development]] (EPD).<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Kohler|first1=Chris|title=Nintendo Consolidates Its Game Development Teams|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/09/nintendo-ead-spd-merge/|magazine=Wired|access-date=September 15, 2015}}</ref>


==Structure==
==Structure==
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|
|
|- <!-- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - June 3, 1986 (JP) -->
|- <!-- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - June 3, 1986 (JP) -->
| ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels|Súper Mario Bros. 2]]''
| ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels|Super Mario Bros. 2]]''
| [[Platform video game|Platform]]
| [[Platform video game|Platform]]
| [[Family Computer Disk System]]
| [[Family Computer Disk System]]
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| [[Family Computer Disk System]]
| [[Family Computer Disk System]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/famicom-grand-prix |title=Archived copy |access-date=2024-08-20 |archive-date=2024-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224092245/http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/famicom-grand-prix |url-status=live }}</ref>
| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/famicom-grand-prix |title=Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race - 1987 (FDS) - Kyoto Report |access-date=2024-08-20 |archive-date=2024-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224092245/http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/famicom-grand-prix |url-status=live }}</ref>
|- <!-- Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally - April 14, 1988 -->
|- <!-- Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally - April 14, 1988 -->
! scope="row" rowspan="3" | 1988
! scope="row" rowspan="3" | 1988
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| [[Family Computer Disk System]]
| [[Family Computer Disk System]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/famicom-grand-prix-2 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2024-08-20 |archive-date=2024-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421083633/http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/famicom-grand-prix-2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/famicom-grand-prix-2 |title=Famicom Grand Prix 2: 3D Rally - 1988 (FCD) - Kyoto Report |access-date=2024-08-20 |archive-date=2024-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421083633/http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/famicom-grand-prix-2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|- <!-- Ice Hockey - January 21, 1988 (JP) -->
|- <!-- Ice Hockey - January 21, 1988 (JP) -->
| ''[[Ice Hockey (1988 video game)|Ice Hockey]]''
| ''[[Ice Hockey (1988 video game)|Ice Hockey]]''
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| [[Family Computer Disk System]]
| [[Family Computer Disk System]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/yuyuki |title=Archived copy |access-date=2024-08-20 |archive-date=2024-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519011427/http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/yuyuki |url-status=live }}</ref>
| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/yuyuki |title=Famicom Mukashibanashi: Yūyūki (Famicom Folk Tale: Brave Spirit) - 1989 (FDS) - Kyoto Report |access-date=2024-08-20 |archive-date=2024-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519011427/http://kyoto-report.wikidot.com/yuyuki |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!-- 1990 -->
<!-- 1990 -->
|- <!-- Super Mario World - November 21, 1990 (JP) -->
|- <!-- Super Mario World - November 21, 1990 (JP) -->
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| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
|
|
|- <!-- Time Twist: Rekishi no Katasumi de... - July 26, 1991 (JP) -->
|- <!-- Time Twist: Rekishi no Katasumi de... - July 26, 1991 (JP) -->
| ''[[Time Twist: Rekishi no Katasumi de...]]''
| ''[[Time Twist: Rekishi no Katasumi de...]]''
| [[Adventure game|Adventure]]
| [[Adventure game|Adventure]]
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|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Pikmin 2]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Pikmin 2]]''
|  
| [[Real-time strategy]]
| [[GameCube]]
| [[GameCube]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]],<br />[[Takashi Tezuka]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]],<br />[[Takashi Tezuka]]
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|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''
|  
| [[Platform video game|Platform]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
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! rowspan="5" | 2005
! rowspan="5" | 2005
| scope="row" |''[[Yoshi Touch & Go]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Yoshi Touch & Go]]''
|  
| [[Platform video game|Platform]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]]
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|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Big Brain Academy (video game)|Big Brain Academy]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Big Brain Academy (video game)|Big Brain Academy]]''
|  
|[[Puzzle video game|Puzzle]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Hiroyuki Kimura]]
| [[Hiroyuki Kimura]]
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|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Nintendogs]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Nintendogs]]''
|  
| [[Digital pet|Pet-raising simulation]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Hideki Konno]],<br />[[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Hideki Konno]],<br />[[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
Line 524: Line 522:
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]''
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]''
|  
| [[Action-adventure]]
| [[GameCube]]<br />[[Wii]]
| [[GameCube]]<br />[[Wii]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
Line 574: Line 572:
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Wii Music]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Wii Music]]''
|  
| [[Music video game|Music]]
| [[Wii]]
| [[Wii]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]],<br />[[Katsuya Eguchi]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]],<br />[[Katsuya Eguchi]]
Line 622: Line 620:
|
|
|-
|-
! rowspan="5" | 2011
! rowspan="4" | 2011
| scope="row" |''[[Nintendogs + Cats]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Nintendogs + Cats]]''
| [[Digital pet]]
| [[Digital pet]]
Line 630: Line 628:
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Steel Diver]]''{{refn|Co-developed by Vitei|name="Vitei"|group=codeveloped}}
| scope="row" |''[[Steel Diver]]''{{refn|Co-developed by Vitei|name="Vitei"|group=codeveloped}}
|  
| [[Submarine simulator]]
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
| [[Tadashi Sugiyama]]
| [[Tadashi Sugiyama]]
|
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''
|
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
| [[Yoshiaki Koizumi]]
|
|
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Mario Kart 7]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Mario Kart 7]]''
|
| [[Racing video game|Racing]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[Hideki Konno]]
| [[Hideki Konno]]
Line 655: Line 647:
! rowspan="4" | 2012
! rowspan="4" | 2012
| scope="row" |''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]''
| scope="row" |''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]''
|  
| [[Platform game|Platform]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]],<br />[[Hiroyuki Kimura]],<br />[[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]],<br />[[Hiroyuki Kimura]],<br />[[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
Line 661: Line 653:
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Animal Crossing: New Leaf]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Animal Crossing: New Leaf]]''
|  
| [[Social simulation game|Social simulation]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[Katsuya Eguchi]]
| [[Katsuya Eguchi]]
|
 
