Nintendo is still producing some of the most fun, creative and enjoyable gaming experiences that money can buy, but it's also well-known for business pragmatism and a steady, focused approach to its work. That certainly applies to the buildings it constructs for its employees in Japan, and they can only truly be described as functional.
Earlier this year the rather square Intelligent Systems development building was photographed, its very presence a testament to the continued importance of the development team housed within. Now Kotaku — via Inside Games — has published a series of rather detailed images of the new Development HQ that Nintendo has built. Its construction is part of a strategy unveiled in 2011, as it'll house the hardware and software teams under one roof, allowing them to work more closely together. Satoru Iwata has emphasized recently, once again, that Nintendo will bring its hardware and software strategies and development closer together, and this Kyoto building — reportedly similar in scale to the company's primary HQ — will facilitate just that.
It's hardly inspirational design, of course, with Nintendo's buildings often incorporating this look in its homeland. Below is the original and current Kyoto HQ, if you don't believe us.
We think most would agree that a large site — which will apparently host over 1500 staff — to cover development of software and hardware can only be beneficial; with Nintendo making much of the 'synergy' between its games and systems, this unified facility may play a valuable role for years to come.
If what comes out of the building is exciting, we'll forgive its boring exterior.
[source kotaku.com]
Comments 82
I can't belive that all the clourful Nintendo games come out of their plain grey buildings.
@MrV4ltor Well, just be glad that their money goes into making these fine games instead of wasting them on fancy and impractical buildings
Its what's on the inside that counts.
BEHOLD The inspiration for the Gamecube's shape!
This is the new one? Lol it looks just like the old one.
Oh cmon what did people expect? Mario's house with several arwings flying over the building while having a air battle with samus aran as bowsers castle gazes from the heavens and sends several battleships to destroy this wonderful HQ but Kirby foils the evil bowers plan as he destroys his fleet of airships with his trusty dragoon?
Best news of the day, get in!
@siconlol I was under the impression that Nintendo games were made somewhere in Hyrule or the Mushroom Kingdom by pixies.
@siconlol Yes
Let's hope that there is more development for Wii U. Bring on the Gamecube remakes!
Who cares about the outside, I'm dying to know what this new buidilng is actually going to be creating. Perhaps it's their new quality of life thing, but I'm hoping it's for making more first party games.
It was built with the intention of surviving the most catastrophic earthquakes and such. No need for appeal when you have safety on your side.
@MrV4ltor
It's because it needs to be like Chernobyl's sarcophagus.
Otherwise all Nintendo magic will escape without any control
Now nobody will be jealous of the guys moving into the new building! They just cloned the old one!
@Thomas Maybe boring but i bet its super sturdy!
It may look boring, but somewhere inside, deep in the bowels of this building, is a top secret project that will change gaming forever. It's... Kirby Air Ride 2!
Its HUUUUUUGEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
Insert "It's what's on the inside that counts!" quote here.
That aside, the place looks huge.
I wanna see what they are doing inside...
Eh, better than nothing I guess...
For shame Nintendo Life. Never judge a book by it's cover.
The new building is much nicer than the old one though. Bigger windows and by counting them the building is much bigger than the one you compared it to. Not going to lie. The old building does look like a prison.
@AJ_Lethal too soon? the gov in japan wants to move people back into the fukushima no-go zone soon but its not safe. i looked at the devastated ghost towns on Wii street U. sad times. and now nuclear waste particles that went into the ocean are just hitting canadas west coast waters where i live.
They should have made the building shaped like a goomba. Then I would have been impressed.
I absolutely love it. It speaks to Nintendo's never-ending focus on responsible, practical game development. Too many companies want to waste money on outward appearances. Maybe the flashy, rockstar game developer types--you know, the volatile ones--want to be in big, gaudy buildings but I am glad that Nintendo tilts another way. It illustrates, yet again, long-term thinking where watching the bottom line like a hawk is key.
The building is only expensive because real estate in Japan is ridiculously so.
I quite like their buildings
...What did you expect, a Mario statue or something?
Looks like a Kyoto building. Should I have expected something else?
@Doctor_Pancakes I'm going to assume you're kidding or haven't actually read the article
I was being light-hearted guys, because "Here are Some Pictures of a Nintendo Building" would have been boring. Tongue firmly in cheek.
Hard to tell in text who's being serious and who isn't! Plus, you know, words in article actually talk about it sensibly, headline was for a laugh.
And how is this news? :/
Well, Nintendo IS a business after all, and as a business, they do have to maintain a professional image. This is a neutral and good luck in my opinion. I think slapping pictures of Mario and Link up there, although would look bad donkey, would not be very professional. My two cents.
Nintendo buildings always have that charm of soviet design by commitee architecture. Which is to say, they're rather dull.
We can just think of it as a great homage to the original house of Mario
It's just a building, NL. lol
We don't need a laser light show and christmas-esque lights and all that. xD (...would be awesome)
um... ok, it looks like what most corporate buildings are, What did people expect? There is nothing wrong with it so why make it sound like there is?
Looks pretty simple, though.
@ThomasBW84 lol I'm not going to lie I expected something a little bit more colorful haha
I think this makes me even more curious about what's inside.
that's where the magic happens, kids
you can't see it from the putside, but inside myamoto is dressed up as a mario getting tingled by iwata dressed as a toad. that's how they get all the cool ideas. trust me. it's true!
