Vorlage:Nihongo, commonly abbreviated as EAD and formerly known as Research & Development Team 4, is the largest division inside Nintendo. Famed developers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka serve as heads of the EAD studios and are credited in each game released from EAD, with varying degrees of involvement. EAD is best-known for its work on games in the Mario, The Legend of Zelda, F-Zero, Star Fox, and Pikmin franchises.
In 1997, Miyamoto explained that twenty to thirty employees were devoted to each EAD title during the course of its development.[1] He also disclosed the existence of a programming group within the division called SRD, a group of about two-hundred employees with proficiency in hardware development.[1]
In 2004 Nintendo underwent a corporate restructuring, in which several members of the Nintendo Research & Development 1 and Nintendo Research & Development 2 were reassigned under the EAD banner.[2] Nintendo EAD is itself split into five separate teams in Kyoto who work concurrently on different projects in addition to a sister group in Tokyo.[3]
EAD Software Development Department
Comprehensive Software Development Group
Manager/Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Takao Sawano
Games developed:
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Roll-O-Rama | Unreleased |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | November 7, 2003 (JP) |
| Pac-Man Vs. | December 2, 2003 (NA) |
| Super Mario 64 DS | November 21, 2004 (NA) |
| Steel Diver | TBA |
| Starfox 64 3D | TBA |
Software Development Group No. 1
Manager/Producer: Hideki Konno
Games developed:
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Wii Cooking | Unreleased |
| Luigi's Mansion | September 14, 2001 (JP) |
| Nintendogs | April 21, 2005 (JP) |
| Mario Kart DS | November 14, 2005 (NA) |
| Mario Kart Wii | April 10, 2008 (JP) |
| Nintendogs + Cats | TBA |
| Mario Kart 3DS | TBA |
Software Development Group No. 2
Manager/Producer: Katsuya Eguchi
Games developed:
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Animal Crossing | April 14, 2001 (JP) |
| Animal Crossing: Wild World | November 23, 2005 (JP) |
| Wii Sports | November 19, 2006 (NA) |
| Wii Play | December 2, 2006 (JP) |
| Wii Music | October 16, 2008 (JP) |
| Animal Crossing: City Folk | November 16, 2008 (JP) |
| Wii Sports Resort | June 25, 2009 (JP) |
| Animal Crossing 3DS | TBA |
| Pilotwings Resort | TBA |
Software Development Group No. 3
Manager/Producer: Eiji Aonuma
Games developed:
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | May 27, 2000 (JP) |
| The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past DX | December 03, 2002 (JP) |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | December 13, 2002 (JP) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures | March 18, 2004 (JP) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | November 19, 2006 (NA) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | June 23, 2007 (JP) |
| Link's Crossbow Training | November 19, 2007 (NA) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | December 7, 2009 (NA) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | 2011 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS | 2011 |
Software Development Group No. 4
Manager/Producer: Hiroyuki Kimura
- Games developed:
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island | September 20, 2002 (JP) |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | September 27, 2003 (JP) |
| Yoshi Touch and Go | January 27, 2005 (JP) |
| Big Brain Academy | June 30, 2005 (JP) |
| New Super Mario Bros. | May 15, 2006 (NA) |
| Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree | April 26, 2007 (JP) |
| New Play Control! Pikmin | December 25, 2008 (JP) |
| New Play Control! Pikmin 2 | March 15, 2009 (JP) |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | November 12, 2009 (AUS) |
| Pikmin 3 | TBA |
Software Development Group No. 5
Manager/Producer: Tadashi Sugiyama
Games developed:
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Stage Debut | Unreleased |
| Wii Fit | December 1, 2007 (JP) |
| Wii Fit Plus | October 1, 2009 (JP) |
Tokyo Development Group
Manager/Producer: Yoshiaki Koizumi
- Games developed:
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Super Mario Sunshine | August 16, 2002 (JP) |
| Donkey Kong Jungle Beat | December 16, 2004 (JP) |
| Super Mario Galaxy | November 1, 2007 (JP) |
| New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat | December 11, 2008 (JP) |
| Flipnote Studio | December 24, 2008 (JP) |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 | May 23, 2010 (NA) |
Developer hierarchy
| Chief Production Officer |
|---|
| General Managers |
|---|
| Development Group Managers |
|---|
Hiroyuki Kimura - Takao Shimizu |
Games developed
References
- ↑ a b Takao Imamura, Shigeru Miyamoto: Nintendo Power August, 1997 - Pak Watch E3 Report "The Game Masters". Nintendo, 1997, S. 104–105.
- ↑ N-Sider. Nintendo Revolution FAQ
- ↑ Cassidy, Kevin. NCL Team Structure work in progress. June 7, 2006. Retrieved October 26, 2007.