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''
| scope="row" |''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''
|  
| [[Platform game|Platform]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]],<br />[[Hiroyuki Kimura]],<br />[[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]],<br />[[Hiroyuki Kimura]],<br />[[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
Line 673: Line 665:
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Nintendo Land]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Nintendo Land]]''
|  
| [[Party video game|Party]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Katsuya Eguchi]]
| [[Katsuya Eguchi]]
|
|
|-
|-
! rowspan="4" | 2013
! rowspan="5" | 2013
| scope="row" |''[[New Super Luigi U]]''
| [[Platform game|Platform]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]],<br />[[Hiroyuki Kimura]],<br />[[Shigeru Miyamoto]]
|
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Pikmin 3]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Pikmin 3]]''
|  
| [[Real-time strategy]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Hiroyuki Kimura]]
| [[Hiroyuki Kimura]]
|
|
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD]]''
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD]]''
|  
| [[Action-adventure]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Eiji Aonuma]]
| [[Eiji Aonuma]]
Line 692: Line 691:
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[Wii Fit U]]''
| scope="row" |''[[Wii Fit U]]''
|  
| [[Exergaming]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Tadashi Sugiyama]]
| [[Tadashi Sugiyama]]
Line 698: Line 697:
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds]]''
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds]]''
|  
| [[Action-adventure]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[Eiji Aonuma]]
| [[Eiji Aonuma]]
Line 705: Line 704:
! 2014
! 2014
| scope="row" |''[[Steel Diver: Sub Wars]]''{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Vitei"}}
| scope="row" |''[[Steel Diver: Sub Wars]]''{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Vitei"}}
|  
| | [[Submarine simulator]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[Tadashi Sugiyama]]
| [[Tadashi Sugiyama]]
Line 718: Line 717:
|-
|-
| scope="row" | ''[[Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer]]''
| scope="row" | ''[[Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer]]''
|
|| [[Social simulation game|Social simulation]]
 
| [[3DS]]
| [[3DS]]
| [[Hisashi Nogami]]
| [[Hisashi Nogami]]
Line 724: Line 724:
|-
|-
| scope="row" | ''[[Super Mario Maker]]''
| scope="row" | ''[[Super Mario Maker]]''
|
| [[Platform game|Platform]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]], <br />[[Hiroyuki Kimura]]
| [[Takashi Tezuka]], <br />[[Hiroyuki Kimura]]
Line 768: Line 768:
The Nintendo EAD ''Tokyo Software Development Department'' was created in 2002 with the goal of bringing in fresh new talent from the capital of Japan who wouldn't be willing to travel hundreds of miles away to Kyoto. It is located in [[Tokyo]], Japan, in the Nintendo Tokyo Office.
The Nintendo EAD ''Tokyo Software Development Department'' was created in 2002 with the goal of bringing in fresh new talent from the capital of Japan who wouldn't be willing to travel hundreds of miles away to Kyoto. It is located in [[Tokyo]], Japan, in the Nintendo Tokyo Office.


