Nintendo Software Planning & Development
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Fate | Merged with Entertainment Analysis & Development to form Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development |
| Headquarters | Kyoto , Japan |
Key people | Shinya Takahashi (General Manager), Keizo Kato (Assistant Manager), Kensuke Tanabe (Executive Officer), Yoshio Sakamoto (Deputy Manager, Software Planning & Development Department), Masaru Nishita (Deputy Manager, Software Development & Design Department) |
| Products | Video games, system software |
, often referred to as Nintendo SPD, was a Japanese division within Nintendo dedicated to research, planning, and development. It operated out of the Nintendo Development Center located in Kyoto, Japan. The division was structured into two main departments: the Software Planning & Development Department, which mainly collaborated with external developers on game co-productions; and the Software Development & Design Department, which concentrated on experimental projects and system software development. Formed in 2004 by merging Nintendo R&D1 and Nintendo R&D2, this division played a key role in creating innovative games, supporting other internal teams, and overseeing overseas production for first-party titles. Both departments were subdivided into four groups that simultaneously handled multiple projects.
In September 2015, Nintendo SPD combined with Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) to establish Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development.
History
The Software Planning & Development (SPD) division was created in 2004 under the leadership of then-Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who took on the role of general manager. SPD’s primary mission was to co-produce and oversee game development with external second-party studios, thereby easing the workload of the Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) division and its general manager Shigeru Miyamoto. This allowed EAD to focus more on in-house projects. Additionally, SPD developed some titles internally.
On June 27, 2013, Shinya Takahashi, who was deputy general manager at the time, replaced Iwata as SPD’s general manager and also joined Nintendo’s board of directors. A year later, on June 18, 2014, Nintendo consolidated its internal research and development divisions—including SPD—into the newly established Nintendo Development Center near its Kyoto headquarters. This strategic move aimed to enhance collaboration between hardware and software teams by bringing them into close proximity.
On September 16, 2015, SPD merged with EAD to form the new division known as Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD). Following this reorganization, Shigeru Miyamoto stepped down as EAD general manager to become a Creative Fellow, while Shinya Takahashi took charge of EPD, overseeing all game development at Nintendo. The new division combined responsibilities from both predecessor units, managing internal development and co-producing external projects.
Structure
The Nintendo Software Planning & Development Division was headed by General Manager Shinya Takahashi, with Assistant Manager Keizo Kato and Executive Officer Kensuke Tanabe providing support. It consisted of two departments: the Software Planning & Development Department, led by Deputy Manager Yoshio Sakamoto and organized into four groups; and the Software Development & Design Department, directed by Deputy Manager Masaru Nishita and divided into three groups. These groups worked concurrently on diverse projects.
Production Group No. 1
Production Group No. 1 specialized in creating video game software and applications for Nintendo’s home consoles and handheld devices, including software designed for peripherals. This work involved both internal development and partnerships with second-party developers. Under the leadership of seasoned producer Yoshio Sakamoto, this group managed important franchises such as WarioWare, Rhythm Heaven, Card Hero, Tomodachi, as well as the mainline entries in the Metroid series.
| Year | Title | Series | Genre(s) | Platform(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | WarioWare: Twisted! | WarioWare | Action, puzzle, rhythm | Game Boy Advance | |
| WarioWare: Touched! | WarioWare | Action, puzzle, rhythm | Nintendo DS | ||
| 2005 | Play-Yan | N/A | MP3 player | Game Boy Advance | |
| Nintendo MP3 Player | N/A | MP3 player | Game Boy Micro, Nintendo DS | ||
| 2006 | Rhythm Tengoku | Rhythm Heaven | Rhythm | Game Boy Advance | |
| WarioWare: Smooth Moves | WarioWare | Party, puzzle, rhythm | Wii | ||
| 2007 | Face Training | N/A | Exergaming | Nintendo DS | |
| Nintendo DS Digital TV Tuner (software only) | N/A | Television antenna | Nintendo DS | ||
| Kousoku Card Battle: Card Hero | Card Hero | Role-playing | Nintendo DS | ||
| 2008 | Rhythm Heaven | Rhythm Heaven | Rhythm | Nintendo DS | |
| "Birds & Beans"/Pyoro | WarioWare | Action | Nintendo DSi | ||
| "Paper Airplane Chase"/Paper Plane | WarioWare | Endless running | Nintendo DSi | ||
| WarioWare: Snapped! | WarioWare | Action, puzzle, rhythm | Nintendo DSi | ||
| 2009 | Atsumeru Egaocho | N/A | Contact list | Nintendo DSi | |
| "WarioWare D.I.Y."/"WarioWare: Do It Yourself" | WarioWare | Action, puzzle, rhythm | Nintendo DS | ||
| "WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase"/ "WarioWare: Do It Yourself Showcase" | WarioWare | Action, puzzle, rhythm | Wii | ||
| Tomodachi Collection | Tomodachi Collection | Social simulation | Nintendo DS | ||
| Card Hero: Speed Battle Custom | Card Hero Trading & Battle | Role-playing | Nintendo DSi | ||
| Nintendo DSi Instrument Tuner | N/A | Instrument tuning | Nintendo DSi | ||
| Nintendo DSi Metronome | N/A | Metronome | Nintendo DSi | ||
| Face Training Mini | N/A | Exergaming | Nintendo DSi | ||
| 2010 | Metroid: Other M | Metroid | Action-adventure | Wii | |
| 2011 | "Rhythm Heaven Fever"/ "Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise" | Rhythm Heaven | Rhythm | Wii | |
| 2012 | Kiki Trick | N/A | Music video game | Wii | |
| 2013 | Tomodachi Life | Tomodachi Collection | Social simulation | Nintendo 3DS | |
| Game & Wario | WarioWare | Party game | Wii U | ||
| 2015 | "Rhythm Heaven Megamix"/ "Rhythm Paradise Megamix" | Rhythm Heaven | Rhythm | Nintendo 3DS |
Production Group No. 2
Production Group No. 2, under the leadership of manager and producer Hitoshi Yamagami, was chiefly responsible for co-producing and overseeing video game projects published by Nintendo and developed by Japanese external studios. This division handled titles within series such as Pokémon, F-Zero, The Legendary Starfy, Fire Emblem, Dr. Mario, Endless Ocean, Fossil Fighters, Style Savvy, and Xenoblade Chronicles.
