Support NeoGAF

[Pyrokai]

I thought he was referring to external efforts as a whole. I'll edit it out, then.

Oh, I thought he was talking about third party efforts.

Nintendo first party is more than EAD or whatever they are now. To think otherwise is a bit unwise, imo.

Example: Retro and Monolithsoft are first party studios that are not EAD, and so are many others.

 

[Xenoboy]

So what does Shibata's new title actually mean?
What did he even do before he become the head of NoE?

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

• Smash 4
• The Wonderful 101
• Bayonetta 2 (Nintendo funded this, so I'll count it)
• Hyrule Warriors
• Yoshi's Woolly World

You were saying?

Smash 4, Wonderfil 101, Yoshi are first-party games. The developer was "hired" to work on a Nintendo IP and a Nintendo producer.

Hyrule Warriors was a collaboration with a third-party publisher. Technically so was Bayoneta 2 since SEGA licensed out the IP.

 

[AntMurda]

So no plans on changing NoA? Is the new Presisent still going to run NoA and the rest of Nintendo?

Reggie is really their international liaison now. No one else can fill his shoes.

 

[TheMoon]

So what does Shibata's new title actually mean?
What did he even do before he become the head of NoE?

Before he took over NOE years ago he was heading up Nintendo Australia.

 

[AntMurda]

The way the timing is working out, a Nintendo SpaceWorld event makes sense with Mobile, QOL, and Project NX all being announced around the same window.

Throw in their 2016 Wii U and 3DS line up. Whatever that is.

 

[TheMoon]

Off topic question... is Nintendo going to be at TGS?

They never are. Never.

 

[Adam Tyner]

I just want to play games that I enjoy by whomever regardless on who made the box on which said games run on.

I'm not going to try to make a business case one way or the other, but I can't help but think that a third-party Nintendo would lose a lot of the magic, imagination, and inventiveness that define so many of their games. I suspect they'd rally around a small number of key franchises, and the more experimental, off-the-wall titles would fall by the wayside. For someone who only cares about a Mario platformer or two, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and Zelda every generation, a third-party Nintendo might be a great fit. I just can't see a third-party Nintendo bringing something like The Wonderful 101 to market, and they'd probably release a fraction of the total number of titles overall. They're unavoidably going to support a platform they own differently than a platform they don't, and a third-party Nintendo would almost certainly be much, much more conservative and hit-focused, reluctant to take quite so many chances. It just wouldn't really be Nintendo anymore.

 

[Fourth Storm]

Establishment of the Business Development Division

We will newly establish the Business Development Division, a division with the aim of refining the business model for the dedicated video game system business, and creating and making profitable the smart device business and the new business that utilizes character IP.

I find it interesting that QoL isn't mentioned at all in this description of the BDD. Am I overthinking things or has it been put on the back burner in favor of the mobile initiative and licensing business?

 

[jeffers]

I find it interesting that QoL isn't mentioned at all in this description of the BDD. Am I overthinking things or has it been put on the back burner in favor of the mobile initiative and licensing business?

odd, you'd think QoL would better fit elsewhere. Figured some of the QoL devices would be in-house (so devices) and more like OS development division.

 

[Gurgelhals]

I find it interesting that QoL isn't mentioned at all in this description of the BDD. Am I overthinking things or has it been put on the back burner in favor of the mobile initiative and licensing business?

QoL is going to be this generation's Vitality Sensor.

 

[Fourth Storm]

odd, you'd think QoL would better fit elsewhere. Figured some of the QoL devices would be in-house (so devices) and more like OS development division.

It's always been described as a separate business iirc.

Also, no promotion for Aonuma? "Ouch" if so. This guy slaves away on Zelda after Zelda! And with no end in sight!

 

[Gurgelhals]

Also, no promotion for Aonuma? "Ouch" if so. This guy slaves away on Zelda after Zelda! And with no end in sight!

