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[Aquamarine]

I'm pretty sure Nintendo Power talked about Nintendo's "Second Party" studios quite a bit, especially around N64 launch time. That's the first place I remember hearing about it.

Bah, that sarcasm didn't quite come through in that post.

Second-Party is a very widely used term that has some merit when you want to differentiate studios like Quantic Dream from studios like Infinity Ward. Very different in how they approach things.

But he's probably right in a sense ...Nintendo probably doesn't use "second-party" when talking about the close relationships it has with studios like HAL Laboratory.

 

[CoconutTank]

Intelligent Systems - Famicom Wars (working title)

Spoiler

I wish

 

[deviljho]

As of May 6, 2007, Nintendo owns controlling interest in the company after Namco Bandai sold 80% of its 96% stake in Monolith Soft to Nintendo. This went into effect May 1, 2007.[3] Later Namco sold the remaining 16%, making Monolith Soft a first-party developer for Nintendo.

If you like it, then you gotta put a ring on it.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Software Planning & Development Group No. 2 (SPD2) (Hitoshi Yamagami)

SPD2 works with a variety of first, second, and third party developers generally on more hardcore or niche titles. Their known output since the 2008-2010 period looks at this stage relatively empty, so I imagine one or two titles will be on the way.

Could they be assisting Platinum with Bayonetta 2?

 

[BowieZ]

Could they be assisting Platinum with Bayonetta 2?

I think that's pretty likely; I wrote a whole page for Nintendo-friendly third parties but I didn't want to flood the topic.

 

[StreetsAhead]

Software Development Group No. 2 (SDG2) aka EAD Kyoto 2 (Katsuya Eguchi)

Animal Crossing: Wild World, DS (November 23, 2005)
Star Fox Command, DS (July 14, 2006) *with Q-Games
Wii Sports, Wii (November 19, 2006)
Wii Play, Wii (December 2, 2006)
Wii Music, Wii (October 16, 2008)
Animal Crossing: City Folk, Wii (November 16, 2008)
Wii Sports Resort, Wii (June 25, 2009)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf, 3DS (November 8, 2012) *with Monolith Soft
Nintendo Land, Wii U (November 18, 2012)
???
Surely Wii U Sports/Games is the next release (golf, baseball, possibly games like Reversi, etc. as shown at E3 2011). It was probably largely completed between 2009 and E3 2011. Even if it doesn't sell gangbusters, it will demonstrate the possibilities of the console and look great in ads, and probably form part of a new bundle, likely Q3 or Q4. That pretty much leaves Animal Crossing Wii U to be the next major project, presumably fast-tracked (thanks to crazy sales in Japan), and with lots of online/Miiverse integration (maybe even local or online multiplayer?), and I reckon we'll see a sneak peak of this in a Nintendo Direct later in 2013 in time for holiday sales. Also I believe DLC for Nintendo Land may be announced at E3 (new "episodes" for Luigi's Mansion and Mario Chase, for example, and/or maybe other franchises like Pokemon, Kirby or StarFox) to showcase the system's ultimately robust digital marketplace.

Like Skyward Sword, I expect Animal Crossing 3DS was completed much earlier in the year and simply held off for the holidays. The next big game will be Wii U Sports, which will probably be bundled with the basic pack for next holidays.

Software Development Group No. 5 (SDG5) aka EAD Kyoto 5 (Tadashi Sugiyama)

Wii Fit, Wii (December 1, 2007)
Wii Fit Plus, Wii (October 1, 2009)
Steel Diver, 3DS (March 27, 2011) *with Vitei
Star Fox 64 3D, 3DS (July 14, 2011) *with Q-Games
Wii Fit U, Wii U (TBA Q1-2 2013)
???
Wii Fit U has probably been largely complete for a while; in any event it wouldn't have taken the full four years since Wii Fit Plus. Likewise, the development of Steel Diver and Star Fox 64 3D would have been snappy due to the small content and collaborative process with external developers. I think we may see something else from SDG5 at E3 in 2013. It could be anything, really, but I'd suggest something from what I would call Nintendo's "Fresh IP Campaign" (along with new franchises, e.g. Pushmo, Dillon, and The Denpa Men, and neglected oldies like Star Fox, Kid Icarus, F-Zero and Pilotwings), such as Steel Diver - Sugiyama could have been tasked with cultivating this franchise, as it fits the broad "casual" demographic (a slow, simple platformer, basically, with easy touch screen controls), but could appeal to more experienced players. Stab in the dark: Steel Diver 2 for Wii U eShop, with special use of GamePad periscope views.

Wii Fit U is also probably finishing up, if not largely finished by now. I expect that if Star Fox is to be revived, they will be involved somehow.

The Denpa Men is not a Nintendo franchise.

