Nintendo Is Merging Its Prized EAD And SPD Teams Into A Single Group

I think merging their software divisions and letting younger folk run the 1st party show is probably the best part of this news. We may even see a creative renaissance from Nintendo.

Very interesting. Seemingly this will make for more streamlining in the future. I'm guessing this also means Miyamoto will be much more hands off now.

The biggest change here is the Business Development Division, Nintendo is probably aiming at using their IPs more broadly than ever and to ensure that every new hardware releases is profitable (the Wii U must have been a very bad surprise on this regard). Let's hope they don't go crazy with their IP management as already now we have seen many "interesting" changes in their characters (Koopalings who are "currently" not the children of Bowser, Toads who are no longer males and females, Yoshis who are no longer dinosaurs).

@Mister_Wu I don't really care about the Koopalings, and the non-captain Toads all look the same anyway (braids BARELY count) but, hang on, if the Yoshis aren't dinosaurs...what ARE they? Are they just Yoshis? I would also accept mutant koopas.

@Mister_Wu I'm fairly certain they meant that people shouldn't assume all toads who don't look female are male, not that they are genderless.

Ahhh!! Change!! Everyone hit the bunker!!

It looks like they're grooming Shinya Takahashi with that massive promotion. I'm willing to bet they're looking at him becoming President and CEO in a few years.

The merging of IRD and SDD is EXCELLENT news as this means that the division that was responsible for Nintendo's online services is now integrated with their hardware development. Why they were separate before is beyond me.

Also, wasn't Eguchi one of the directors or producers for Splatoon? If so, then young blood is managing game development now. Must be a little weird to be above the likes of Aonuma though.

That new Business Development Division is interesting. The fact that they are handling IP licensing means that Iwata was serious when he said that Nintendo is gonna actually use their IPs in general more. Things like the deal with Universal will be handled here.

@link3710 @World
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-reveals-the-toads-gender-secret/1100-6423610/

https://microsite.nintendo-europe.com/nintendokidsclub/en_GB/read_and_discover/yoshi_facts

@World: I always assumed that Yoshis were either dinosaurs or some sort of dragon. That, or "Yoshi" is meant to be a standalone species in the Mushroom Kingdom, like Toads.

So far, these structural changes seem to be heading in a reasonable direction.

Somehow despite this plan I still feel that the Nintendo made games will still trickle out the door!

@Mister_Wu the Koopalings have never been Bowser's children except in US really. Of course Miyamoto, who is based in Japan, would honestly state otherwise.

Toads have never formally been gender-defined until Nintendo was asked, so it ' snot like they're going back on their word. And given that they are based on mushrooms, sexless life forms, it makes sense.

Yoshi is a dinosaur. Yoshi had always been acknowledged as a dinosaur.

@Mister_Wu Cool! That stuff about Toads kind of makes them more interesting. And that Yoshi page is so cute. <3

Its worrying how Shinya Takahashi is the general manager of EPD. So how would developing for external parties work from this point on? SPD was responsible for that and come to think of it, SPD was responsible for lots of innovation of the games not to mention that EAD and SPD merging together can cause chaos......seeing as that EAD has to be fine with the external developers that SPD would feel that they have the potential.

I can understand PTD working well because that obviously can have more communication abilities but the Business Development division is what worries me the most. How are they going to focus on the marketing part? Isn't the marketing already good enough. Sure, NOA is to be blamed for that but if they do it, they might be controversial and NOA might not like it and tone it down which might cause some anger towards the two.

Also, they said mobile......that could make them move the products to mobile. What if this division is the one to decide which platform the game should go ultimately?

I'm assuming this was Iwata-san's plan and if not, this is worrying.,,,,,,,

First, the R&D divisions are completely gone.....then Intelligent systems is no longer owned by Nintendo.....and now this.........what's the benefit of merging when it can cause a lot of loss?

This hopefully can streamline the development process so Nintendo doesn't have the slow down that occurred for both the Wii U and 3DS. The Wii U would have benefited from having the heavy hitting titles out within the 1st 1.5 years. No 3D Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, or Metroid with year old 3rd party ports didn't help,

@Artwark When did IS get sold?

@Nicolai
I hate getting hit in the bunker.

