Nintendo Software Planning and Development

Nintendo Software Planning and Development (or SPD) is a development division inside Nintendo. SPD was created during a corporate restructuring in 2004 and primarily assists other first party teams and manages overseas production of first party franchises. [N-Sider. [http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=344&page=3 Nintendo Revolution FAQ] ] It is currently headed by Akira Ootani and is split into four separate teams who work concurrently on different projects. [Cassidy, Kevin. [http://gonintendo.com/?p=2968 NCL Team Structure work in progress] . June 7, 2006. Retrieved October 26, 2007.]

Current Structure of Nintendo SPD

PD Production Group 1

Manager/Producer: Yoshio Sakamoto
Responsible for co-developing the popular WarioWare series of games with internal developers Intelligent Systems and the 2D line of Metroid titles on handhelds. Currently developing Card Hero DS with Intelligent Systems.

"Games Developed: Rhythm Tengoku, Rhythm Heaven"
"Co-Developed: Card Hero DS, , , "

PD Production Group 2

Manager/Producer: Hitoshi Yamagami
Responsible primarily for first party puzzle games on Nintendo handhelds.

"Games Developed: Mahjong DS, Tetris DS"
"Games Co-Developed: Planet Puzzle League, Dr. Mario Online Rx, Super Princess Peach

PD Production Group 3

Manager/Producer: Kensuke Tanabe
Responsible for overseeing the development of titles by overseas and second-party teams. Currently overseeing an unknown number of internal and external projects.

"Games Co-Developed: Battalion Wars, Battalion Wars 2, Excite Truck, Geist, , , and Mother 3

PD Production Group 4

Manager/Producer: Shinya Takakashi
Responsible primarily for the creation of Wii Channels.

"Games Co-Developed: DS Letter Training"
"Miscellaneous Developments: Everybody Votes Channel, Everybody's Nintendo Channel, Check Mii Out Channel, and Television Friend Channel"

References