Tokyo Development Group No. 2 (TDG2) aka EAD Tokyo 2 (Yoshiaki Koizumi)

Flipnote Studio, DSiWare (December 24, 2008)
New Play Control: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Wii (December 11, 2008)
Super Mario Galaxy 2, Wii (May 23, 2010)
Super Mario 3D Land, 3DS (November 3, 2011) *with Brownie Brown
???
Since EAD Tokyo 2 seems to develop offshoot titles based on existing ideas and engines from Tokyo Group 1, with about an 18 month turnaround, I can imagine that they're currently working on either Majora's Mask 3D with Grezzo or Super Mario 3D Land 2 possibly again with Brownie Brown, but more than likely it's Flipnote Memo, which was announced by Miyamoto in April 2011. This could become a key app that integrates Miiverse functionality on both 3DS and Wii U, although only 3DS was implied at the time. It could be announced and released by E3 2013 but possibly even sooner. The aforementioned Mario and Zelda titles will probably be pushed into 2014, if they exist.

I would say Super Mario 3D Land 2,or 3D World or 3D Galaxy from them next, probably in 2014.

Software Planning & Development Group No. 2 (SPD2) (Hitoshi Yamagami)

Super Princess Peach, DS (2005) *with Tose
Tetris DS, DS (2006)
Endless Ocean, Wii (2007) *with Arika
Fossil Fighters, DS (2008) *with Red Entertainment, M2 & Artdink
Disaster: Day of Crisis, Wii (2008) *with Monolith Soft
Wii Chess, Wii (2008) *with Spice Games
Endless Ocean 2: Blue World, Wii (2009) *with Arika
Style Savvy, DS (2009) *with syn Sophia
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, Wii (2009) *with Treasure
Metal Torrent, DSiWare (2010) *with Arika
Xenoblade Chronicles, Wii (2010) *with Monolith Soft
Fossil Fighters: Champions, DS (2010) *with Red Entertainment, M2 & Artdink
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Wii (2011) *with SDG3 & Monolith Soft
Style Savvy: Trendsetters, 3DS (2012) *with syn Sophia
???
SPD2 works with a variety of first, second, and third party developers generally on more hardcore or niche titles. Their known output since the 2008-2010 period looks at this stage relatively empty, so I imagine one or two titles will be on the way. Sin & Punishment 3 developed with Treasure might be in the works, or a new Disaster or Xenoblade with Monolith Soft (discussed later), or a new collaboration with Artdink, syn Sophia, and/or Tose (who is currently developing for both 3DS and Wii U according to their website - possibly Dragon Ball Z, a Capcom or Square Enix title (like Resident Evil or Dragon Quest) or a 2D Nintendo platformer (Kid Icarus? Peach? Legendary Starfy?)).

Remember that Treasure has said they're working on a 3DS game.

Nintendo Software Technology (NST) (Shigeki Yamashiro)

Wave Race: Blue Storm, GCN (2001)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest & Collector's Edition (ports), GCN (2002)
1080° Avalanche, GCN (2003)
Mario vs. Donkey Kong, GBA (2004)
Ridge Racer DS (port), DS (2004)
Metroid Prime Hunters, DS (2006)
Crosswords, DS (2008) *with Nuevo Retro Games
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, DSiWare (2009)
Mario Clock and Calculator, DSiWare (2009)
Animal Crossing Clock and Calculator, DSiWare (2009)
Aura-Aura Climber, DSiWare (2010)
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem, DS (2010)
Crosswords Plus, 3DS (October 2012)
???
NST, being American and based in Redmond, WA, develops additional content tailor-made to the US market, tending toward portables more recently. They've released nothing since 2010, except for Crosswords on 3DS, which couldn't have taken all that long. I originally thought NST was developing Nintendo TVii but apparently that's almost completely been done in Kyoto. Rumors suggest that between 2010 and 2012 NST may have been assisting Retro with their allegedly delay-riddled Wii U game. They could be hard at work on a new Mario vs. Donkey Kong for either console, a new Wave Race or 1080° type sports game, or something more daring like a Metroid FPS as with Prime Hunters for DS (although if this concept is basically Retro's new game, that's not likely). Or nothing at all, but expect one of these to get announced around E3 time.

These guys were nearly dead, but always produce good work. They have the Sonic creator on the team now, right? Maybe something more meaty is coming from them than another Mario VS. Donkey Kong title.

SECOND PARTY (not all titles published by Nintendo)

Intelligent Systems

WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Wii (2006) *with SPD1
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Wii (2007)
Super Paper Mario, Wii (2007)
Light Speed Card Battle: Card Hero, DS (2007)
Planet Puzzle League, DS (2007)
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict, DS (2008)
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, DS (2008)
WarioWare: Snapped!, DSiWare (2008) *with SPD1
WarioWare D.I.Y., DS (2009) *with SPD1
WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase, WiiWare (2009) *with SPD1
Eco Shooter: Plant 530, WiiWare (2009) *with SPD3
Dragon Quest Wars, DSiWare (2009)
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow (remake), DS (2010)
Link 'n' Launch, DSiWare (2010)
Spotto!, DSiWare (2010)
Pushmo/Pullblox, 3DS eShop (October 2011)
Fire Emblem: Awakening, 3DS (April 2012) *with Red Entertainment & SPD2
Paper Mario: Sticker Star, 3DS (November 2012)
Crashmo/Fallblox, 3DS eShop (November 2012)
Game & Wario, Wii U (Q1 2013) *with SPD1
???
What's next for Intelligent Systems? Basically every significant franchise has recently or is about to be released. They have a pretty regular turnaround, so what's left for late 2013 could be another Pushmo/Mallo game (Wii U?), dual screen Advance Wars for either console, or new IP altogether, or at the very least an announcement of this.