I still find the title "Creative Fellow" really hilarious

@the101 This statement about the Koopalings is incorrect!
Here's the Super Mario Bros. 3 Japanese manual transcription:
http://www.geocities.jp/frnyanko/setsumei/famicom/supermario3/supermario3.html

They are Bowser's children, even in the new 3DS Virtual Console version manual, of course:
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/eshop/vc/tabj/man_tabj.pdf

But maybe you would also like a pamphlet stating that, be my guest:
https://7a5b8882-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/marioguttsupurohyirugongesaito/marioguttsukorekushon/fc00003_1.jpg?attachauth=ANoY7cqUAG6oZFIpcWHSyNDlnRFzslCxnefZW_gkmqpmQ_iIEwDaP_-9nNXvt-diN8u4hN-ZhhHIw_Evj2pBXkL7Va6gJNADRxhHHvDChp2Gq7I_fz4LI0tXZQ-nIzfOaNWl70D6yDVDPEsKaPp-4jhWubZ6Sbxw-tVk_4CUDCUasEgcvUBFa_LE8FAsmAT9l-bZSvr_juNILi2ijdbJD6wNnDzyXTJyWXg8imd3DNSwzXitnB_ZFPbSn0ohNs1LWZ1nmOkohUQ-ZD3UKZOLKGWeLSOfgdtFKw%3D%3D&attredirects=0

or even a video of the time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov8A5tz8MU0

And this isn't really a NOA thing, we in Europe are more "advanced" and use the term "offspring" to state they are natural children:
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/NES/Super-Mario-Bros-3-279558.html

EDIT: sorry for the tone, I toned it down a bit.

@rjejr Have some Jack Daniels. Going to be one of those.

More people, more games. I like it.

So the former dev. team divison that was developing Zelda U, which was the Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) Division has merged with another division, and later formed the new Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) Division will now develop Zelda U?

Is that what it is? Because if it's not, than I am so confused.

@DarthNocturnal Earlier, it was owned by Nintendo since many of the staff of IS are from Nintendo.

@Artwark Umm...No, Nintendo has never owned Intelligent Systems.

@Link41x intelligent systems was always owned by Nintendo.

EAD+SPD= SPEAD?

@Azikira Nintendo buying Sonic confirmed!

@Artwark @CrazyMetroid
The company started up within Nintendo, but there doesn't seem to be anything confirming wether or not they are or ever were independent. They are listed as as just a partner same as Game Freak or Platinum Games, and while they do own their new building, everything I've read talks about Intelligent Systems as if they're an entirely separate entity operating within and with Nintendo.

I did find this though.
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_Nintendo_development_teams

@Darthnocturnal
Pokemon Company inc. is partly owned by Nintendo. The above article I posted states they own 32%.

@Mister_Wu What are ya tryin to say there you dirty brit?

Business Development Division AKA the internet 😜

Seriously though, these are some huge changes. I can't believe EAD is no more! Nintendo clearly isn't messing around anymore.

Where does the Tokyo studio fit into all of this? Aren't they ones who handle the 3D Mario games? I thought they were separated from EAD, at least by name, right? Or, has this all been changed in the recent past?

@Nicolai already there, I jumped in after the mobile news, let me know when it's safe to come out.

Lol, EPD sounds like a CBS tv series.
But yes, if it helps speed up development, good news.

@Azikira
Are they not all seasons of Power Rangers?

Hum, I wonder what this could mean for Nintendo in the future, as their business structure is changing. Well as long as I get good games I can't really complain at least .

Oh noez, it's CHANGE!

Seriously though, thus sounds really interesting. Can't wait to see the first results. :] Glad Nintendo's keeping with the times.

I'll be honest, I don't really get what any of this means, but I understand that the company is undergoing some major changes. I wonder what the games produced from this point on will be and whether or not this was a good decision on the management/director level. Though I'm sure they have their reasons so whatever. In any case, I hope all goes well for the future - not that I'm worried. This is Nintendo we're talking about.

@Blastcorp64 Well, Super Mario Galaxy was developed at EAD Tokyo:

http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/super_mario_galaxy/0/0

Super Mario Galaxy 2 was developed at EAD Tokyo Software Develoment Department, although it looks like a different team, the one responsible for the Super Mario 3D series:

http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/supermariogalaxy2/1/0

http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/super-mario-3d-land/0/0

http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/super-mario-3d-world/0/0

So they always were an EAD team, although they had a more complex name.

