They only released one game in 2014 to this point too. Well, two counting 3DS.
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Nintendo Kyoto Development Center - R&D Restructure Update
- Thread starter Shikamaru Ninja
- Start date
Sakurai is probably in the most enviable position of anyone associated with Nintendo. They clearly hold him in the highest regard, and give the man just about all the resources he needs/wants for game creation. Meanwhile, he operates with a level of autonomy none of the internal Nintendo producers have.
Iwata <3 Sakurai
Iwata <3 Sakurai
I think Nintendo should do away with the SPD/EAD delineation. Perhaps they could do what Sega did and give each team a distinct name/identity but without the whole separate subsidiary nonsense that sunk those teams at Sega?
I mean, with Monolith and IS and EAD Tokyo, they have their own distinctions of sorts already, might as well go all the way with it.
It's less confusing for everyone, I think.
I mean, with Monolith and IS and EAD Tokyo, they have their own distinctions of sorts already, might as well go all the way with it.
It's less confusing for everyone, I think.
Mysterious
Banned
sörine;126895739 said:
Which 3DS game?
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
sörine;126895739 said:
NES Remix Vol. 1 & 2
Steel Diver: Sub Wars
Mario Kart 8
Mysterious
Banned
Wasn't Vol. 1 2013?
StreetsAhead
Member
Did Kyoto even do much work on either of the bolded?
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
Right. NES Remix was EAD Tokyo. Steel Diver: Sub Wars was literally like 6 EAD Kyoto guys with Vitei Inc. Mario Kart 8 was a huge team though.
By the way Streets. Sending you a PM.
Sakamoto had about a dedicated 40-50 developers exclusive to his SPD Production Group No. 1. It is a very small R&D team considering Sakamoto spreads them out around 3 projects at a time. Despite a few bombs, Rhythm Heaven and Tomodachi Life give Sakamoto and his team a lot of weight for creating new properties with small resources. Don't forget, that technically Sakamoto's group also did much of the groundwork for the Miis.
The founding fathers of Indies Zero came from Nintendo Game Seminar. Thus, they always had a close relationship with Nintendo as a contract company. Indies Zero has currently been helping EAD Tokyo finish certain projects (3DS Guide: Louvre Museum, NES Remix).
Well you could easily do that like The Mario Team, The Zelda Team, The Odd Ball Team, etc, but it would be well a little boring.
Zeyphersan
Banned
I always appreciate getting updates like this, thank you!
Nice. The best artists in the world are women, anyway
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
Really excited and hopeful about these big restructuring moves. Out of this whole mess they've been in, this seems like the best thing moving forward to keep Nintendo strong, with or without outside assistance.
JODOROWSKY51
Member
Brilliant, thanks!
Nintendo are such a fascinating company.
I hope Sakamoto comes back kicking major butt! Weird Nintendo is the best Nintendo...
Nintendo are such a fascinating company.
I hope Sakamoto comes back kicking major butt! Weird Nintendo is the best Nintendo...
Orniletter
Banned
Interesting read !
these moves aren't in response to nintendos struggles in the console market its because they've long outgrown their old building. this is something nintendos been working on for a few years now even before the wiiU. they had to purchase and clear the old buildings from the land and build fresh. theres an older thread with pictures of the building process.
that said the new building does let them restructure and expand as needed which will only help them going forward, something they couldn't do before.
it would be nice if iwata strapped that 3d camera tour thing onto his back and gave us a look inside the new building but im guessing well never get a chance to see.
more space, more people, easier communication among teams. it should greatly reduce the need to pull staff from other teams leading to frequent product delays. basically Nintendo still going to Nintendo but they put a bunch of skill points into efficiency.
I'm not quite sure what you suggest? Renaming EAD and SPD? Renaming the departments within EAD and SPD? What would that improve, exactly? Also, especially on EAD's side, the departments are mainly an organizational thing - there are no real fixed teams to begin with, staff is constantly switching departments on a per-project basis.
POWERSPHERE
Banned
Can't wait to see what comes from this.
...Which becomes far more doable (times being lowered, better comunication) when all the devs are under the same roof, doesn't it?
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
Yes!! the thread I've been waiting for 
Thank you Shikamaru Ninja!!
I hope he doesn't take it personally.. I love the man's work and am excited to see anything he does next.
Damn straight! On both statements!
But I'm sure this is something Nintendo are looking into, as many of their games have enjoyed good long term support.
Thank you Shikamaru Ninja!!
Interesting.. So Sakamoto is confirmed to be no longer involved with Metroid?
I hope he doesn't take it personally.. I love the man's work and am excited to see anything he does next.