As with Animal Crossing, I suspect Paper Mario may have been finished for a few months before release too. If Advance Wars isn't dead, it'll be next for 3DS (mid-year?), plus Fire Emblem and Paper Mario Wii U. Explodmo fo Wii U by next holidays?

Next Level Games (significant/recent titles listed only)

Super Mario Strikers, GCN (2005)
Mario Strikers Charged, Wii (2007) *with SPD3
Punch-Out!!, Wii (2009) *with SPD3
Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, WiiWare (2009)
Transformers: Cybertron Adventures, Wii (2010)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Wii (2010)
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, 3DS (TBA 2013) *with SDG1 & SPD3
???
Hopefully Next Level goes straight onto another tent-pole title (and not more shovelware/ports), like a Mario Strikers, Punch-Out!! or something better yet. But whatever it is, I bet nothing else noteworthy will come until after 2013.

I worry/wonder they may want a break after the delays with Luigi's Mansion.

Good job on the list though!!

Also, remember that Iwata has said he wants to make 'new propositions' in conjunction with the expected Nintendo titles. Non-Specific Action Figure: The Game will live!

 

[Uncle Rupee]

Hopefully if they do make a Super Mario 3D Land 2 they'll give it a nice subtitle rather than just slapping a number on the end of it. Nintendo's getting lazy with that stuff lately.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

How fast do you think Nintendo is working on an animal crossing for wii u after seeing it (though expectedly) dominate in 3DS.

 

[StreetsAhead]

How fast do you think Nintendo is working on an animal crossing for wii u after seeing it (though expectedly) dominate in 3DS.

They clearly weren't expecting it to be a success. 3DS AC has outstripped the pace of the DS one by a huge margin. Plus, the Wii one did not do very well in comparison, so they may not be expecting much of the Wii U one either. I would love to see things like the Animal's houses getting bigger with time, like yours, them wearing pants/dresses, and more interact-able furniture/minigames (if there's a pinball machine, I should be able to play even simplified pin ball on it).

 

[Chittagong]

Really great summary Bowie,

Hmm... Looking at this list, Nintendo might have a massive lineup in their sleeve. How they would have the nerve not to use any of it to help get Wii U off the ground is beyond me though. It's also uncharacteristic - N64, GCN, DS and 3DS reveals all showcased the roadmap for the next 3 years essentially.

A grimmer explanation would be that HD era with all the shader work, physics, high res textures and such have caught Nintendo off guard and their development is massively bottlenecked by the new technology (like happened to them with N64).

Sidenote, NST going from Wave Race and 1080, both arguably AAA productions to... whatever they have been doing is just tragic.

 

[Hiltz]

Yeah, Hirokazu Yasuhara, co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, joined Nintendo's Software Technology division back in April 2012.

 

[BowieZ]

Thanks Chitta! And I think Nintendo has been spending a long time (6-8 years) preparing for HD, gradually phasing the development in even if output is still SD.

How fast do you think Nintendo is working on an animal crossing for wii u after seeing it (though expectedly) dominate in 3DS.

Very quick! I reckon we'll get a tease of it by TGS-October 2013, but if they really want to get the Miiverse/online right, I don't see it out by Holiday.

 

[Anticitizen One]

The next Mario game better be a proper sequel to Super Mario 64. I have been waiting since 1996!

 

[Hiltz]

Really great summary Bowie,

Hmm... Looking at this list, Nintendo might have a massive lineup in their sleeve. How they would have the nerve not to use any of it to help get Wii U off the ground is beyond me though. It's also uncharacteristic - N64, GCN, DS and 3DS reveals all showcased the roadmap for the next 3 years essentially.

A grimmer explanation would be that HD era with all the shader work, physics, high res textures and such have caught Nintendo off guard and their development is massively bottlenecked by the new technology (like happened to them with N64).

Sidenote, NST going from Wave Race and 1080, both arguably AAA productions to... whatever they have been doing is just tragic.

Well, we could see a big chance come E3. A lot of these games take around 2- 2 1/2 years to make. On top of that, like what you said, we have to remember that Nintendo's inexperienced in HD development too. We know 1st party studios like Monolith Soft have been working closely with Nintendo's in-house teams in order to get a better understanding of Wii U's hardware.

 

[phisheep]

I hate to tell you this. But this is all semantics. I work in publishing. In business, there is only first party and third party. First party means no licensing fees in the product or released by hardware manufacturer, third party means licensee who pays hardware manufacturer.

Second-party is a term frequented only in forums and when people want to make really intense lists.

This.

You buy a console, there's a contract with (loosely, let's leave out retail/distribution channels for now) two parties to it. The first party being the console company and the second party be the customer - that's you and me. A third party is anybody else. The first/third party differentiation is something that first came into currency with insurance contracts I think.

