Nintendo System Development

Nintendo System Development Division

Native name	任天堂企画開発本部
Romanized name	Nintendō Kikaku Kaihatsu Honbu
Formerly	Nintendo Network Business & Development Nintendo Network Service Development Nintendo Special Planning & Development
Company type	Division
Industry	Video games
Founded	1997; 28 years ago (1997) (as Nintendo Special Planning & Development)
Defunct	September 16, 2015 (2015-09-16)
Fate	Merged with Nintendo Integrated Research & Development
Successor	Nintendo Platform Technology Development
Headquarters	Kyoto, Japan
Key people	Masaru Shimomura (General Manager)
Products	Nintendo Network services Various video game titles and peripherals
Number of employees	≈30[1]
Parent	Nintendo
Divisions	Network Development & Operations Environment Development

Nintendo System Development Division,[a] commonly abbreviated as Nintendo SDD and formerly known as Nintendo Network Business & Development (NBD), Nintendo Network Service Development (NSD), and Nintendo Special Planning & Development (SPD), was a Japanese division located in the Nintendo Research Institute in Kyoto, Japan, until it moved to the Nintendo Development Center, also in Kyoto. The division consisted of a single development team that focused on software and peripheral development. SDD was composed of two development departments with different duties: the Network Development & Operations Department, which handled Nintendo Network service programming, in cooperation with Nintendo Network Service Database, and the Environment Development Department, which developed Software Development Kits (SDKs), among other technologies.[2]

On September 16, 2015, SDD merged with Nintendo Integrated Research & Development (IRD), becoming the Nintendo Platform Technology Development.[3][4]

History

The Nintendo Special Planning & Development team originated from former Nintendo R&D2 staff, and was mainly responsible for ports and in-house development for low profile hardware, such as the Pokémon Mini and the Super Famicom Satellaview service. Most of the software developed by this group has remained domestic having hardly ever seen release outside Japan. The original general manager, Satoshi Yamato, produced all of the software which included in-house software for the Game Boy Advance, and the e-Reader.[5] The group also created mechanical devices and peripherals like the Pokéwalker and Pokémotion. The last general manager, Masaru Shimomura described the Mechanical Design Group as a small creative unit that has a hardware and a software team working jointly together to create innovative products.[6]

In 2008, Nintendo SPD was renamed to Nintendo Network Service Development. In 2011, the Nintendo NSD development team was consolidated into a division and was renamed to Nintendo Network Business & Development, appointing Masaru Shimomura as manager. Following the change, the Nintendo Network Business department was created. The department contained two different groups: the former Mechanical Design Group, which was responsible for developing software titles and peripherals, as well the new Network Planning Group, which was responsible for developing Nintendo Network services.

In 2013, the division renamed to Nintendo System Development Division. Nintendo consolidated the Network Planning Group into a department named Network Development & Operations Department which was responsible for handling Nintendo Network service programming in cooperation with Nintendo Network Service Database, and created the Environment Development Department', which developed Software Development Kits (SDKs), among experimental technologies. With the change, the Mechanical Design Group was dissolved.

On September 16, 2015, SDD merged with Nintendo Integrated Research & Development (IRD), becoming the Nintendo Platform Technology Development.[3][4]

Network Operations & Development Department

Department Manager: Kiyoshi Mizuki

The Network Operations & Development Department was responsible for developing Nintendo Network services, in cooperation with the Nintendo Network Service Database. The department had two subgroups: the Network Software Development Group and the Application Group.

List of software and online infrastructures developed by Nintendo SDD Network Operations & Development Department

Title	Type(s)	Platform(s)	Year	Producer(s)	Director(s)
Wii Shop Channel	Online distribution	Wii	2006	Masaru Shimomura	Kiyoshi Mizuki
Nintendo Channel	Online distribution	Wii	2006	Masaru Shimomura	Kiyoshi Mizuki
Nintendo DSi Shop	Online distribution	Nintendo DSi	2008	Masaru Shimomura
Nintendo Zone	Network interface	Nintendo DS Nintendo DSi	2009	Masaru Shimomura
Friend List	Friends list	Nintendo 3DS	2011	Masaru Shimomura	Kiyoshi Mizuki
StreetPass	Network interface	Nintendo 3DS	2011	Masaru Shimomura
Nintendo eShop[7]	Online distribution	Nintendo 3DS	2011	Masaru Shimomura	Kazuto Nakaya
Nintendo Video	Video player	Nintendo 3DS	2011	Masaru Shimomura
Nintendo Zone	Network interface	Nintendo 3DS	2011	Masaru Shimomura	Fumihiko Tamiya
Swapnote[8] Nintendo Letter Box ^PAL	Messaging	Nintendo 3DS	2011	Kiyoshi Mizuki Masaru Shimomura	Daiji Imai
WaraWara Plaza[co-developed 1]	Operating system (Miiverse)	Wii U	2012	Kiyoshi Mizuki Katsuya Eguchi (Nintendo EAD) Kouichi Kawamoto (Nintendo SPD)	Hisashi Nogami (Nintendo EAD)
Miiverse[co-developed 2][9]	Social network	Wii U	2012	Kiyoshi Mizuki Junya Kondo (Hatena) Yusuke Beppu (Nintendo NSD)	Hideto Yuzawa Yoshiomi Kurisu (Hatena)
Nintendo Network ID		Wii U	2012
Wii U Chat[co-developed 3]	Online chat	Wii U	2012		Fumihiko Tamiya
Nintendo eShop	Online distribution	Wii U	2012	Kiyoshi Mizuki	Kazuto Nakaya
Miiverse[co-developed 2]	Social network	Web browser	2013	Kiyoshi Mizuki Junya Kondo (Hatena) Yusuke Beppu (Nintendo NSD)	Hideto Yuzawa Yoshiomi Kurisu (Hatena)
StreetPass Relay[10]	Network interface	Nintendo 3DS	2013	Kiyoshi Mizuki	Masatoshi Yamazaki
Miiverse[co-developed 2]	Social network	Nintendo 3DS	2013	Kiyoshi Mizuki Junya Kondo (Hatena) Yusuke Beppu (Nintendo NSD)	Hideto Yuzawa Yoshiomi Kurisu (Hatena)

