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[Shikamaru Ninja]

Nintendo Company Limited (Global) - 5,120 Total Employees
* Nintendo of Japan - 2,009 Employees
* Nintendo of America - 1,257 Employees
* Nintendo of Europe - 868 Employees
* Nintendo of Australia - 75 Employees
* iQue - ? Employees
* Mario Club - 305 Employees
* ND Cube - ? Employees
* Nintendo European Research & Development - 30+ Employees
* Nintendo Network Service Database - ? Employees
* Nintendo Technology Development - 30+ Employees
* Nintendo Software Technology - 50+ Employees
* Retro Studios - 70+ Employees
* Monolith Soft - 109 Employees
* 1-Up Studio - 30 Employees
* NES Merchandising - ? Employees

Major Affiliate
* The Pokemon Company - 400 Employees
* HAL Laboratory - 149 Employees
* Intelligent Systems - 134 Employees
* SRD - 107 Employees
* Creatures - 84 Employees
* Genius Sonority - 22 Employees
* Pux - ? Employees
* Warpstar - ? Employees

Contract / Minor Affiliate
* GameFreak
* DeNa
* Alpha Dream
* Vanpool
* Hatena
* Grezzo
* Next Level Games
* Headstrong Games
* Indies Zero
* Camelot Software
* Digipen Studios
* First Avenue Entertainment (Seattle Mariners)

Updated June 2016

 

[platina]

Retro only 70+ ?

 

[foxuzamaki]

Looks like a increase if I can remember the last number

 

[metalslimer]

Sort of amazed at how many people work for NoW.

 

[TheMoon]

Retro only 70+ ?

one for every level in their NX launch game DKCR 3. plus 1 janitor and 9 BBQ-chefs.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Looks like a increase if I can remember the last number

1-Up Studio ↑
Nintendo of America ↑

Nintendo Japan ↓ (slightly)
Nintendo of Europe ↓

 

[Shiggy]

1-Up Studio ↑
Nintendo of America ↑

Nintendo Japan ↓ (slightly)
Nintendo of Europe ↓

NoE is through a major restructuring, which led to a relocation and a stronger focus on outsourcing.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

Retro only 70+ ?

They have never been enormous.

Isn't NERD like 7 people?

 

[Otakumegane]

All those NoA employees and yet they have no autonomy.

 

[EhoaVash]

What about sakurai and his company Sora or has that been disbanded already

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

What about sakurai and his company Sora or has that been disbanded already

That's like two employees (him and his wife, maybe a janitor.)

 

[Vinc]

Monster Games?

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Monster Games?

Working with another publisher on a multi-deal Nascar license.

 

[TheMoon]

Working with another publisher on a multi-deal Nascar license.

Why not list them under minor affiliate though.

 

[The Giant]

So Retro Studios is the same size as Next Level Games.

Would have thought Retro was 100+

 

[Regiruler]

I don't remember seeing NTD prior to yesterday. Do we know when they were founded?

Why not list them under minor affiliate though.

Neither are grezzo and NLG.

 

[Rösti]

Does this information come from the 2016 CSR report, or some other document?

I don't remember seeing NTD prior to yesterday. Do we know when they were founded?

1996 I believe.

 

[Jonneh3003]

But Monolith Soft aren't Nintendo!111!

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Does this information come from the 2016 CSR report, or some other document?

Yup. CSR (NOA, NOE, NOAU) and all the subsidiary / affiliate websites which have current March - May 2016 employee listings.

 

[Peltz]

People really overestimate how large Nintendo is. They are such a small company considering the breadth of their software output and the fact that they are one of the 3 most prominent dedicated video game hardware manufacturers in the world.

They do a lot with very little which kinda explains why they struggle sometimes.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Why not list them under minor affiliate though.

They ended their relationship with Nintendo it seems. As noted, they signed a multi-year publishing deal with another company for Nascar games.

 

[Nirolak]

Retro only 70+ ?

They've had quite a few departures over the years and I don't think they ever went on to do much hiring beyond replacing some of those who left.

 

[Nightbird]

NOA is so large and yet they only develop small eshop games

 

[Nirolak]

NOA is so large and yet they only develop small eshop games

It's a sales, support, marketing, localization, and distribution arm. That tends to be a lot of staff at a publisher, and I imagine notably more at a console vendor.

 

[bobbychalkers]

I keep forgetting that they straight up don't own Intelligent Systems.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

I keep forgetting that they straight up don't own Intelligent Systems.

More like a back-end long term contract and Nintendo owns all the IPs. So Intelligent Systems has no reason or incentive to exit.

- Forgot some of the Japanese long term contract developers (Grezzo, Camelot, etc).