So second-party development really doesn't mean anything much unless, say, you apply it to something like home-made levels in LBP.

 

[Hiltz]

I thought second-party refers to any third-party developer not owned by the console manufacturer, but makes games for them either out of free will to support their platform or to work under contract (in which most cases, the publisher owns the IP). However, it seems like console manufacturers essentially refer to these are 1st party games for the sake of simplicity.

I recall Microsoft referring to Gears of War as a 1st party franchise despite how Microsoft does not own Epic Games or the rights to the franchise. However, under contract, the the 4 Gears of War games are exclusive to Microsoft's platforms.

 

[Gorillaz]

They are all secretly working on the game that matters the most for the Wii U

Spoiler

Dat Smash Bros...duh

 

[JavyOO7]

It would make sense but I don't see Kyoto 2 making a AC for consoles anytime in the future. I think if there is a sequel it'll be handheld only. I don't see a AC for the Wii U setting the world on fire like the handheld one is doing.

But those guys are on fire...

Animal Crossing: Wild World, DS (November 23, 2005)
Wii Sports, Wii (November 19, 2006)
Wii Play, Wii (December 2, 2006)
Wii Sports Resort, Wii (June 25, 2009)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf, 3DS (November 8, 2012) *with Monolith Soft
Nintendo Land, Wii U (November 18, 2012)

Nintendo Land remains to be seen if system seller but the rest of those titles did very well. Good for them.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

I'd rather Nintendo not bother with a console Animal Crossing and work on something else. It's pretty clear that this game is more suited as a handheld experience. It would just bomb like the console version. The only way I think it would be suitable would have been to release a dual play version where you can carry over everything between the portable and home console version.

 

[darkistheway]

NINTENDO FIRST AND SECOND PARTY SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT GROUPS

SECOND PARTY

Fantastic write-up. Thank you.

Looking at this list of developers I think Nintendo has the capability, and possibly, the intention of supporting the Wii U and 3DS all by themselves. With a steady stream of evergreen titles, niche titles and breakout new IPs, they could conceivably maintain the sales momentum for the Wii U and 3DS for the probable five-year cycle. Any third-party contributions (note, as well, the partnerships they have created with outside companies) will be considered welcome additions to the libraries but not essential. Obviously, some gamers won't agree with this philosophy but given Nintendo's historical perspective, I have to assume that this theory is quite plausible.

Well, we could see a big chance come E3. A lot of these games take around 2- 2 1/2 years to make. On top of that, like what you said, we have to remember that Nintendo's inexperienced in HD development too. We know 1st party studios like Monolith Soft have been working closely with Nintendo's in-house teams in order to get a better understanding of Wii U's hardware.

You know, I don't really understand this idea that Nintendo's inexperience with HD development is going to somehow hinder them. Look at the Dolphin footage - those assets are absolutely gorgeous and, to my eyes, comparable to all but the best games on the HD twins. HD development for Nintendo probably just means not having to shoehorn their artwork into a Wii-sized package anymore. Look at Nintendoland - it's pretty good for a 'first HD' game, certainly better than the average Xbox 360 game.

 

[BowieZ]

Might as well add this, too. For all intents and purposes, they're Nintendo "developers". (NB: I started but haven't finish noting who published these.)

FRIENDLY THIRD PARTY (close ties with Nintendo, often published or distributed by Nintendo) (significant/recent releases listed only)

Treasure

Alien Soldier, Sega MegaDrive (1995)
Sin and Punishment, N64 (2000) *with Nintendo R&D
Ikaruga, Dreamcast & GCN (2001) *with G.rev
[...]
Advance Guardian Heroes, GBA (2004)
Gunstar Super Heroes, GBA (2005)
Bleach: The Blade of Fate, DS (2006)
Bleach: Dark Souls, DS (2007)
Bangai-O Spirits, DS (2008)
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, Wii (October 2009) *with SPD2
3 Xbox Live Arcade ports/upgrades (Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury, Radiant Silvergun, Guardian Heroes) (May-October 2011)
Untitled 3DS Action Game
???
By E3 2013, Treasure will have been working on their next game(s) for over three years, which is striking considering the regularity of their past output. The CEO in November revealed they're working on a 3DS action game, but I wouldn't be surprised if they've been working on something else too. Possibly Wii U, but too early in development to comment about. Expect a 3DS reveal by June, maybe Sin & Punishment 3DS.

Arika

Endless Ocean, Wii (2007) *with SPD2
Dr. Mario Online Rx, WiiWare (2008)
Dr. Mario Express, DSiWare (2008)
Endless Ocean 2: Blue World (2009) *with SPD2
3D Classics (Series 1: ExciteBike & Xevious), 3DS eShop (throughout 2011)
Bust-A-Move Universe, 3DS (2011) [pub. by Square Enix]
Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, 3DS (February 2012) *with Namco Bandai [pub. Namco Bandai]
???
Hopefully 3D Classics Series 2 (it may be more feasible now that 3DS has taken off in Japan), but as for now the official word is that there won't be any more. In June 2011, stereoscopic 3DS images of a Street Fighter EX test project (called "Fighting Sample") were revealed, but the VP of Arika tweeted that this was for mobile development. It seems to have taken them a while! Maybe it's been switched to 3DS. The likely alternative is another Endless Ocean, but I don't see how that would be given a priority.

