Nintendo Pictures

Nintendo Pictures Co., Ltd.
Native name
ニンテンドーピクチャーズ株式会社
Nintendō Pikuchāzu Kabushiki-gaisha
FormerlyDynamo Pictures, Inc. (2011–2022)
Company typeSubsidiary
Industry
  • Animation
  • Development of 3D-CG tools
FoundedMarch 18, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-03-18)
FounderHiroshi Hirokawa
HeadquartersKanda Square, 2-2-1 Kandanishiki-cho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Number of locations
2 studios (2022)
Key people
Hiroshi Hirokawa (Representative Director)
Atsushi Shirokawa (Director)
ProductsCG and motion capture for video games and related media
Total equity34.5 million yen
Number of employees
121 (2023)
ParentNintendo (2022—present)
Websitehttps://nintendo-pictures.co.jp

Nintendo Pictures Co., Ltd.[a] (formerly Dynamo Pictures, Inc.[b]) is a Japanese animation studio owned by Nintendo that develops "visual content" using Nintendo properties.[1]

History

As Dynamo Pictures

Dynamo Pictures logo

Dynamo Pictures originated as the CG and motion capture production department of Visual Science Laboratory, Inc., a computer graphics and virtual reality research and development company founded in 1991 by Kenji Yoshida.[2] Though the studio would separate from Visual Science Laboratory and begin operating as Dynamo Pictures, Inc. in October 2004, it wasn't formally established as an independent animation studio by department head Hiroshi Hirokawa until March 18, 2011.[2][3] The studio's name was taken from the motion capture arm, which was known as Studio Dynamo, and was the first motion capture studio in Japan.

On October 1, 2021, the "Amusement" section of the company, dedicated to creating theater and VR attractions for theme parks, was spun off into a separate business called Dynamo Amusement, Inc. and subsequently became an affiliate subsidiary of GENDA, a Japanese amusement arcade company.[4]

As Nintendo Pictures

Nintendo announced their intent to acquire Dynamo Pictures and change its name to Nintendo Pictures on July 14, 2022, citing the focus of the company to strengthen the planning and production structure of visual content.[5][6][7] The deal closed on October 3, with the company becoming a full subsidiary of Nintendo, as well as adopting its new name.[1][8][9] Many fans of the 2006 Nintendo DS rhythm game Elite Beat Agents, the international counterpart of the Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan duology, noticed that a mission in the game references a then-fictional company called Nintendo Pictures.[10]

Since their acquisition, while Nintendo Pictures has continued to assist with outside productions, their main function has been as a support studio specializing in animation, art, design, and cinematic work for video games developed and published by Nintendo, such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

On November 27, 2023, Nintendo Pictures relocated their headquarters to Kanda Square, an office building shared with Nintendo's Tokyo branch, Nintendo Sales, and 1-Up Studio.[11] Their previous location is nearby and remains in use as their motion capture studio.

Works

As Dynamo Pictures

As Nintendo Pictures

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: ニンテンドーピクチャーズ株式会社, Hepburn: Nintendō Pikuchāzu Kabushiki-gaisha
  2. ^ Japanese: 株式会社ダイナモピクチャーズ, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Dainamo Pikuchāzu
  3. ^ While it was not formally established as an independent company until March 2011, the studio separated from Visual Science Laboratory, Inc. and began operating as Dynamo Pictures, Inc. in October 2004, with several projects from 2005-2010 being listed on their official website.[2][12]

References

  1. ^ a b Batchelor, James (October 4, 2022). "Nintendo completes Dynamo Pictures acquisition, relaunches as Nintendo Pictures". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "MESSAGE – 株式会社インターメディア研究所".
  3. ^ "Company Profile - Dynamo Pictures" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Notice of Capital Alliance with Dynamo Amusement, Inc" (in Japanese). October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Nintendo acquires animation studio that'll become 'Nintendo Pictures'". The Verge. July 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  6. ^ Weprin, Alex (July 14, 2022). "Nintendo Buys Studio to Turbocharge IP-Based Production". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  7. ^ Goslin, Austin (July 14, 2022). "Nintendo buys animation studio, forms Nintendo Pictures". Polygon. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Wales, Matt (October 3, 2022). "Nintendo officially launches its Nintendo Pictures animation studio". EuroGamer. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  9. ^ Kevin, Knezevic (October 4, 2022). "Nintendo Pictures Launches Ahead of First 'Super Mario Bros.' Movie Trailer". CNET. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  10. ^ "Random: Turns Out Elite Beat Agents Predicted 'Nintendo Pictures' Years Ago". Nintendo Life. July 18, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  11. ^ "（法人名）の情報｜国税庁法人番号公表サイト".
  12. ^ "制作実績". ダイナモピクチャーズ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2022.