 

[ika]

Such a small company for all the money they do

Monolithsoft is currently hiring IIRC...

 

[Snakeyes]

Retro only 70+ ?

Yes. Nintendo really need a bigger western development arm.

 

[Nightbird]

It's a sales, support, marketing, localization, and distribution arm. That tends to be a lot of staff at a publisher, and I imagine notably more at a console vendor.

Well, okay. I can see that.

It's still disappointing that NOA doesn't get to to do bigger stuff though.

 

[KingBroly]

That Retro number is far too low

 

[Shard]

The list is missing ND Cube.

 

[L~A]

What about the European subsidiaries (Nintendo France for example)? Not talking about those like Nintendo UK which are NoE subsidiaries.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

The list is missing ND Cube.

Adjusted. We don't have an employee number for them listed anywhere. They are probably around 80-100 developers.

What about the European subsidiaries (Nintendo France for example)? Not talking about those like Nintendo UK which are NoE subsidiaries.

NOA has the smaller chapters in the Americas (Nintendo of Canada) under them. NOE has the smaller chapters throughout Euro (Nintendo of France, Nintendo of UK) under them.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

More like a back-end long term contract and Nintendo owns all the IPs. So Intelligent Systems has no reason or incentive to exit.

- Forgot some of the Japanese long term contract developers (Grezzo, Camelot, etc).

Huh, I didn't know this at all. I thought Intelligent Systems was first party.

 

[Toad.T]

I want to assume that country specific branches (Nintendo of Canada) are bundled with their continental parent? (NoA)

 

[jmizzal]

Yes. Nintendo really need a bigger western development arm.

Yea I dont know why they wont expand Retro or invest in a big western dev

 

[Galang]

NoA is a lot bigger than I would have expected, but I know nothing about this stuff

 

[radcliff]

* Monolith Soft - 109 Employees

Weren't they at around 125 before? Did they downsize, or are they only including the Tokyo team and excluding the assist team in Kyoto?

 

[AntMurda]

Weren't they at around 125 before? Did they downsize, or are they only including the Tokyo team and excluding the assist team in Kyoto?

Both studios are still one company. Not sure about the 125 figure being listed anywhere official.

 

[radcliff]

Both studios are still one company. Not sure about the 125 figure being listed anywhere official.

It was previously on their website (it was actually 123). Their website now shows the updated 109 figure.

 

[L~A]

Adjusted. We don't have an employee number for them listed anywhere. They are probably around 80-100 developers.

NOA has the smaller chapters in the Americas (Nintendo of Canada) under them. NOE has the smaller chapters throughout Euro (Nintendo of France, Nintendo of UK) under them.

Alright, thanks for the clarification.

 

[Azuran]

Huh, I didn't know this at all. I thought Intelligent Systems was first party.

First party only applies to IPs and not developing teams. All of their series are still first party games.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

Warpstar? Are they new? I don't remember ever seeing them before. I wonder if they do something with Kirby.

 

[StreetsAhead]

Game Freak is 108 employees as of this April. I think they were in the 70s or 80 a couple of years ago.

Warpstar? Are they new? I don't remember ever seeing them before. I wonder if they do something with Kirby.

They're for Kirby-related licensing, iirc.

 

[JB2448]

Warpstar? Are they new? I don't remember ever seeing them before. I wonder if they do something with Kirby.

Warpstar's been around since the anime aired. It's co-owned by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo 50-50. Quoting Wikipedia:

HAL owns 50% of Warpstar, Inc., the production company that created the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime series.

They also do merchandise licensing, I believe?

Edit: Beaten by StreetsAhead.

 

[Snakeyes]

Yea I dont know why they wont expand Retro or invest in a big western dev

If NCL hasn't changed their mind on how to manage their overseas subsidiaries, it might have something to do with not being able to keep bigger western development studios on a tight leash.

 

[Admiral Alliteration]

So Monolith Soft actually got smaller. That really makes me wondering. After all it was much more likely that they grew bigger.

 

[StreetsAhead]

So Monolith Soft actually got smaller. That really makes me wondering. After all it was much more likely that they grew bigger.

They probably just made some staff redundant after finishing XCX while they begin work on their next project. It happens.

 

[AdanVC]

Very few if we compare with Ubisoft that has pretty much the same number of people working just on the Ass Creed games. But of course they don't compare. Each Nintendo employee is gold, especially the developers. I think that's why Nintendo barely does lay-offs.

 

[georly]

NOA is so large and yet they only develop small eshop games

NoA doesn't develop any games, do they? They have a localization branch in the treehouse, but it's mostly just publisher business, like marketing and sales and representatives and such.

What games does NoA develop?