Artoon
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, GBA (2004)
[…]
Yoshi's Island DS, DS (2006)
Blue Dragon, 360 (2006) *with Mistwalker
Vampire Rain: Altered Species, 360 & PS3 (2007-2008)
Away: Shuffle Dungeon, DS (2008) *with Mistwalker [pub. AQ Interactive]
The World of Golden Eggs, Wii & DS (2008-2009) [pub. AQ Interactive]
Echoshift, PSP (2009)
Club Penguin: Game Day! (2010) *published by Disney
FlingSmash, Wii (2010)
Robotics;Notes (graphical novel), PS3 & 360 (June 2012) *with 5pb.
???
Artoon has little to show for itself since 2010, and I wonder whether it's fallen out of favour with Nintendo due to some poorly received titles. I'm listing them just in case, because they could have been working on a major new Nintendo IP title over the last 2 years.

Mistwalker (all releases listed)

Blue Dragon, 360 (2006) *with Artoon
Lost Odyssey, 360 (2007) *with feelplus
ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat, DS (2007) *with Racjin
Blue Dragon Plus, DS (2008) *with Brownie Brown & feelplus [pub. AQ Interactive]
Away: Shuffle Dungeon, DS (2008) *with Artoon [pub. AQ Interactive]
Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow, DS (2009-2010) *with tri-Crescendo, Bird Studio & Namco Bandai
The Last Story, Wii (January 2011) *with AQ Interactive [pub. NINTENDO & XSeed]
Party Wave & Blade Guardian, iOS (2012)
???
Based in Tokyo and Hawaii, founded and originally financially backed by Microsoft in 2004, Mistwalker (who focuses on story and music, outsourcing development to others like feelplus or Artoon for a pretty fast turnaround) soon switched to focus on Nintendo platforms (apart from some minor games on iOS through mid 2012). At E3 2012, the developers announced they are excited to work on a Wii U action-RPG but hadn't really planned anything yet. We may get a tease later in 2013 for a Japanese release.

Headstrong Games (division of Kuju Entertainment) (all releases listed)

Battalion Wars 2, Wii (2007) *with SPD3 [pub. NINTENDO]
The House of the Dead: Overkill, Wii (2009) [pub. Sega]
Art Academy (First & Second Semesters), DSiWare & DS (2009-2010) *with SPD3 [pub. NINTENDO]
The Sorcerer's Apprentice, DS (2010)
The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest, Wii (2010)
The House of the Dead: Overkill: Extended Cut, PS3 (2011)
Silent Hill: Downpour, PS3 & 360 (2012) *with Vatra
Top Gun: Hard Lock, PS3 & 360 (2012)
Rabbids Rumble, 3DS (November 2012) [pub. Ubisoft]
New Art Academy, 3DS (July 2012, DLC through 2013) *with SPD3 [pub. NINTENDO]
???
Headstrong, based in London, is probably one of the most eclectic developers (mostly quick, mediocre tie-ins), and specialises in working with Nintendo (the other branches of Kuju Entertainment do the opposite). They have a quick turnaround but I don't imagine anything significant (like Art Academy Wii U or Battalion Wars 3) making 2013.

Vanpool

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, DS (2006)
Ripening Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love, DS (2009)
Wii Play: Motion (one racing mini-game only), Wii (2011) *with SPD1
Dillon's Rolling Western, 3DS eShop (2011)
???
At the time of release, a sequel to Dillon's Rolling Western (originally "The Rolling Western") was obviously planned (hinted in the secret ending), and Nintendo's boasting about the unique game and its name-change suggests they are committed to establishing and evolving this new character and IP (possibly an appearance in Smash, too?). By E3 2013, Vanpool will have worked on something for at least 2 years, so maybe it'll be a fully fledged retail Dillon (more of an adventure like the Tingle series?).

PlatinumGames (formerly Clover Studio) (all releases listed)

MadWorld, Wii (2009) [pub. Sega]
Infinite Space, DS (2009) *with Nude Maker [pub. Sega]
Bayonetta, PS3 & 360 (2009) [pub. Sega]
Vanquish, PS3 & 360 (2010) *with Straight [pub. Sega]
Anarchy Reigns, PS3 & 360 (2012) [pub. Sega]
The Wonderful 101, Wii U (Q1 2013) [pub. NINTENDO]
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, PS3 & 360 (TBA 2013) [pub. KONAMI]
Bayonetta 2, Wii U (TBA 2013-2014) [pub. NINTENDO]
???
Although noted for a fast and relatively quality turnaround, Platinum has their plate full throughout 2013; we may get a trailer for Bayonetta at E3, but not much else. For the record, Platinum is comprised of employees of the now defunct Clover Studio (a Capcom funded enterprise), whose output was the Viewtiful Joe series (GCN and PS2), and Okami and God Hand (both PS2), but all those IPs remain property of Capcom. It'll be very interesting to see where Platinum heads next.

