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Topic: Radical idea: Nintendo EPD spins-off its internal development groups

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TheMisterManGuy

All First party Nintendo software production is run through the Entertainment Planning and Development division, led by Shinya Takahashi. In addition to having its own internal production groups, EPD also has teams dedicated to oversight of Nintendo's external developers and games such as MonolithSoft, Intelligent Systems, Camelot, HAL Laboratory, Retro Studios, Next Level Games, among others. However, what if we could take it a step further. What if, Nintendo decided to do yet another restructuring, this time it's a bit radical. The bulk of the changes going to EPD, all of its internal software groups would be spun-off into their own independent development subsidiaries. Each with its own name, management, and development culture. Shinya Takahashi will still oversee all software development, and Producers who mainly oversee outside companies like Hitoshi Yamagami and Kensuke Tanabe will continue their roles in new positions. Under this new structure, EPD would strictly be an oversight department, possible with a new name as well, rather than a development department with oversight duties. It'd be similar to how Sony Interactive's Worldwide Studios operates, or the experiment Sega tried during the Dreamcast-era, where they split-off all their in-house development departments, into independent subsidiaries.

This probably won't happen... Ever. But it'd be interesting to see Nintendo take a big risk like that.

[Edited by TheMisterManGuy]

TheMisterManGuy

judaspete

What would be the advantage of doing this? It seems like this would create a lot of redundant possisions to the overall development process.
Would it give developers more creative freedom?

judaspete

My Nintendo: judaspete

TheMisterManGuy

judaspete wrote:

What would be the advantage of doing this? It seems like this would create a lot of redundant possisions to the overall development process.
Would it give developers more creative freedom?

Essentially, it'd give the teams the opportunity to more clearly define their own style and culture in their games. Similar to Sega's studios in the early 2000s where each had their own unique way of developing games.

TheMisterManGuy

ALinkttPresent

I'm not exactly convinced that this would help them develop their own style. What would cause that? It sounds like this would be a change in name only, unless they actually made everybody move to a different building. Even then, I'm not really understanding how the resulting games would end up being any different.

ALinkttPresent

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