Additionally, they provided supervision for Drill Dozer developed by Game Freak.
... [The list proceeds through 2015 maintaining a similar format, emphasizing major franchises like Pokémon, Fire Emblem, Style Savvy, Xenoblade Chronicles, and partnerships with third-party developers including Game Freak, Intelligent Systems, and Syn Sophia] ...Notes
{{Refn{group=co}|name="Monolith Soft"|Co-developed alongside Monolith Soft.}} {{Refn{group=co}|name="Treasure"|Co-developed with Treasure.}} {{Refn{group=co}|name="AQ Interactive"|Co-developed with AQ Interactive.}} {{Refn{group=co}|name="PlatinumGames"|Co-developed with PlatinumGames.}} {{Refn{group=co}|name="Valhalla"|Co-developed with Valhalla Game Studios.}}
Production Group No. 3
Under the leadership of producer Kensuke Tanabe, Production Group No. 3 was responsible for guiding the creation of several prominent series, including Metroid Prime, Battalion Wars, Super Mario Strikers, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Excitebike, Paper Mario, Fluidity, and Donkey Kong Country.[1]
2004 || Custom Robo || Custom Robo || Fighting || GameCube || 2004 || Kirby & the Amazing Mirror || Kirby || Platform || Game Boy Advance || 2004 || Mario vs. Donkey Kong || Mario vs. Donkey Kong || Platform || Game Boy Advance || 2004 || Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest || Donkey Kong || Platform || Game Boy Advance || 2004 || Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door || Paper Mario || Role-playing || GameCube || 2004 || Mario Pinball Land || Mario || Pinball || Game Boy Advance || 2004 || Metroid Prime 2: Echoes || Metroid || First-person shooter || GameCube || ... [The list extends through 2015, featuring major titles from franchises such as Metroid Prime, Kirby, Paper Mario, Donkey Kong Country, and collaborations with Retro Studios, HAL Laboratory, Kuju Entertainment] ...| Year | Title | Series | Genre(s) | Platform(s) | Reference(s) |
|---|
Production Group No. 4
Production Group No. 4, headed by Hiroshi Sato and Toshiharu Izuno, directed development efforts for the Mario Party, Mario Sports, Mario & Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Wii Party franchises.[2]
2004||Mario Golf: Advance Tour||Sports||Game Boy Advance|| 2004||Kururin Squash!||Puzzle||GameCube|| 2004||Mario Power Tennis||Sports||GameCube|| 2004||Mario Party 6||Party||GameCube|| 2004||Yoshi's Universal Gravitation||Platform||Game Boy Advance|| ... [The list continues through 2015, highlighting key party and sports games including entries in the Mario Party series, Mario & Luigi RPGs, Yoshi platformers, and Wii Party titles] ...| Year | Title | Genre(s) | Platform(s) | Reference(s) |
|---|
Notes
- Collaborative projects involved partnerships with Eighting, NDcube, Cing, Hudson Soft, INiS, Camelot Software Planning, Paon, AlphaDream, Project Sora, Bandai Namco Studios, Good-Feel, Arzest, Artoon, Namco Bandai Games.
Software Development & Design Department
The Software Development & Design team at Nintendo was created under president Satoru Iwata’s initiative and was overseen by Deputy Manager Masaru Nishita. This experimental division focused on crafting innovative internal system software for the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles.[3] Their responsibilities included developing the Wii Channels interface as well as system software for the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS platforms. Additionally, they produced inventive retail games that prioritized punctual release schedules and optimized resource management.
Among the notable staff were Koichi Kawamoto—the original programmer behind WarioWare—and Shinya Takahashi, a veteran designer within Nintendo EAD. The department also contributed to a variety of WiiWare and DSiWare game projects.
Software Development Group
Under the leadership of manager and producer Kiyoshi Mizuki, the Software Development Group was responsible for creating the Jam with the Band and Brain Age franchises, in addition to several Touch! Generations titles developed in collaboration with external partners.
2004 || Band Brothers || Nintendo DS || Shinya Takahashi 2005 || DS Easy Dictionary || Nintendo DS || Shinya Takahashi 2005 || Band Brothers: Request Selection || Nintendo DS || Shinya Takahashi 2005 || Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! || Nintendo DS || Shinya Takahashi 2006 || Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! || Nintendo DS || Shinya Takahashi ... [Other titles include the English Training series, Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten DS, and Flash Focus, which was co-developed with Namco Bandai Games] ...| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|