In 2003, twenty members of the Entertainment Analysis & Development Division in Kyoto volunteered to relocate to Nintendo's Tokyo Office to expand development resources. These twenty volunteers were primarily from the Super Mario Sunshine team. Management saw it as a good opportunity to expand and recruit several developers who were more comfortable living in Tokyo than relocating to Kyoto.
In 2003, twenty members of the Entertainment Analysis & Development Division in Kyoto volunteered to relocate to Nintendo's Tokyo Office to expand development resources. These twenty volunteers were primarily from the ''Super Mario Sunshine'' team. Management saw it as a good opportunity to expand and recruit several developers who were more comfortable living in Tokyo than relocating to Kyoto.


Takao Shimizu (original manager and producer) and [[Yoshiaki Koizumi]] (director) began hiring several recruits in Tokyo coming from several established companies like SEGA, Koei, and Square-Enix. Shimizu and Koizumi jointly spearheaded their first project, ''Donkey Kong Jungle Beat''. This was followed in 2007 by the release of the critically and commercially acclaimed ''Super Mario Galaxy''. After the release of ''Super Mario Galaxy'', Koizumi was promoted to manager and producer and officially opened Tokyo Software Development Group No. 2.
Takao Shimizu (original manager and producer) and [[Yoshiaki Koizumi]] (director) began hiring several recruits in Tokyo coming from several established companies like SEGA, Koei, and Square-Enix. Shimizu and Koizumi jointly spearheaded their first project, ''Donkey Kong Jungle Beat''. This was followed in 2007 by the release of the critically and commercially acclaimed ''Super Mario Galaxy''. After the release of ''Super Mario Galaxy'', Koizumi was promoted to manager and producer and officially opened Tokyo Software Development Group No. 2.
Line 793: Line 793:
|-
|-
! rowspan="3" | 2009
! rowspan="3" | 2009
| scope="row" |''Nintendo DS Guide: Ikspiari''{{refn|Codeveloped by the [[#Technology Development Department|Nintendo EAD Technology Development Department]]|name="EAD-TDD"|group=codeveloped}}
| scope="row" |''Nintendo DS Guide: Ikspiari''{{refn|Co-developed by the [[#Technology Development Department|Nintendo EAD Technology Development Department]]|name="EAD-TDD"|group=codeveloped}}
| [[Tour guide]]
| [[Tour guide]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| [[Nintendo DS]]
Line 811: Line 811:
|-
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2011
! rowspan="2" | 2011
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D]]''{{refn|Codeveloped by [[Grezzo]]|name="Grezzo"|group=codeveloped}}
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D]]''{{refn|Co-developed by [[Grezzo]]|name="Grezzo"|group=codeveloped}}
| [[Action-adventure]]
| [[Action-adventure]]
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
Line 828: Line 828:
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Wii U]]
|-
|-
| scope="row" |''Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre''{{refn|Codeveloped by [[indieszero]]|name="indieszero"|group=codeveloped}}{{refn|name="EAD-TDD"|group=codeveloped}}
| scope="row" |''Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre''{{refn|Co-developed by [[indieszero]]|name="indieszero"|group=codeveloped}}{{refn|name="EAD-TDD"|group=codeveloped}}
| [[Tour guide]]
| [[Tour guide]]
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
|-
|-
! 2015
! 2015
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D]]''{{refn|Codeveloped by [[Grezzo]]|name="Grezzo"|group=codeveloped}}
| scope="row" |''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D]]''{{refn|Co-developed by [[Grezzo]]|name="Grezzo"|group=codeveloped}}
| [[Action-adventure]]
| [[Action-adventure]]
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
| [[Nintendo 3DS]]
Line 888: Line 888:


