HAL Laboratory, Inc., which used to be called HALKEN, is a Japanese company that creates video games. It is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and was started on February 21, 1980, by Mitsuhiro Ikeda. At first, the company made games for home computers, but later it worked closely with Nintendo and is often called a second-party developer. In 1991, HAL opened another office in Kai, Yamanashi. The company is most famous for creating games in the Kirby and Mother series, as well as the first two Super Smash Bros. games.

HAL’s logo, called Inutamago, shows a dog sitting on eggs. This image represents "an unexpected bond […] one that brings the birth of something new."

History

HAL Laboratory was started on February 21, 1980, in Kanda, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Mitsuhiro Ikeda was the first president and CEO. The company began as part of a Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro, where many students who visited the computer section worked part-time. These students included Satoru Iwata and Satoshi Matsuoka. HAL first operated from an apartment in Akihabara, creating hardware peripherals. An early investor was Iwasaki Giken, a company that programmed many of Nintendo's first video games.

In its early years, HAL created products such as a universal remote, the HAL Fax, which allowed users to send faxes from a computer, and the HAL Catch, a cable that connected an electronic organizer to a PC. Other products included the GSX-8800 sound board for the NEC PC-8001 in 1983, the CAT trackball, and the Hibiki FM tone generator and MIDI interface board in 1986.

There are different stories about why the company was named HAL. During a GDC 2005 speech, Satoru Iwata, a former employee and then-Nintendo president, said the name came from the computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, in a 2012 interview, he said the name was chosen because "each letter put [them] one step ahead of IBM."

HAL first made games for home computers like the MSX and VIC-20. These were early, unlicensed versions of Namco's arcade games, including Pac-Man (Jelly Monsters), Rally-X, and Galaxian. HAL later became the first company to get a license from Namco to develop computer games.

Through its connection to Iwasaki Giken, HAL began working with Nintendo in 1984. It helped create first-party Famicom games like Pinball and Golf, as well as original titles like F1 Race. HAL's experience with game development and knowledge of the Famicom's CPU helped its team create games faster than competitors. In the West, some games were published by HAL America Inc. (HAI), a North American branch based in Beaverton, Oregon, led by Yash Terakura. Between 1987 and 1991, HAL released several NES titles, including Stargate and Kabuki: Quantum Fighter. Masahiro Sakurai joined the company in 1989.

In 1991, HAL moved to an office building near Mount Fuji in Yamanashi. In 1992, HAL separated its non-Nintendo business to form HAL Corporation, which continued making computer software and peripherals, including new versions of the universal remote. This company operated until around 2002.

After the long development of Metal Slader Glory, HAL owed $1.5 billion yen and was nearly bankrupt. Nintendo offered to save HAL if Satoru Iwata became its president. In 1992, HAL released Kirby's Dream Land for the Nintendo Game Boy, Iwata's first game as president. Soon after, HAL released successful titles like Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Course, and Mother 2.

HAL's current logo, Inutamago ("dog egg"), was designed in 1998 by Shigesato Itoi. The image represents "an unexpected bond […] one that brings the birth of something new." The logo first appeared on Super Smash Bros. In 1999, HAL released Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 and Pokémon Pinball for Game Boy Color. It also opened an R&D center in Tokyo that year.

For a time, HAL struggled to create a 3D version of Kirby. After Kirby 64 was released in 2000, Iwata left to work at Nintendo, and HAL worked on three games that were later cancelled. During this time, HAL also developed software for Nintendo's hardware, including "sysdolphin" for the GameCube.

On July 31, 2001, HAL and Nintendo created Warpstar, Inc., a company to manage Kirby merchandise and media, such as the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime. In March 2002, Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi retired and named Iwata as his successor. In 2003, HAL moved from Nintendo's Tokyo office to a new location in Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda. Sakurai left HAL to become a freelance game designer but continued working on Super Smash Bros. In 2007, HAL partnered with Atlus to create a Kirby-themed arcade game.

HAL developed the internet browser and electronic instruction manual for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. In 2015, HAL released a Kirby-themed card game. In August 2016, it opened the Kirby Café chain in Japan with Nintendo. HAL also created software for the Nintendo Switch, including its internet browser, Mii photo library, and game development tools. In 2017, HAL released a Kirby-themed board game.

In 2017, HAL announced it would develop mobile games under the brand HAL Egg to separate them from its usual work. The first game, Part Time UFO, was a premium title without exploitative monetization methods. HAL also released miniature versions of the MZ-80C and PC-8001 computers in 2017 and 2019, respectively. A second mobile game, Housuu de Shoubu! Kame Sanpo, was released in Japan in 2019.

In 2020, HAL moved to Nintendo's new Tokyo building, joining Nintendo EPD Tokyo, Nintendo PTD Tokyo, 1-Up Studio, and Game Freak. At this time, HAL had fewer than 200 employees. In 2022, the company released Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the first fully 3D game in the Kirby series.

In 2025, HAL sold its share of Warpstar to Nintendo, which then rebranded to Nintendo Stars Inc. and expanded to include merchandising for film adaptations of Nintendo's properties.

Games

• Kirby's Air Ride (Nintendo 64)
• EarthBound 64 (64DD and Nintendo 64)
• Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2 (GameCube)
• Battland (Game Boy Advance)
• Luna Blaze (Game Boy Advance)
• Kirby for Nintendo GameCube (GameCube)

Software

• MAX BASIC Software
• Mii Studio for Wii U
• Mini BASIC Software
• Music Composer Program
• Music Machine Application
• My Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Memories
• Nintendo 3DS Electronic Guide
• Nintendo 3DS Internet Browser
• Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch
• Nintendo Switch Web Browser
• Nintendo Switch Mii Creation and Management Tool
• Sysdolphin
• TV no Tomo Channel
• Welwalk WW-2000 User Interface
• Wii U Electronic Guide
• Wii U Internet Browser

Hardware

• BoxBoy! amiibo series
• CAT trackball
• GSX-8800 sound board
• HAL Catch
• HALFAX-9600/9600EX
• HAL Mouse Pocket
• HALNote
• HALScan
• Hibiki FM tone generator and MIDI interface board
• JB King
• JB Turbo
• Joyball [jp] – for MSX and NES systems
• Kirby amiibo series
• Kirby's Magic Tower of Medal Land
• Nintendo e-Reader
• PasocomMini MZ-80C
• PasocomMini PC-8001
• Programmable Character Generators (PCG-700, 1200, 6500, 8000, 8100, 8200, and 8800)
• Pokémon Snap Seal print system