Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development Division, shortened to Nintendo EPD, is the biggest group within the Japanese company Nintendo. This group makes and creates video games, mobile apps, and other entertainment software for the company. Nintendo EPD was formed in September 2015 when two other groups, Entertainment Analysis & Development and Software Planning & Development, were combined.

History

The division was formed on September 16, 2015, when Nintendo merged two of its previous software divisions, Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) and Software Planning & Development (SPD), as part of a company-wide change in organization under Nintendo's new president, Tatsumi Kimishima.

The division took over the responsibilities of its two earlier divisions, creating games and software for Nintendo platforms and mobile devices. It also manages and licenses the company's intellectual properties, as well as oversees and guides development projects for outside studios.

Shinya Takahashi, who previously led Nintendo's SPD division, holds the same position in the new division, known as EPD. Yoshiaki Koizumi, Katsuya Eguchi, Eiji Aonuma, and Hisashi Nogami serve as deputy general managers, while Kensuke Tanabe, Yoshio Sakamoto, and Takashi Tezuka are senior officers. These individuals have held these roles since the division was created. In 2017, Nogami was promoted to a higher position. In 2019, Aonuma and Tanabe were promoted further. By 2023, Takahashi and Koizumi were given more senior roles, and Takayuki Shimamura became a deputy general manager. Aonuma and sound designer Koji Kondo were named senior officers at that time.

Structure

The Nintendo division, mainly based in Kyoto, operates in a way similar to its earlier versions before the merger. It is divided into several groups. Ten production groups are responsible for creating or developing games. Each group has its own managers, producers, and project leads who focus on specific game series. These teams use the shared talent pool within the division for their projects. At the top level, the general manager, deputy general managers, and senior officers supervise different parts of the production groups.

The division also includes groups focused on programming, design, and sound management.

Currently, there are 8 production groups in Nintendo EPD:

• The Co-Production Group, previously called Production Group No. 2 until 2023, creates most games made by outside studios and published by Nintendo, such as the Mario Tennis, Kirby, Xenoblade Chronicles, Fire Emblem, and Mario & Luigi series. This group includes staff from a former Production Group No. 1 that joined it in 2020.
• Production Group No. 3 creates the main The Legend of Zelda series.
• Production Group No. 4 creates casual and experimental games, such as Miitopia, 1-2-Switch, Nintendo Labo, Ring Fit Adventure, Jump Rope Challenge, Game Builder Garage, Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain, Nintendo Switch Sports, Everybody 1-2-Switch!, and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. This group includes staff from a former Production Group No. 7 that joined it in 2023. The division also helped create Alarmo with Nintendo TDD.
• Production Group No. 5, managed by Aya Kyogoku, creates the Animal Crossing and Splatoon series, as well as Drag x Drive.
• Production Group No. 6 oversees and produces games made by outside studios and published by Nintendo, such as the Paper Mario, Metroid Prime, and Luigi's Mansion series.
• Production Group No. 8, also called Nintendo EPD Tokyo, creates 3D Super Mario games and 3D Donkey Kong games.
• Production Group No. 9 creates the Mario Kart series and Arms.
• Production Group No. 10 creates 2D Super Mario games (including Super Mario Maker) and the Pikmin series.