|-
|-
| scope="row" |''[[NES Remix]]''{{refn|Codeveloped by [[indieszero]]|name="indieszero"|group=codeveloped}}
| scope="row" |''[[NES Remix]]''{{refn|Co-developed by [[indieszero]]|name="indieszero"|group=codeveloped}}
| Compilation
| Compilation
| [[Wii U]]
| [[Wii U]]
Line 916: Line 916:
}}
}}
{{Reflist|group=codeveloped|refs=
{{Reflist|group=codeveloped|refs=
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Argonaut Software"      |Codeveloped with [[Argonaut Software]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Argonaut Software"      |Co-developed with [[Argonaut Software]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Creatures"              |Codeveloped with [[Creatures Inc.]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Creatures"              |Co-developed with [[Creatures Inc.]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Game Freak"            |Codeveloped with [[Game Freak]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Game Freak"            |Co-developed with [[Game Freak]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="HAL Laboratory"        |Codeveloped with [[HAL Laboratory]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="HAL Laboratory"        |Co-developed with [[HAL Laboratory]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Nintendo R&D3"          |Codeveloped with [[Nintendo Research & Development 3]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Nintendo R&D3"          |Co-developed with [[Nintendo Research & Development 3]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Paradigm Entertainment" |Codeveloped with [[Paradigm Entertainment]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Paradigm Entertainment" |Co-developed with [[Paradigm Entertainment]]}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Pax Softnica"          |Codeveloped with Pax Softnica}}
{{refn|group=codeveloped|name="Pax Softnica"          |Co-developed with Pax Softnica}}
}}
}}


Line 928: Line 928:
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Nintendo developers}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|Tokyo|Japan}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|Tokyo|Japan}}
{{Nintendo developers}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Nintendo Entertainment Analysis And Development}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nintendo Entertainment Analysis And Development}}
[[Category:Nintendo divisions and subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Nintendo divisions and subsidiaries|Entertainment Analysis And Development]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1983]]
[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2015]]
[[Category:Defunct video game companies of Japan]]
[[Category:Defunct video game companies of Japan]]
[[Category:Japanese companies disestablished in 2015]]
[[Category:Japanese companies disestablished in 2015]]
[[Category:Japanese companies established in 1983]]
[[Category:Japanese companies established in 1983]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 1983]]
[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2015]]

Latest revision as of 21:34, 30 November 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Template:Nihongo foot commonly abbreviated as Nintendo EAD and formerly known as Nintendo Research & Development No.4 DepartmentTemplate:Efn (abbreviated as Nintendo R&D4), was the largest software development division within the Japanese video game company Nintendo. It was preceded by the Creative Department, a team of designers with backgrounds in art responsible for many different tasks, to which Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka originally belonged.[1][2] Both served as managers of the EARD studios and were credited in every game developed by the division, with varying degrees of involvement. Nintendo EAD was best known for its work on games in the Donkey Kong, Mario, The Legend of Zelda, F-Zero, Star Fox, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, and Wii series.

Following a large company restructuring after the death of company president Satoru Iwata, the division merged with Nintendo's Software Planning & Development division in September 2015, becoming Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development.

History

Background

During the 1970s, when Nintendo was still predominantly a toy company, it decided to expand into interactive entertainment and the video game industry. Several designers were hired to work under the Creative Department, which, at the time, was the only game development department within Nintendo. Among these new designers were Makoto Kano, who went on to design various Game & Watch games, and Shigeru Miyamoto, who would create various Nintendo franchises. In 1972, the department was renamed to Research & Development Department; it had about 20 employees. The department was later consolidated into a division and separated into three groups, Nintendo R&D1, R&D2 and R&D3.

1980–1989: Creation as Research & Development 4

File:Shigeru Miyamoto GDC 2007.jpg
The success of Shigeru Miyamoto's Donkey Kong arcade game was a deciding factor in the creation of Nintendo R&D4.

Circa 1983, Hiroshi Imanishi oversaw the creation of Research & Development No. 4 Department (commonly abbreviated to Nintendo R&D4), as a new development department dedicated to developing video games for home consoles, complementing the other three existing departments in the Nintendo Manufacturing Division.[3][4][5] Imanishi appointed Hiroshi Ikeda, a former director at Toei Animation, as general manager of the newly created department, and Miyamoto as its chief producer.[6] Also hired were Takashi Tezuka and Kenji Miki, graphic designers, Minoru Maeda, a designer, and Koji Kondo, Akito Nakatsuka, and Hirokazu Tanaka, all sound designers.

Ikeda's creative team had many ideas, but lacked the programming skills to put them into action. Mario Bros., one of the unit's first games, required assistance in this regard from Gunpei Yokoi and R&D1. Toshihiko Nakago was familiar with the chipset for the Family Computer, Nintendo's contemporary home console, as he was originally hired to work with Masayuki Uemura's Nintendo R&D2 to develop software development kits for Nintendo consoles. When R&D2 and Systems Research and Development, Nakago's company, began porting R&D1-developed arcade games to the Famicom, Shigeru Miyamoto lured him and SRD to R&D4 to help develop Excitebike.