Level-5 (Inazuma & Layton series grouped)

Professor Layton Series, DS & 3DS (2007-2011)
Inazuma Eleven Series, Wii, DS & 3DS (2008-2011)
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, DS (2009) *with Square Enix
Ni no Kuni, DS (2010) *with Studio Ghibli
Little Battlers eXperience, 3DS & PSP (2011)
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, PS3 (2011)
Girls RPG: Cinderelife, 3DS (March 2012)
Guild01 (Liberation Maiden, Aero Porter, Crimson Shroud), 3DS (May 2012) *with Grasshopper, Vivarium & Nex Entertainment
Time Travelers, 3DS, PSP & PSV (July 2012)
Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, 3DS (November 2012) *with Capcom
Inazuma Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone, 3DS (December 2012)
Fantasy Life, 3DS (December 2012) *with Brownie Brown & h.a.n.d.
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies, 3DS (TBA 2013)
Guild02, 3DS (TBA 2013) *with various
[B}Youkai Watch, 3DS (TBA 2013)[/B]
???
Whatever your thoughts on Level-5, they've undoubtedly established a very impressive range of franchises in such a relatively quick timeframe, but in the last year alone (presumably cautious of series fatigue) they have released (or are soon to release) five brand new IPs (counting Guild as one). Six 3DS titles released in 2012, only 3 announced so far for 2013, there's a good chance we will get one or two announcements for release late 2013 (Ni no Kuni 2 for 3DS seems pretty likely, maybe Inazuma 4), but as for the West, maybe a localisation or two will be announced at E3 (PLvAA, Guild02?).

Denyu-sha

Various Pokemon Mini titles (2001-2002) *published by The Pokemon Company
[...]
Math Play, DS (2006) *with Natsume
Demae Catering Channel, Wii Channel (2009)
Game Notes, 3DSWare (2011)
SwapNote/Nintendo Letter Box, 3DSWare (December 2011) *with Nintendo Network Business Department (NBD)
???
I thought I'd list these guys here just in case, especially since they could be due for a new release in the next year. Admittedly their software is small in scale but are generally of a first-party hardware app nature; they could be working on a SwapNote for Wii U, or something to do with the Near-Field Communication (NFC) functionality on Wii U.

Pokémon developers: Game Freak, Genius Sonority, Ambrella, Creatures Inc., & other The Pokémon Company developers

Pokémon Snap, N64 (1999, VC 2009) *HAL Laboratory & Pax Softnica
Pokémon Stadium 1-3, N64 & GCN (1998-2000) *HAL Laboratory, Creatures Inc. & EAD
[...]
Personal Trainer: Walking, DS (2008) *with NSD & Engines
PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, Wii (2009) *Creatures Inc.
Pokémon Rumble, WiiWare (2009) *Ambrella
Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, DS (2010) *Creatures Inc.
Pokémon Black and White, DS (2010) *Game Freak
Pokémon Rumble Blast, 3DS (2011) *Ambrella
PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond, Wii (2011) *Creatures Inc.
Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure (2011) *Genius Sonority
The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave, 3DS eShop (February 2012) *Genius Sonority
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, DS (June 2012) *Game Freak
Pokédex 3D Pro, 3DS eShop (June 2012) *Creatures Inc.
Pokémon Dream Radar, 3DS eShop (June 2012) *Creatures Inc.
Rhythm Hunter: HarmoKnight, 3DS (September 2012) *Game Freak
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Magnagate and the Infinite Labyrinth, 3DS (November 2012) *Spike Chunsoft
The Denpa Men 2, 3DS eShop (TBA 2013) *Genius Sonority
???
It's nearly time for Generation VI. Game Freak has historically taken 3-4 years between each new generation title, but even if it's pushed into 2014, we will surely see extensive previews and trailers some time in 2013. Recent comments suggest it may be a significant evolution of the game world. Meanwhile, Creatures has something out every year, maybe for Wii U this time (Park? Snap? Stadium?). Ambrella may be due for a new title too (Dash? Ranch? Rumble?) but hopefully they've improved a bit.

 

[Viola of the Abyss]

Hey you forgot Cing... oh

It's too bad we won't be seeing another game from them...

 

[StreetsAhead]

Given the recent merchandise promotions for the next movie stating there'd be merchandise for two more Pokemon that are currently unknown, I'd say a new Pokemon generation is a lock for next year in Japan, at least. Bring on February!

 

[Angel Whispers]

They clearly weren't expecting it to be a success. 3DS AC has outstripped the pace of the DS one by a huge margin. Plus, the Wii one did not do very well in comparison, so they may not be expecting much of the Wii U one either. I would love to see things like the Animal's houses getting bigger with time, like yours, them wearing pants/dresses, and more interact-able furniture/minigames (if there's a pinball machine, I should be able to play even simplified pin ball on it).

Clearly, they were. The DS game sold almost 12 million copies.

 

[StreetsAhead]

Clearly, they were. The DS game sold almost 12 million copies.

Fake edit: they clearly weren't expecting it to sell as fast as it has.

 

[Coolwhip]

The next Mario game better be a proper sequel to Super Mario 64. I have been waiting since 1996!