They haven't released any details about what is happening below the levels of the general managers and deputy managers of a division. This is also why we don't know the new positions for Takashi Tezuka and Kensuke Tanabe (who were the executive officers of EAD and SPD respectively) and we also don't know what is happening on the level of the actual development groups. I Imagine that things are more or less staying the same there, it doesn't really make sense to split up or rearrange the individual development teams.

 

[AntMurda]

They haven't released any details about what is happening below the levels of the general managers and deputy managers of a division. This is also why we don't know the new positions for Takashi Tezuka and Kensuke Tanabe (who were the executive officers of EAD and SPD respectively) and we also don't know what is happening on the level of the actual development groups. I Imagine that things are more or less staying the same there, it doesn't really make sense to split up or rearrange the individual development teams.

The production groups are remaining the same I imagine. From the description it's basically folding the EAD groups with the 3 smaller SPD groups that actually developed games (rhythm tengoku team, tomodachi life team, brain age team). This was all for efficiency in development across NX and Mobile.

Now the external production groups like Tanabe and Yamagami, that's probably the more mysterious thing. Maybe a separate department within EPD.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

I find it interesting that QoL isn't mentioned at all in this description of the BDD. Am I overthinking things or has it been put on the back burner in favor of the mobile initiative and licensing business?

There are a few things to consider about the Business Development Division.

1. Iwata began the group as the Business Development Department last year, and this was where QoL was being designed and coordinated.

2. Business Development Department became Business Development Division today, which means it has MUCH more staff now since Nintendo quantities Division as x amount of people compared to the smaller amount in a department. Where did the new staff come from?

3. The new description sounds like the external portion of SPD. It looks like the internal devs of SPD went to EPD, and the external SPD staff maybe to Business Development Division.

 

[CrAzY FiNgErS]

Are there wholly owned Japanese companies, similar to Monolith that won't fall under this new reorganization? Or do they? Obviously Nintendo doesn't own the Pokemon Company, so that wouldn't count anyway.

 

[The Giant]

Off topic question... is Nintendo going to be at TGS?

Nope. Just wait for Spaceworld.

 

[TheMoon]

Are there wholly owned Japanese companies, similar to Monolith that won't fall under this new reorganization? Or do they? Obviously Nintendo doesn't own the Pokemon Company, so that wouldn't count anyway.

I don't understand your question. None of this has any effect on anything that isn't NCL. MonolithSoft is still MonolithSoft and so on.

 

[LincolnSixVacano]

The old guard has done more for gaming than almost anyone. I'm okay with them stepping down and letting new talent take a shot. We only have the legends we have today because they were once young guys trying new things themselves.

Nailed it.

 

[ASIS]

The WiiU's first party lineup is hardly impressive, particularly if you remove the games not developed internally. Combine that with the droughts, the tons of casual games, and weird input attributed to him on certain games, I don't think his role as software manager has been particularly successful for the enthusiast crowd.

Wii U alone? you may have an argument there, but when you look at 3DS + Wii U in 2013 onwards, you'll see that their output has grown quite a lot and it is actually impressive.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Wii U alone? you may have an argument there, but when you look at 3DS + Wii U in 2013 onwards, you'll see that their output has grown quite a lot and it is actually impressive.

They definitely released more Wii and NDS games though, But at the same time, there is much more staff and money being spend on the development of each Wii U and 3DS game in comparison.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

So what does Shibata's new title actually mean?
What did he even do before he become the head of NoE?

I have similar thoughts but also a possible conclusion:

What does the NOE part mean? Is it more an emphasis that NOE is part of Nintendo as after all one definition for deputy is "representative in a legislative body in certain countries".

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

So what does Shibata's new title actually mean?
What did he even do before he become the head of NoE?

Perhaps, Shibata will be the main Direct guy and handle big PR for NCL Japan.

 

[Datschge]

I'm not sure how to feel about Nintendo's new structure. I generally think that overly-centralized structures, with rigid hierarchies and lots of micromanagement from the upper levels, strangle creativity and hinder diversity. I think that this has been a problem at Nintendo for quite some time now. And, although we don't really know how the new model is supposed to work, at first glance, it seems even more centralized than before.

