Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development


Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
Type	Division of Nintendo
Founded	1983 (Nintendo R&D4) 1989 (Nintendo EAD)
Headquarters	Kyoto, Japan
Key people	Shigeru Miyamoto, manager
Industry	Video games
Products
Number of people
Website	http://www.nintendo.com/

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development (任天堂情報開発本部, Nintendō Jōhō Kaihatsu Honbu, EAD) was the fourth video game development group within Nintendo. It was originally formed in 1983 as Nintendo Research & Development 4, and was renamed Nintendo EAD after it expanded in 1989. In 2005, after a corporate restructuring by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, Nintendo EAD was split into five groups.

Nintendo EAD was merged with Nintendo Software Planning & Development in 2015 to form Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development

Background

Shigeru Miyamoto joined Nintendo as in 1977. He worked with Nintendo Research & Development 2, designing the case of Color TV-Game Block Fever, and then worked with Nintendo Research & Development 1, creating artwork for the arcade game Sheriff. However, it was in 1980, after Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi asked employees to submit ideas that could be installed in the unsold Radar Scope arcade cabinets that Miyamoto made his directorial debut. Miyamoto's idea was chosen, and he worked with the members of Nintendo R&D1 to produce Donkey Kong. Conversion kits were sent to Nintendo of America, and NOA president Minoru Arakawa, his wife, and a small team performed the conversions. Donkey Kong was released on July 1, 1981. It was a huge success in both Japan and North America, propelling Nintendo to a position as an industry leader.

Due to the success of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, Donkey Kong 3, and Mario Bros., Miyamoto was given the position of manager of a new development group at Nintendo in 1983, which was named Nintendo Research & Development 4.

Nintendo Research & Development 4

Nintendo Research & Development 4 created games for Nintendo Research & Development 2's Famicom system, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Super Mario Bros. 2 (and the game it was based on, Dream Factory: Doki Doki Panic), and Super Mario Bros. 3.