Following the release of Excitebike, R&D4 developed a Famicom port of the beat 'em up arcade game Kung-Fu Master, called Spartan X in Japan and Kung Fu everywhere else. The game improved on features introduced in Donkey Kong, representing a key step in the life of the platform game genre.[7][8] Their next game was Super Mario Bros., a self-developed sequel to Mario Bros. The game standardized many aspects of the platform genre, and went on to be a critical and commercial success. Developed concurrently, but released a year later, was The Legend of Zelda, an action adventure game. The phenomenal sales of Mario and Zelda made Miyamoto a household name,[6] and allowed the department to expand. Hideki Konno, Katsuya Eguchi, Kensuke Tanabe, and Takao Shimizu were all hired at this time, and they would become producers themselves.

1989–2003: Renamed to Entertainment Analysis & Development

In 1989, one year before the Super Famicom was released in Japan, the R&D4 department was spun-off and made its own division named Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development (commonly abbreviated as Nintendo EAD).[9] The division was comprised into two departments: the Software Development Department, which focused on video game development and was led by Miyamoto, and the Technology Development Department, which focused on programming and developing tools and was led by Takao Sawano.[10] The technology department relied on R&D2 engineers who assisted SRD with software libraries. Following the release of F-Zero, the first video game fully programmed by EAD,[11] they collaborated with Argonaut Software to develop the Super FX, a chip which, when placed in Super Famicom cartridges, enabled the use of 3D graphics. As 3D gaming became more prominent, so, too, did the department, programming several of Nintendo EAD's 3D games with SRD.

In 1997, Miyamoto explained that about twenty to thirty employees were devoted to each Nintendo EAD title during the course of its development,[12] and that SRD was a company within the division, formally Nintendo R&D2's software unit, and was composed of about 200 programmers.[12]

In June 2000, in an attempt to include software experts, Nintendo's board of directors invited Miyamoto to join; he also gained responsibility for all of Nintendo's software development, though he would produce further games with EAD.

In 2002, to acquire talent from Tokyo who were hesitant to move to Kyoto, Nintendo opened a branch of EAD, appointing Takao Shimizu as manager. Their first project was Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, a GameCube game which made use of the DK Bongos introduced in Donkey Konga.

2004–2015: Restructure, new managers, and merger with SPD

In 2004, as a result of a restructuring at Nintendo, several employees at R&D1 and R&D2 were reassigned to EAD, and the department was consolidated into a division, welcoming a new class of managers and producers.[13]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Tezuka became deputy general manager, and Eiji Aonuma, Konno, Shimizu, Tadashi Sugiyama, and Katsuya Eguchi became producers overseeing their own development teams. Keizo Ota and Yasunari Nishida were appointed project managers of their own groups in the Technology Development Department.

In 2013, Eguchi was promoted to Department Manager of both Software Development Departments in Kyoto and Tokyo. As such, he left his role as Group Manager of Software Development Group No. 2, and was replaced by Hisashi Nogami. On June 18, 2014, the EAD Kyoto branch was moved from the Nintendo Central Office to the Nintendo Development Center in Kyoto. The building housed more than 1100 developers from all of Nintendo's internal research and development divisions, which included the Nintendo EAD, SPD, IRD and SDD divisions.

On September 16, 2015, during a restructuring overshadowed by the recent death of president Satoru Iwata, EAD merged with Nintendo Software Planning & Development, forming Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD).[14]

Structure

Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development division was headed by Nintendo-veteran Takashi Tezuka who acted as general manager. The division was divided in two development departments: one in Kyoto, with Katsuya Eguchi acting as its deputy general manager; and one in Tokyo, with Yoshiaki Koizumi acting as its deputy general manager.

Kyoto Software Development Department

File:Katsuya Eguchi at E3 2012 Nintendo Conference (edited).jpg
Katsuya Eguchi, Deputy General Manager of the Nintendo EAD division in Kyoto

The Nintendo EAD Kyoto Software Development Department was the largest and one of the oldest research and development departments within Nintendo, housing more than 700 video game developers. It was located in Kyoto, Japan, formerly in the Nintendo Central Office, but on June 28, 2014, it was relocated to the new Nintendo Development Center, which housed all of Nintendo's internal research and development divisions.