More importantly, if these buildings resist several high magnitude earthquakes a year, and they facilitate the evacuation of the staff if an emergency ever happens (fires, floodings, bomb threats) everything is fine.
Living in a very seismic yet populated region, I look for that in any place. I rarely feel at ease at wherever that gives me the impression safety was a last minute add-on rather than a priority.
@AirElephant
Plus Japan has very strict building codes to ensure that buildings in major cities are earthquake-proof.
@Samurai_Goroh I like the industrial look of Soviet engineering.
@ikki5 Compare it to the Nintendo Store in New York. (Or the new building Apple is making).
Who cares about a building? Wheres the monday eshop update nintendo!?
Nice and efficient looking building, I like it. They have to go with this type of architecture maybe because it's located in an industrial area of Kyoto where fancy building constructions are not allowed, also because earthquakes... they need to be strong enough to support them. Just imagine going to work every day there. All the magic that has to occur on the inside. It must be a pain in the a** tough, considering how hard is to get to work for Nintendo, especially in Japan if you want to be a developer.
@Einherjar
exactly what I was thinking. it appears that they would rather have money invested in their primary purpose as video game developer. every dollar counts.
And in the same week that sony sold ANOTHER regional hq......Love it =)
@sugarshack We had that sorta discussion lately, that some companys rather use their money on excessive advertisement instead of making their games so good that they speak for themselfes. This is basicly the same thing. You dont need to know them by their fancy architecture, you need to know their awesome games
It's official! GameCube VC is to be released real soon!
It might be kind uninteresting, but it has a certain beauty, for my taste.
I hope this is not a case of too late. Makes me wonder what they'll do in HQ now if development is all here.
@DimetriWarrior Apparently the Nintendo of America offices are a bit like this on the inside (colourful and self referencing) ever since their revamp, I did see photos but the uploader took them down and who saves things anymore
Wouldnt it be fun if the inside was anything like Pixar's studio?
slow news day ? who cares what a building look likes?
It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.
-Batman
@SanderEvers That actually terrifies me.
To me, that building is completely beautiful even in its simplicity. And that Nintendo plaque out front... I want it!! I want it in my front yard.
@unrandomsam
That's a store, much different. A Store you build to draw people in and make it look fancy so people will want to buy because face it, cool things help sales. This building you build for people to work and the look isn't something needed.
They could do some 5x5 pixel art by shining coloured light behind those windows.
@ikki5 It is not uncommon for people to make their workplaces extravagant to show how great they are.
Wow, just think about it. Behind that enormous gray slab of cement may lie the next amazing Zelda game, or F-Zero, or Star Fox, or Metroid, and the list goes on. As I'm pretty sure almost every other comment says, "It's what's on the inside that counts"...
This is cool and all but how is this News!?
Oh no! It's... it's... it's just another boring bureau complex. Maybe the Princess is in another castle
Another thought of me was: Now that you have a new Development Complex start building those great Wii U Games immediately.
Boring headquarters, exciting games.
I just imagine a bunch of Nintendo Characters, a la Who Framed Roger Rabbit, running wild inside.
For us gamers, Nintendo should have a museum. It would be on my bucket list! I want to go to Japan one day, a full on museum with the history of the big N would be phenomenal!
This building definitely speaks to Nintendo's more humble nature in the video game industry.
I like it. A lot.
i like the nintendo building in japan. it looks nice and clean
So this is where the magic elves construct our modern masterpieces.
What you see outside is just a plain boring building, what you don't see are all the magic inside. There's probably a stock room of generations over generations of Hanafuda Cards, Famicom/NES, Super Famicom/Super NES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Wii consoles, accessories, and games on display all over the place. Heck Miyamoto and Sakurai are probably inside playing a beta of the new Super Smash Bros. 4 for Wii U & 3DS at the moment.
It looks very professional to me.
pretty sure, if you were so inclined, you could use the geometric placement of the windows to pixilate classic characters as a tease for incoming franchises. Just saying.
I hope this new building is all about games and possibly game merchandise, and none of that "health product" bologna Iwata said he thought Nintendo should get into instead of trying to make better games or cater to non casuals.
Guys! Maybe this is the Virtual Console division!
Yeah, right. The Virtual Console division is probably in Iwata's 10-year old nephew's bedroom. :/
were going to put this building on the eshop for 299.99, and you can take a virtual tour of it. now you can pretend to be in charge of the virtual console services and get all those games you really want added.
i want to know what their break room looks like. perhaps a wii u for employees to play with and be inspired by....or just a couple of vending machines with over priced chips?
also, i get what everybody is saying with ...its the inside that counts, structural sturdiness, functional simplicity, etc... but you would think the nintendo letters would be in color at least to stand out a bit.
Dear NL:
You Keep Bullying Nintendo's Buildings...You Hurt it's Feelings....
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y983TDjoglQ
lol...
Plain and simple. Just the way I like it.
D'aw I think it's cute and practical. A fancy Nintendoland would be awesome to look at but rather they use that money on things that actually matter.
Why are they buying new giant buildings when they are clearly Nintendoooomed!!!
Just kidding...lol...it's a building all right...it sure is.
I love nintendo since day one and I'll always will, because their videogames are the best and a mixture of art and entertainment!!
It's a factory. Manufacturing FUN!
@SanderEvers
You sure about that?
@Sparx made my day
Very exciting!
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