When Nintendo announced their plans for a restructure, I was kinda hoping for a move toward a more flexible and decentralized structure at the company. Like maybe finally letting their more experienced staff form autonomous studios with their own, unique, creative cultures and the freedom to develop games without being obligated to follow the ideals and usual design principles of the company's old guard.

Basically, I would like to see Nintendo letting creativity flourish the way SEGA did in the Dreamcast days. Or, if that's too risky for Nintendo, maybe move towards a structure with multiple, autonomous, divisions (similar to their old R&D model).

The old R&D model reflected psychical separated groups which worked at different locations. It was only with the new big central development building (Shikamaru Ninja kept reporting about) that all Kyoto groups have been unified at one single location recently. The merger of the affected software and hardware groups is a direct result of that. This doesn't necessarily mean that project management will be centralized. On the contrary in the ideal case this allows more flexibility with project staffing while human resources bureaucracy is reduced.

So what does Shibata's new title actually mean?

I don't think he has a new title. That list is just for reflecting the status quo, not necessarily that a change has happened.

 

[protomouse]

Perhaps, Shibata will be the main Direct guy and handle big PR for NCL Japan.

I'd love this.

 

[BD1]

The way the timing is working out, a Nintendo SpaceWorld event makes sense with Mobile, QOL, and Project NX all being announced around the same window.

Throw in their 2016 Wii U and 3DS line up. Whatever that is.

#WaitForSpaceWorld

Spoiler

i miss space world :-(

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

I'm not sure how to feel about Nintendo's new structure. I generally think that overly-centralized structures, with rigid hierarchies and lots of micromanagement from the upper levels, strangle creativity and hinder diversity. I think that this has been a problem at Nintendo for quite some time now. And, although we don't really know how the new model is supposed to work, at first glance, it seems even more centralized than before.

When Nintendo announced their plans for a restructure, I was kinda hoping for a move toward a more flexible and decentralized structure at the company. Like maybe finally letting their more experienced staff form autonomous studios with their own, unique, creative cultures and the freedom to develop games without being obligated to follow the ideals and usual design principles of the company's old guard.

Basically, I would like to see Nintendo letting creativity flourish the way SEGA did in the Dreamcast days. Or, if that's too risky for Nintendo, maybe move towards a structure with multiple, autonomous, divisions (similar to their old R&D model).

It's actually like that - just under a more organized corporate labeling. There are like 8-10 Production Groups that run under specific Producers (Aonuma, Konno, Kimura, etc). Each group has some autonomy and develops multiple games at a time. It's no different than the Dreamcast era SEGA's Japanese studios for the most part, except that that EPD shares assets, technology, staff between them.

 

[Admiral Alliteration]

Sorry for the brutal bump, but I've found an interesting timeline that shows the history of Nintendo's R&D departments from their beginnings in the 1970s until the recent big restructures. It's in German, but I'm sure you'll understand the important parts nonetheless. I know it doesn't look too appealing, but I haven't found a better timeline.

http://nintendo-online.de/upload/images/2015/11/11/15550944985643925bc67988-41497470.png

Source the picture is from:
http://nintendo-online.de/artikel/report/23525/inside-nintendo-79-nintendos-entwicklungsabteilungen-im-wandel-der-zeit

 

[TheMoon]

Sorry for the brutal bump, but I've found an interesting timeline that shows the history of Nintendo's R&D departments from their beginnings in the 1970s until the recent big restructures. It's in German, but I'm sure you'll understand the important parts nonetheless. I know it doesn't look too appealing, but I haven't found a better timeline.

http://nintendo-online.de/upload/images/2015/11/11/15550944985643925bc67988-41497470.png

Source the picture is from:
http://nintendo-online.de/artikel/report/23525/inside-nintendo-79-nintendos-entwicklungsabteilungen-im-wandel-der-zeit

main source: kyoto-report