Notes

1. Co-developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) and Nintendo Software Planning & Development (SPD).
2. Co-developed by Hatena, Nintendo Network Service Database (NSD) and Denyusha.
3. Co-developed by Nintendo European Research & Development (NERD), Nintendo Technology Development (NTD) and Vidyo.

Environment Development Department

The Environment Development Department was responsible for developing online communication infrastructures and middleware tools.

List of online infrastructures developed by Nintendo SDD Environment Development Department

Title	Genre(s)	Platform(s)	Year	Producer(s)	Director(s)
WiiConnect24		Wii	2006
Wii system software		Wii	2006
Nintendo DSi Browser		Nintendo DSi	2009
Download Play		Nintendo 3DS	2011
Nintendo eShop		Nintendo 3DS	2011
Mario Kart 7		Nintendo 3DS	2011
Kid Icarus: Uprising		Nintendo 3DS	2012
Nintendo Land		Wii U	2012
StreetPass Relay		Nintendo 3DS	2013
Tomodachi Life		Nintendo 3DS	2013
Mario Kart 8		Wii U	2014

Mechanical Design Group

Manager/Producer:

The Mechanical Design Group was responsible for developing software titles and peripherals for Nintendo video game consoles, until it was dissolved in 2013.

Title	Year	Platform(s)	Director	Producer
Satellaview	1995	Hardware	Masaru Shimomura	Satoshi Yamato
BS Super Mario USA Power Challenge	1996	Satellaview	Toshiaki Suzuki	Satoshi Yamato
BS Marvelous Time Athletics	1996	Satellaview	Eiji Aonuma	Satoshi Yamato
BS Marvelous Camp Arnold	1996	Satellaview	Yoshinori Tsuchiyama	Satoshi Yamato
Nintendo Power (cartridge)	1996	SNES GB
BS F-Zero Grand Prix	1997	Satellaview	Toshiaki Suzuki	Satoshi Yamato
Excitebike: Super Mario Cup Battle	1997	Satellaview	Yoshinori Tsuchiyama	Satoshi Yamato
Pokémon Pikachu	1998	Hardware
Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS	1999	Hardware
Poket Hello Kitty	1999	Hardware
Mobile Adapter GB	2001	Hardware	Masaru Shimomura	Satoshi Yamato
Pokémon Party Mini	2001	Pokémon Mini	Shinya Kawada	Satoshi Yamato
Pokémon Pinball Mini	2001	Pokémon Mini	Yoshikazu Mori	Satoshi Yamato
Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival	2002	GBA	Toru Osawa	Satoshi Yamato
Pokémon Race Mini	2002	Pokémon Mini	Shinya Kawada	Satoshi Yamato
Pokémon Shock Tetris	2002	Pokémon Mini	Shinya Kawada	Satoshi Yamato
Pokémotion	2003	Hardware	Shinya Kawada	Satoshi Yamato
Mario Party-e	2002	e-Reader	Toru Osawa	Satoshi Yamato
Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter	2004	GBA
Slide Adventure MAGKID	2007	NDS	Kazunobu Shimizu	Shinya Kawada
Personal Trainer: Walking	2008	NDS	Naoya Morimura	Shinya Kawada
Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat?	2008	NDS	Hirotaka Watanabe	Yoshinori Tsuchiyama
Pokéwalker	2009	Hardware	Masaru Shimomura	Junichi Masuda Hitoshi Yamagami

Discography Credits[11]

Notes

1. Japanese: 任天堂企画開発本部, Hepburn: Nintendō Shisutemu Kaihatsu Honbu

References

1. 任天堂の新開発棟が始動 ゲーム機、ソフト生む拠点. Kyoto NP (in Japanese). Kyoto NP. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
2. "任天堂、現状の開発組織体制は4本部＋QOL事業開発本部…大企業病にならない本部同士の連携が重要". GameBusiness.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-01-15.
3. Kohler, Chris. "Nintendo Consolidates Its Game Development Teams". Wired. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
4. Rad, Chloi; Otero, Jose. "Nintendo Reveals Restructuring Plans". IGN. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
5. N-Sider.com. Satoshi Yamato Profile
6. NOM Magazine. Iwata Asks: Personal Trainer: Walking
7. Nintendo. Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS: Nintendo eShop
8. Nintendo. Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS: Swapnote
9. Nintendo. Iwata Asks: Wii U: Miiverse
10. Nintendo. Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS: StreetPass Relay Points
11. N-Sider.com. N-Sider Database