The development department integrated Nintendo's most notable producers: Hideki Konno, producer of the Nintendogs and Mario Kart series; Katsuya Eguchi, producer of the Wii and Animal Crossing series; Eiji Aonuma, producer of The Legend of Zelda series; Hiroyuki Kimura, producer Big Brain Academy, Super Mario Bros., and Pikmin series; and Tadashi Sugiyama, producer of the Wii Fit, Steel Diver and Star Fox series.

The department was managed by veteran Nintendo game designer Katsuya Eguchi. As such, Hisashi Nogami later succeeded him as the producer of the Animal Crossing franchise and was responsible for the creation of the Splatoon series.

List of video games developed by the Nintendo EAD Software Development Department in Kyoto
Year Title Genre(s) Platform(s) Producer(s) Ref.
1984 Excitebike Racing Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
1985 Kung-Fu Beat 'em up Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
Super Mario Bros. Platform Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
1986 The Legend of Zelda Action-adventure Family Computer Disk System
Nintendo Entertainment System
Shigeru Miyamoto
The Mysterious Murasame Castle Action-adventure Family Computer Disk System Keizo Kato
Super Mario Bros. 2 Platform Family Computer Disk System Shigeru Miyamoto
1987 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Action role-playing Family Computer Disk System
Nintendo Entertainment System
Shigeru Miyamoto
Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic Platform Family Computer Disk System Shigeru Miyamoto
Famicom Mukashibanashi: Shin OnigashimaTemplate:Refn Adventure, visual novel Family Computer Disk System Hiroshi Ikeda
Shigeru Miyamoto
Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race Racing Family Computer Disk System Shigeru Miyamoto [15]
1988 Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot RallyTemplate:Refn Racing Family Computer Disk System Shigeru Miyamoto [16]
Ice Hockey Sports Family Computer Disk System
Nintendo Entertainment System
Shigeru Miyamoto
Masayuki Uemura
Super Mario Bros. 3 Platform Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
1989 Famicom Mukashibanashi: YūyūkiTemplate:Refn Adventure, visual novel Family Computer Disk System Shigeru Miyamoto [17]
1990 Super Mario World Platform Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
F-Zero Racing Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto [11]
Pilotwings Amateur flight simulation Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
1991 SimCity City-building Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
Time Twist: Rekishi no Katasumi de... Adventure Family Computer Disk System Tatsuya Hishida
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Action-adventure Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
1992 Wave RaceTemplate:Refn Racing Game Boy Shigeru Miyamoto
Super Mario Kart Kart racing Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
1993 Star FoxTemplate:Refn Rail shooter, Shoot 'em up Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Action-adventure Game Boy Shigeru Miyamoto
Super Mario All-Stars Platform Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
1994 Stunt Race FXTemplate:Refn Racing Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
Donkey KongTemplate:Refn Platform, puzzle Game Boy Shigeru Miyamoto
Kirby's Dream CourseTemplate:Refn Sports Super Nintendo Entertainment System Satoru Iwata
Shigeru Miyamoto
1995 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Platform Super Nintendo Entertainment System Shigeru Miyamoto
1996 Pilotwings 64Template:RefnTemplate:Refn Amateur flight simulation Nintendo 64 Genyo Takeda
Shigeru Miyamoto
Super Mario 64 Platform Nintendo 64 Shigeru Miyamoto
Mole ManiaTemplate:Refn Puzzle Game Boy Shigeru Miyamoto
Wave Race 64 Racing Nintendo 64 Shigeru Miyamoto
Mario Kart 64 Kart racing Nintendo 64 Shigeru Miyamoto
1997 Star Fox 64 Shoot 'em up Nintendo 64 Shigeru Miyamoto
Yoshi's Story Platform Nintendo 64 Takashi Tezuka
1998 1080° Snowboarding Sports, racing Nintendo 64 Shigeru Miyamoto
F-Zero X Racing Nintendo 64 Shigeru Miyamoto
Pocket Monsters StadiumTemplate:Refn Role-playing Nintendo 64 Kenji Miki
Tsunekazu Ishihara
Satoru Iwata
Shigeru Miyamoto