@amiiboacid What those dirty It wanted to say is that in Europe Nintendo didn't even leave the benefit of the doubt, daring to use the term "offspring" so that the Koopalings are effectively Bowser's natural children and not even removing that term when they updated the page of Super Mario Bros. 3. Not even NOA went that far!
Needless to say that in Europe too the Koopalings were known as Bowser's children since their introduction in Super Mario Bros. 3.

@Megas All of my favorite Zelda games have been created by Aonuma, so I can't say I agree even the slightest bit with your extreme view of ''if it's not from Miyamoto, it's crap''. I love the guy, but there so many other talented people in the company being eclipsed by his fame and popularity, it's ridiculous.

Yoshi is a dinosaur, that's how he was introduced in super mario world. Check the manual and the game itself. I might be wrong, but isn't the opening island called dinosaur island aswell. The confusion is that the large yellow coins in super mario world sporting yoshi's face were called dragon coins, mis-leading some to think he was a dragon.

Rebranding yoshi as a yoshi is either the mistake of an unknowledgeable youth staff responsible for the website, and the error not picked up on proof reading. Or it is nintendo attempting to reinforce their IP characters and strengthening brand identities.

Either way. Yoshi is a dinosaur.

I wonder if games will be made faster now...But it's nice to see some change going on at Nintendo.

Good. Speed things up, let's have a new Zelda, Mario Kart every year.

I want my Call of Mario Kart and Zelda's Creed.

As long as there is little overlap, and jobs aren't cut, then I'm ok with whatever they do.

@DESS-M-8 Of course he is a dinosaur, it was again Nintendo who said and still says that:

http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/6eq5TQqkuX7MT0MnGZSTXocyEQmweSe-

I find it funny how the recent statements (the Koopalings' one in part, as Miyamoto carefully and wisely used the words "current story", and the Yoshis' one explicitly) go against something the company itself is still telling to us in its sites. This is why I am a bit "scared" by Nintendo's brand and IP management: they say everything and the opposite of that.

@Volcanox I'm saving all my drinking for when Nintnedo starts promoting Animal Crosing: amiibo Festival, the board game nobody wanted that everybody needs their own amiibo play. The summer was all Splatoon and SMM, now they have to start promoting the others, that's where the fun is.

I just hope this merging actually ramps up production. Rather than consolidating development teams I was hoping Nintendo would create more so new content would constantly be in the works.

@Mister_Wu the IP's that actually need completely reinventing are the whole roster of F-zero.
Captain falcon does and has always looked like what judge dredd would look like if he joined the Village People. F-Zero has the potential to spawn a number of spin offs, such as an open world bounty hunter game as captain falcon, except they refuse to drag them all out of their late 80's fashion and garb. Failing that, they refuse to drag them out from 2003 and the gamecube. Over a decade of decay and really prime for a relaunch. Want tontinker with something and change something, don't to something old and almost forgotten like fzero.

Do not start to change the history and while character of your characters that work!!!! Never again tell me yoshi is not a dinosaur!!!!!

It's like disney saying Pete the cat, isn't a cat, he's just a thing, a Pete if you will. Never a cat! Where did you get cat from!!??

@rjejr I'll join you as usual bud. God help us. I don't want another cyber liver

I'm a little concerned about whether or not this means there's going to be less dev teams now. Because if so, that's a step backwards, Nintendo has a hard enough time juggling its IPs already, if they reduce their output we're going to see more IPs get shafted.

@dariusq @Bolt_Strike Well, we don't know the internal structure of the EPD, there were quite a few EAD teams and I suspect there will still be more than one EPD team. Usually these moves are useful from a management point of view - as an example, you have less managers that do similar works, and simpler inter-teams communications.

There's going to be a generational shift, so some amount of restructuring is to be expected, and is probably necessary.

I'm rather intrigued by the business development division. I'll be interesting to see how their methods for bringing product to market will change in the future.

@CrazyMetroid
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
My whole post was written with a long thread of sarcasm woven through it. I'm 33. I hardly think nintendo claiming yoshi isn't a dinosaur will be keeping me up at nights for weeks.

But for the record.

Yoshi is a dinosaur.