Indeed. 17 years >_>

 

[jonno394]

Absolutely amazing work bowie, reading through your list, any fears I had regarding future titles disappeared as I realised there are too many devs and too many teams for there not to be any big releases on Wii U next year.

 

[Neff]

Yes, it doesn't take a detective to realise that Nintendo & friends have a lot going on with regard to Wii U behind closed doors, and that there'll be a lot of happy adopters soon.

 

[BowieZ]

Yes, it doesn't take a detective to realise that Nintendo & friends have a lot going on with regard to Wii U behind closed doors, and that there'll be a lot of happy adopters soon.

Yet for some of the naysayers (I think I've counted 325 to 330 of them so far) in many of the other Wii U threads of late, it seems like it would take Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple's lovechild lol

 

[Conor 419]

I think Nintendo could do with one or two new 'legit' studios, a lot of their current studios are kinda small and don't work on AAA titles, they seem to be developing through the power of love if anything.

 

[Exterminieren]

Excellent work, BowieZ, but I have to pull you up on one bugbear of mine that has become commonly repeated fact, and it really shouldn't be.

Retro have not ever said that their next project was something that "everyone wants them to work on". No one at Retro has made any public comment about the title, apart from that artist GAF hounded off the web earlier in the year. That particular quote comes from the Paul Gale Network; most famous for the Star Fox x Metroid bullshit. I see little reason to believe that quote had anything to do with anyone but Paul Gale himself.

I'm not aware of any evidence that Retro had anything to show at E3 other than fanboy scrabbling, but I might be wrong on that one.

 

[StreetsAhead]

I'm not aware of any evidence that Retro had anything to show at E3 other than fanboy scrabbling, but I might be wrong on that one.

I believe ShockingAlberto or Shikamaru Ninja commented that the games of Retro and Monolith were in presentable states, but not necessarily pulled from E3.

I think, had Sony or Microsoft shown off their next gen system in some way, Nintendo would have dropped something related to the games, but that is purely fan-wank conjecture.

 

[Dusky]

Great lists BowieZ, definitely puts Ninty's dev force into perspective.

I believe ShockingAlberto or Shikamaru Ninja commented that the games of Retro and Monolith were in presentable states, but not necessarily pulled from E3.

I think, had Sony or Microsoft shown off their next gen system in some way, Nintendo would have dropped something related to the games, but that is purely fan-wank conjecture.

Good point, hopefully we get to see it at next year's E3.

 

[Lachie007]

So we really have no idea what some of these studios are working on. Exciting times.

Can't wait for what retro studies are working on. 3d mario and all that too.

 

[Clay Davis]

The next Mario game better be a proper sequel to Super Mario 64. I have been waiting since 1996!

you don't consider galaxy to be a sequel to sm64?

I'm personally hoping for a sequel to sunshine. such an underrated mario title and it would help lift the series out of the rut it's in.

 

[Qurupeke]

Great infos BowieZ. I'm really interested to know what Retro Studios does...

 

[Hindle]

I'm very very interested in what Monolith are up to, singlehandedly bringing back the JRPG most likely.

Same with Retro, they're a studio I've always wanted to be a fan off but not got round to playing any of thier games.

 

[H13]

I wonder, will 3DS getting accounts/Nintendo ID?
Hmm i wonder what are they doing now at nintendo network devision..

 

[XaosWolf]

I'm personally hoping for a sequel to sunshine. such an underrated mario title and it would help lift the series out of the rut it's in.

I enjoyed Sunshine a lot. But every time I went to one of the secret F.L.U.D.D-less levels, I wanted more of that. And Galaxy was exactly that.

Not worried about Mario being in a rut, though.
Every time they're doubted (like after Sunshine) they knock those doubts into space out of the park with something like Galaxy.

 

[Yuterald]

Good Feel HAS to be working on something. I'd KILL for an HD, 2D, fully featured, retail IP revival from them along the lines of Kirby's: Epic Yarn and Wario Land: Shake It.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

I believe ShockingAlberto or Shikamaru Ninja commented that the games of Retro and Monolith were in presentable states, but not necessarily pulled from E3.

That was ShockingAlberto. I think he claimed it was a Retro and EAD Tokyo game. Like mentioned before, Monolith Game may not be a Nintendo game, or a Japan only game. Who knows.

Anyone who remembers the impending R&D restructure looming thread I posted a few months ago, should also note that there have been three big recent promotions for Takashi Tezuka, Katsuya Eguchi, and Yoshio Sakamoto. Lots of new producers as well.

I was also a believer in Satoru Iwata. I'm not so sure I agree with several decisions the past two years though. Not that it really matters, but I think even though the company is finding success in some specific products, there is some serious mismanagement of others.

I am betting early next year you will see Wii Sports U. I am still betting that the game will feature a 1080 type game, and Wave Race type game in the package this time with analog controls. (whew) But we shall see. Hopefully NST, EAD Tokyo, EAD Kyoto, ND Cube and Retro all have exciting new games.

 

[Chrom]

Aren't Intelligent Systems also doing more DLC for Fire Emblem Awakening?