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Action-adventure Nintendo 64 Shigeru Miyamoto
1999 Template:Unbulleted list Role-playing Nintendo 64 Kenji Miki
Tsunekazu Ishihara
Satoru Iwata
Shigeru Miyamoto
2000 F-Zero X Expansion Kit Racing Nintendo 64
(64DD)
Shigeru Miyamoto
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Action-adventure Nintendo 64 Shigeru Miyamoto
Template:Unbulleted list Role-playing Nintendo 64 Kenji Miki
Tsunekazu Ishihara
Satoru Iwata
Shigeru Miyamoto
2001 Dōbutsu no Mori Life simulation Nintendo 64 Takashi Tezuka
Luigi's Mansion Action-adventure GameCube Shigeru Miyamoto,
Takashi Tezuka
Pikmin Real-time strategy GameCube Shigeru Miyamoto
Animal Crossing Life simulation GameCube Takashi Tezuka
2002 Super Mario Sunshine Platform, action-adventure GameCube Shigeru Miyamoto
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Action-adventure GameCube Shigeru Miyamoto
Takashi Tezuka
2003 Pokémon Box: Ruby and SapphireTemplate:Refn Role-playing GameCube Shigeru Miyamoto
Kenji Miki
Hiroaki Tsuru
Dōbutsu no Mori e+ Life simulation GameCube Takashi Tezuka
Mario Kart: Double Dash Kart racing GameCube Shigeru Miyamoto
Tadashi Sugiyama
Shinya Takahashi
Takashi Tezuka
Pac-Man Vs. Maze GameCube Shigeru Miyamoto
2004 The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures Action-adventure GameCube Eiji Aonuma,
Shigeru Miyamoto
Pikmin 2 Real-time strategy GameCube Shigeru Miyamoto,
Takashi Tezuka
Super Mario 64 DS Platform Nintendo DS Shigeru Miyamoto
2005 Yoshi Touch & Go Platform Nintendo DS Takashi Tezuka
Big Brain Academy Puzzle Nintendo DS Hiroyuki Kimura
Nintendogs Pet-raising simulation Nintendo DS Hideki Konno,
Shigeru Miyamoto
Mario Kart DS Racing Nintendo DS Hideki Konno,
Shigeru Miyamoto
Animal Crossing: Wild World Social simulation Nintendo DS Katsuya Eguchi,
Takashi Tezuka
2006 New Super Mario Bros. Platform Nintendo DS Hiroyuki Kimura,
Takashi Tezuka
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Action-adventure GameCube
Wii
Shigeru Miyamoto
Wii Sports Sports Wii Katsuya Eguchi
Kiyoshi Mizuki
Wii Play Party Wii Katsuya Eguchi
2007 Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree Edutainment Wii Hiroyuki Kimura
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Action-adventure Nintendo DS Eiji Aonuma,
Shigeru Miyamoto
Link's Crossbow Training First-person shooter Wii Eiji Aonuma
2008 Wii Fit Exergaming Wii Tadashi Sugiyama,
Shigeru Miyamoto,
Takao Sawano
Mario Kart Wii Racing Wii Hideki Konno,
Shigeru Miyamoto
Wii Music Music Wii Takashi Tezuka,
Katsuya Eguchi
Animal Crossing: City Folk Social simulation Wii Katsuya Eguchi
New Play Control! Pikmin Real-time strategy Wii Hiroyuki Kimura
New Play Control! Pikmin 2 Real-time strategy Wii Hiroyuki Kimura
2009 Wii Sports Resort Sports Wii Katsuya Eguchi
Wii Fit Plus Exergaming Wii Tadashi Sugiyama,
Shigeru Miyamoto
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Platform Wii Takashi Tezuka,
Hiroyuki Kimura,
Shigeru Miyamoto
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Action-adventure Nintendo DS Shigeru Miyamoto,
Eiji Aonuma
2011 Nintendogs + Cats Digital pet Nintendo 3DS Hideki Konno
Steel DiverTemplate:Refn Submarine simulator Nintendo 3DS Tadashi Sugiyama
Mario Kart 7 Racing 3DS Hideki Konno
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Action-adventure Wii Eiji Aonuma
2012 New Super Mario Bros. 2 Platform 3DS Takashi Tezuka,
Hiroyuki Kimura,
Shigeru Miyamoto
Animal Crossing: New Leaf Social simulation 3DS Katsuya Eguchi
New Super Mario Bros. U Platform Wii U Takashi Tezuka,
Hiroyuki Kimura,
Shigeru Miyamoto
Nintendo Land Party Wii U Katsuya Eguchi
2013 New Super Luigi U Platform Wii U Takashi Tezuka,
Hiroyuki Kimura,
Shigeru Miyamoto
Pikmin 3 Real-time strategy Wii U Hiroyuki Kimura
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Action-adventure Wii U Eiji Aonuma
Wii Fit U Exergaming Wii U Tadashi Sugiyama
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Action-adventure 3DS Eiji Aonuma
2014 Steel Diver: Sub WarsTemplate:Refn Submarine simulator 3DS Tadashi Sugiyama
2015 Splatoon Third-person shooter Wii U Hisashi Nogami
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Social simulation 3DS Hisashi Nogami
Super Mario Maker Platform Wii U Takashi Tezuka,
Hiroyuki Kimura