I don't think it would have been any better. The Wii suffered from bigger droughts than Wii U, despite enjoying tremendous sales. Bottom line is it's taking a lot of time for a company like Nintendo to restructure and evolve into whatever new form they will eventually take. Seems like a rather painful transition too, from the outside. I just hope they come out of it stronger and more competitive.
They're turning it into a giant robot for Miyamoto's new game
Sakurai should be given one of Nintendo's EADs to do with as he pleases.
Glad I'm not the only one! Also, I hope he doesn't buckle down on Japanese exclusive stuff.
Damn straight! On both statements!
I'm all for the type of structure that allows employees more freedom to move between projects, but it also comes with a price. In Nintendo's case, I feel like games that weren't planned to have DLC, such as NintendoLand, potentially suffer when the development teams behind them disband shortly after release.
But I'm sure this is something Nintendo are looking into, as many of their games have enjoyed good long term support.
How is that possible when indieszero was founded in 1997 and the first Nintendo Game Seminar was in 2004?
StreetsAhead
Member
Iirc, there was an interview that said some of the MK8 team was split up to brainstorm ideas in a simillar fashion to the experiments that led to Splatoon.
What about the part of SPD that doesn't just develop games and works with other studios to help produce games?
He said at E3 that some of the level designers from NSMBU were working on it so there's at least some involvement
StreetsAhead
Member
Ah, yes. That's the one; although, I apparently misrememberedit slightly.
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
Based on the old structure. SPD was a big aspect of software development although very incognito to people outside of the company.
SPD - Production Department - (Yamagami/Tanabe/Sato/Nonaka) External production
SPD - Development Department (Sakamoto) - Kiki Trick, Rhythm Heaven, Tomodachi Life
SPD - Development Department II (Kawamoto) - Brain Age, AR Games, Rusty's Real Deal
SPD - Development Department III (Kato) - Virtual Console
SPD - Localization Department
The former rule of thumb was:
EAD only co-develops games when they hire an outside developer to finish their prototype or early work (Wii Sports Club, Steel Diver) or when they hire a developer to help them remake a port (Zelda: Toot, Star Fox 64 3D).
In other cases, SPD handles the co-development with external agencies (Bayonetta, Devil's Third, Wonderful 101, New Yoshi's Island, etc).
But that was the old way.
sörine;126988586 said:
Nintendo's Game Seminars started in 92 or 93. That's how JOY MECH FIGHT was produced in 1993. I think back then it was just game seminar hosted by Nintendo as opposed to NINTENDO GAME SEMINAR.
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
We don't actually know yet.
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
When was that interview? MK8 was just finished in May. There's also a bunch of DLC scheduled for the game.
StreetsAhead
Member
A poster linked to it above in quoting me. On my phone so hard to link, sorry.
GameGuru59
Banned
I love how simplistic and open the building's architecture is. I'm sure the devs get plenty of light inside, and the interior architecture probably allows for a number of different wall configurations if need-be. Nintendo sure dows follow the KISS philosophy in everything they do!
I remember I posted in this thread, it's good info and could use a bump while I reply to some things I've been putting off.
I think that they could be a bit more creative than that and not feel a need to name themselves after their primary franchises, but more in regards to their design philosophy.
Each group in SPD and EAD quite obviously has a core group within it that rarely if ever changes. Aonuma isn't suddenly going to be leaving EAD Software Development Group 3 and Hisashi Nogami will stick with Group 2, for example. Katsuya Eguchi is deputy manager of the entire EAD group and he still gravitates to his particular core group. If anyone leaves, I could see it being to create a new software grouping within Nintendo. I imagine that the younger employees on Splatoon might work their way into leading their own team within EAD some day.
The primary reasons I see this as beneficial are comprehensive.
At best, "EAD Software Development Group 3" is almost always referred to as "the Zelda team" by anyone outside of Nintendo's walls, if someone even makes the distinction at all. They could easily just be lumped together as "EAD" as a whole, or just "Nintendo". I feel like a lack of naming these teams gives them a lack of identity, that their unique takes on design philosophy get lost in obscurity.
Look at EAD Tokyo, for example. For a while, they were a single team, but EVERYONE on GAF knew the team, who it was composed of and what they were capable of. They had an identity - a brand, if you will - and GAF (and to a lesser extent the rest of the internet) latched onto it HARD. They WANTED to identify something inside the nebulous mess of clinical group naming that no one ever remembers outside of Shikamaru and a few others.