For the Japanese version, the latest DLC from late November was essentially a conclusion to the second DLC series (and arguably all of the DLC). They never said that they were going to continue making more or not, but as the days pass it's looking less and less likely to me that they will. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems are very aware of the success of DLC for Fire Emblem Awakening (which is what I think probably warranted the second series in the first place, and I wouldn't be surprised if the next game had it in some form), so I want to say that if they really had more in the pipeline, we would've known by now. It had only been like maybe a few days after the release of the final episode of the first series that they actually released a trailer for the upcoming second; it's been well over a month since the second has finished and they've said nothing since then.

 

[volpone]

Sakamoto got a promotion? For what? Seniority?

 

[hiryu64]

 

[Chrom]

Intelligent Systems

WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Wii (2006) *with SPD1
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Wii (2007)
Super Paper Mario, Wii (2007)
Light Speed Card Battle: Card Hero, DS (2007)
Planet Puzzle League, DS (2007)
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict, DS (2008)
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, DS (2008)
WarioWare: Snapped!, DSiWare (2008) *with SPD1
WarioWare D.I.Y., DS (2009) *with SPD1
WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase, WiiWare (2009) *with SPD1
Eco Shooter: Plant 530, WiiWare (2009) *with SPD3
Dragon Quest Wars, DSiWare (2009)
Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow (remake), DS (2010)
Link 'n' Launch, DSiWare (2010)
Spotto!, DSiWare (2010)
Pushmo/Pullblox, 3DS eShop (October 2011)
Fire Emblem: Awakening, 3DS (April 2012) *with Red Entertainment & SPD2
Paper Mario: Sticker Star, 3DS (November 2012)
Crashmo/Fallblox, 3DS eShop (November 2012)
Game & Wario, Wii U (Q1 2013) *with SPD1
???
What's next for Intelligent Systems? Basically every significant franchise has recently or is about to be released. They have a pretty regular turnaround, so what's left for late 2013 could be another Pushmo/Mallo game (Wii U?), dual screen Advance Wars for either console, or new IP altogether, or at the very least an announcement of this.

Just curious, but can you provide a source for Fire Emblem Awakening having been developed with Red Entertainment and SPD2? This is honestly the first I've ever heard of this.

AlphaDream (not listed here: 7 JP-only puzzle-adventure games)

Mario & Luigi 1, GBA (2003)
Mario & Luigi 2, DS (2005)
Mario & Luigi 3, DS (2009)
???
With no other portable Mario games lined up for 2013 at this stage, it's probably just the right time for a new Mario RPG game, although like some recent franchises (Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion, WarioWare), it may get switched to console to "cross-pollenate" user-bases (is this a deliberate Iwata strategy?). With Bowser being a key focus in Mario 3, maybe there'll be a major twist this time, too. Or a sequel to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars?

Earlier this year, AlphaDream published a patent for a game concept for a 3DS game. Granted, it's not really conclusive of anything, but I figured it was worth sharing.

 

[Diablos54]

Anyone who remembers the impending R&D restructure looming thread I posted a few months ago, should also note that there have been three big recent promotions for Takashi Tezuka, Katsuya Eguchi, and Yoshio Sakamoto. Lots of new producers as well.

Excellent news! Especially Tezuka.

 

[Nilaul]

Its like a de ja vu.

Doesnt nintendo have a few new studios?

Also retro is still hiring (perhaps they have two "studios/teams" now?).
Also when they hire they want knowledge of Maya, Scale-form. They want coders to be excellent at physics.

Also Monolith studios, are two "studios/teams", one is working on a 3DS game, the other on a WiiU game (According to their site and job resumes)

 

[BowieZ]

Just curious, but can you provide a source for Fire Emblem Awakening having been developed with Red Entertainment and SPD2? This is honestly the first I've ever heard of this.

Red did "Illustration and Scenarios", a loose Google translation of that page.
I'm sure I came across SPD2's involvement somewhere (I knew these lists would get me into trouble without all my sourcing lol - granted, most of it relied on Wikipedia) but this claims it. I will try to find a better source. EDIT: Actually, it may be a mistake, because I didn't cross-list it on SP2's listing. hmm.

Earlier this year, AlphaDream published a patent for a game concept for a 3DS game. Granted, it's not really conclusive of anything, but I figured it was worth sharing.

Ooh, great titbit! Likewise do you have a source? EDIT: found it!

 

[Nilaul]

Nintendo in Redmond is also in a hiring spree: designers, programmers, project managers etc.

 

[AntMurda]

Just curious, but can you provide a source for Fire Emblem Awakening having been developed with Red Entertainment and SPD2? This is honestly the first I've ever heard of this.

Every Fire Emblem game has been developed under Nintendo SPD2. For Awakening, Hitoshi Yamagami is the producer, and Genki Yokota is the director. Both from Nintendo SPD.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/interview/afej/vol1/index.html

Excellent news! Especially Tezuka.

From Shikamaru's post before, Tezuka's supervisory job hasn't changed much. Eguchi and Sakamoto now pretty much control EAD and SPD respectively. (Well under their GMs)