Technology Development Department

List of video games developed by the Nintendo EAD Technology Development Department
Year Title Genre(s) Platform(s)
1999 Mario Artist: Paint StudioTemplate:Refn Graphics software 64DD
2000 Mario Artist: Talent Studio
Mario Artist: Polygon Studio
Mario Artist: Communication Kit

Tokyo Software Development Department

File:Yoshiaki Koizumi 2007.jpg
Yoshiaki Koizumi became manager of a second department of the Nintendo EAD division in Tokyo after 2007.

The Nintendo EAD Tokyo Software Development Department was created in 2002 with the goal of bringing in fresh new talent from the capital of Japan who wouldn't be willing to travel hundreds of miles away to Kyoto. It is located in Tokyo, Japan, in the Nintendo Tokyo Office.

In 2003, twenty members of the Entertainment Analysis & Development Division in Kyoto volunteered to relocate to Nintendo's Tokyo Office to expand development resources. These twenty volunteers were primarily from the Super Mario Sunshine team. Management saw it as a good opportunity to expand and recruit several developers who were more comfortable living in Tokyo than relocating to Kyoto.

Takao Shimizu (original manager and producer) and Yoshiaki Koizumi (director) began hiring several recruits in Tokyo coming from several established companies like SEGA, Koei, and Square-Enix. Shimizu and Koizumi jointly spearheaded their first project, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. This was followed in 2007 by the release of the critically and commercially acclaimed Super Mario Galaxy. After the release of Super Mario Galaxy, Koizumi was promoted to manager and producer and officially opened Tokyo Software Development Group No. 2.

The Tokyo group had veteran game developer Katsuya Eguchi as its general manager, who also oversaw development operations for the Kyoto Software Development Department.

List of video games developed by the Nintendo EAD Software Development Department No.1 in Tokyo
Year Title Genre(s) Platform(s)
2004 Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Platform GameCube
2007 Super Mario Galaxy Platform Wii
2009 Nintendo DS Guide: IkspiariTemplate:Refn Tour guide Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS Guide: Kyoto Municipal Museum of ArtTemplate:Refn Tour guide Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS Guide: Osaka Aquarium KaiyukanTemplate:Refn Tour guide Nintendo DS
2010 Nintendo DS Guide: Make It Yourself!Template:Refn Tour guide Nintendo DSi
(DSiWare)
2011 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DTemplate:Refn Action-adventure Nintendo 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary EditionTemplate:Refn Action-adventure Nintendo DSi
(DSiWare)
2013 Photos with Mario Augmented reality Nintendo 3DS
Wii U Panorama View Panorama viewer Wii U
Nintendo 3DS Guide: LouvreTemplate:RefnTemplate:Refn Tour guide Nintendo 3DS
2015 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3DTemplate:Refn Action-adventure Nintendo 3DS
List of video games developed by the Nintendo EAD Software Development Department No. 2 in Tokyo
Year Title Genre(s) Platform(s) Producer(s)
2008 New Play Control: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Platform Wii Yoshiaki Koizumi
Flipnote Studio Animation Nintendo DSi
(DSiWare)
Yoshiaki Koizumi
2010 Super Mario Galaxy 2 Platform Wii Yoshiaki Koizumi
Takashi Tezuka
2011 Super Mario 3D Land Platform Nintendo 3DS Yoshiaki Koizumi
2013 Flipnote Studio 3D Animation Nintendo 3DS Yoshiaki Koizumi
Super Mario 3D World Platform Wii U Yoshiaki Koizumi
NES RemixTemplate:Refn Compilation Wii U Yoshiaki Koizumi
Masanobu Suzui (Indieszero)
2014 NES Remix 2Template:Refn Compilation Wii U Yoshiaki Koizumi
Masanobu Suzui (Indieszero)
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Platform, puzzle Wii U Koichi Hayashida

Notes

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