The result? For a while, every game Nintendo made "should be made by EAD Tokyo". And you see this pattern a lot. When people say they want a franchise entry made, who do they always pick to make it? The teams that have distinct names and identities. Retro Studios, Intelligent Systems, Monolith Software, etc... not EAD Group 4. So not only is the identity of the group lost, but it also strips them of individual talent recognition, as well. Maybe Miyamoto wouldn't need to do so many interviews if people knew who else they might want to talk to.
Also, even in this best case scenario of an EAD group being called "the Zelda team" or "the Mario Kart team" to at least differentiate them, you can't help but feel that it pigeon-holes them slightly, that they are identified by existing franchises. I'm not going to say that it informs their decision to iterate on existing IP, but when that's how they are identified, what do you think fans and the press expect of them?
There are benefits to unique nomenclature for every team. Sega had a good idea giving their teams names, but screwed it up by making them separate 2nd-party development studios, full of overhead costs and an over-competitive environment. For a while before they screwed it up, everyone knew who Sonic Team, AM2 and Amusement Vision were, and to a lesser extent Smilebit and Overworks. They had identities, they had certain design eccentricities that could be identified to them and the talent was acknowledged as a result.
Can't blame me for thinking Nintendo could benefit from these things, and the organizational aspect of how they work wouldn't have to change as a result, either. So I am not seeing a downside.
What's stopping them from having a name? With the exception of SPD 3, all of them make their own content on occasion. And when they work with other developers, let those other developers take the billing for the game. Simple.
I think that they could be a bit more creative than that and not feel a need to name themselves after their primary franchises, but more in regards to their design philosophy.
Each group in SPD and EAD quite obviously has a core group within it that rarely if ever changes. Aonuma isn't suddenly going to be leaving EAD Software Development Group 3 and Hisashi Nogami will stick with Group 2, for example. Katsuya Eguchi is deputy manager of the entire EAD group and he still gravitates to his particular core group. If anyone leaves, I could see it being to create a new software grouping within Nintendo. I imagine that the younger employees on Splatoon might work their way into leading their own team within EAD some day.
The primary reasons I see this as beneficial are comprehensive.
At best, "EAD Software Development Group 3" is almost always referred to as "the Zelda team" by anyone outside of Nintendo's walls, if someone even makes the distinction at all. They could easily just be lumped together as "EAD" as a whole, or just "Nintendo". I feel like a lack of naming these teams gives them a lack of identity, that their unique takes on design philosophy get lost in obscurity.
Look at EAD Tokyo, for example. For a while, they were a single team, but EVERYONE on GAF knew the team, who it was composed of and what they were capable of. They had an identity - a brand, if you will - and GAF (and to a lesser extent the rest of the internet) latched onto it HARD. They WANTED to identify something inside the nebulous mess of clinical group naming that no one ever remembers outside of Shikamaru and a few others.
The result? For a while, every game Nintendo made "should be made by EAD Tokyo". And you see this pattern a lot. When people say they want a franchise entry made, who do they always pick to make it? The teams that have distinct names and identities. Retro Studios, Intelligent Systems, Monolith Software, etc... not EAD Group 4. So not only is the identity of the group lost, but it also strips them of individual talent recognition, as well. Maybe Miyamoto wouldn't need to do so many interviews if people knew who else they might want to talk to.
Also, even in this best case scenario of an EAD group being called "the Zelda team" or "the Mario Kart team" to at least differentiate them, you can't help but feel that it pigeon-holes them slightly, that they are identified by existing franchises. I'm not going to say that it informs their decision to iterate on existing IP, but when that's how they are identified, what do you think fans and the press expect of them?
There are benefits to unique nomenclature for every team. Sega had a good idea giving their teams names, but screwed it up by making them separate 2nd-party development studios, full of overhead costs and an over-competitive environment. For a while before they screwed it up, everyone knew who Sonic Team, AM2 and Amusement Vision were, and to a lesser extent Smilebit and Overworks. They had identities, they had certain design eccentricities that could be identified to them and the talent was acknowledged as a result.
Can't blame me for thinking Nintendo could benefit from these things, and the organizational aspect of how they work wouldn't have to change as a result, either. So I am not seeing a downside.
What's stopping them from having a name? With the exception of SPD 3, all of them make their own content on occasion. And when they work with other developers, let those other developers take the billing for the game. Simple.
TheMoon
Member
I like Terrell's post a lot. Very good reasoning. Personally, I'm fascinated by Nintendo's internal development structure. I could spend days reading about all the different EAD groups and which part of SPD was involved in outside projects here and there and what SDD actually is and why there are so many initials!
Even just for a little bit clearer structure it would be helpful to give the groups distinct names instead of generic numbers after a trio of initials.
Even just for a little bit clearer structure it would be helpful to give the groups distinct names instead of generic numbers after a trio of initials.