Vorlage:Nihongo, commonly abbreviated as EAD, is the largest division inside Nintendo. It was preceded by the Vorlage:Nihongo, a team of designers with an art background responsible for many different tasks, which Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka originally belonged to.[1][2] Both developers currently serve as managers of the EAD studios and are credited in each game developed by the division, 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, Donkey Kong and Pikmin franchises.
In 1997, Miyamoto explained that twenty to thirty employees were devoted to each EAD title during the course of its development.[3] 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.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5]
EAD Software Development Department
Comprehensive Software Development Group
Manager/Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Takao Sawano
Not necessarily responsible for a specific franchise or genre
Games developed:
| Title | Platform | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Roll-O-Rama | - | Unreleased |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | GCN | November 7, 2003 (JP) |
| Pac-Man Vs. | GCN | December 2, 2003 (NA) |
| Super Mario 64 DS | NDS | November 21, 2004 (NA) |
| Steel Diver | 3DS | March 17, 2011 (JP) |
| Star Fox 64 3D | 3DS | TBA |
Software Development Group No. 1
Manager/Producer: Hideki Konno
Responsible for Nintendogs and new Mario Kart games
Games developed:
| Title | Platform | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Luigi's Mansion | GCN | September 14, 2001 (JP) |
| Nintendogs | NDS | April 21, 2005 (JP) |
| Mario Kart DS | NDS | November 14, 2005 (NA) |
| Mario Kart Wii | Wii | April 10, 2008 (JP) |
| Nintendogs + Cats | 3DS | February 26, 2011 (JP) |
| Mario Kart 3DS | 3DS | TBA |
Software Development Group No. 2
Manager/Producer: Katsuya Eguchi
Responsible for all Wii branded games and the Animal Crossing series
Games developed:
| Title | Platform | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Forest | N64 | April 14, 2001 (JP) |
| Animal Crossing: Wild World | NDS | November 23, 2005 (JP) |
| Wii Sports | Wii | November 19, 2006 (NA) |
| Wii Play | Wii | December 2, 2006 (JP) |
| Wii Music | Wii | October 16, 2008 (JP) |
| Animal Crossing: City Folk | Wii | November 16, 2008 (JP) |
| Wii Sports Resort | Wii | June 25, 2009 (JP) |
| Animal Crossing 3DS | 3DS | TBA |
| Pilotwings Resort | 3DS | February 26, 2011 (JP) |
Software Development Group No. 3
Manager/Producer: Eiji Aonuma
Primarily responsible for the Zelda series
Games developed:
| Title | Platform | Released |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GCN | December 13, 2002 (JP) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures | GCN | March 18, 2004 (JP) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | GCN/Wii | November 19, 2006 (NA) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass | NDS | June 23, 2007 (JP) |
| Link's Crossbow Training | Wii | November 19, 2007 (NA) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | NDS | December 7, 2009 (NA) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | Wii | 2011 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | 3DS | 2011 |
Software Development Group No. 4
Manager/Producer: Hiroyuki Kimura
Responsible for remakes and ports of older titles, and the Pikmin series
- Games developed:
| Title | Released | |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island | GBA | September 20, 2002 (JP) |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | GBA | September 27, 2003 (JP) |
| Yoshi Touch and Go | NDS | January 27, 2005 (JP) |
| Big Brain Academy | NDS | June 30, 2005 (JP) |
| New Super Mario Bros. | NDS | May 15, 2006 (NA) |
| Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree | Wii | April 26, 2007 (JP) |
| New Play Control! Pikmin | Wii | December 25, 2008 (JP) |
| New Play Control! Pikmin 2 | Wii | March 15, 2009 (JP) |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | Wii | November 12, 2009 (AUS) |
| Pikmin 3 | Wii | TBA |
Software Development Group No. 5
Manager/Producer: Tadashi Sugiyama
Responsible for developing games that attract casual gamers
Games developed:
| Title | Released | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage Debut | - | Unreleased |
| Wii Fit | Wii | December 1, 2007 (JP) |
| Wii Fit Plus | Wii | October 1, 2009 (JP) |
Tokyo Development Group
Manager/Producer: Takao Shimizu, Yoshiaki Koizumi
Mainly responsible for the Mario series
- Games developed:
| Title | Released | |
|---|---|---|
| Donkey Kong Jungle Beat | GCN | December 16, 2004 (JP) |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Wii | November 1, 2007 (JP) |
| New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat | Wii | December 11, 2008 (JP) |
| Flipnote Studio | NDSi | December 24, 2008 (JP) |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Wii | May 23, 2010 (NA) |
| Super Mario 3DS | 3DS | TBA |
Developer hierarchy
| Chief Production Officer |
|---|
| General Managers |
|---|
| Development Group Managers |
|---|
Hiroyuki Kimura - Takao Shimizu |
Games developed
References
- ↑ Using the D-pad to Jump. In: Iwata Asks: Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary Vol. 5: Original Super Mario Developers. Nintendo of America, Inc., 1. Februar 2011, abgerufen am 1. Februar 2011.
- ↑ I'd Never Heard Of Pac-Man. In: Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros. Wii Vol. 2. Nintendo of America, Inc., 11. Dezember 2009, abgerufen am 1. Februar 2011.
- ↑ 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.