I'd like to know this, too, and I feel the thread is relevant.
I mean, I understand HAL is a de-facto internal team, but I've never quite understood the actual business connection with NCL. Are they a majority shareholder or what else?
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I mean, I understand HAL is a de-facto internal team, but I've never quite understood the actual business connection with NCL. Are they a majority shareholder or what else?
Yeah, I noticed this too. What's the deal with that?
Orniletter
Banned
It really is quite a strange relationship. Intelligent System is weird too.
They are virtually firstparty with collaborations of Nintendo´s internal teams and overseers from SPD...and got their own new building (I guess Nintendo paid for that too...?)...but are independant...?
Huh ?
Cosmo Clock 21
Banned
What's so special about Nintendo France that its role is Sales/Marketing instead of the other way around like the rest of them are?
Eolz
Member
They have good sales unlike the others
R
Rösti
Unconfirmed Member
Nothing special, it was just a small mistake in writing. I changed it to Sales/marketing.
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
They are still an official affiliate. NCL and TPC equally own stakes in the company.
DXB-KNIGHT
Member
Will they be devolved or restructured ?
Will somebody please think if the DenpaMen!
I always like your threads Rosti, thank you! Keep them going even if they are a little too much technical to aim for multiples answers pages. 
I'm slowly (don't have that much time to spend) digging into NERD. It looks like they are oriented to middleware, providing and optimizing tools to developers as mentioned in a very fresh job announce "(the guy is an) interface between N.E.R.D. developers and technology users (Nintendo group and third-party entities) - Development of tools geared towards improvements of team workflows". I wonder what 3rd party developers they are talking about
Architecture/web/CDN (I don't think Miiverse but online like in eShop maybe), OS questions (firmware) and games optimization problems (see Iwata asks) are not out of questions. Others guys in there have more game development experience (former Wizarbox) but it will more a job for game credits administrators to figure out.
Finally, recent (few weeks) job posting is also a Japanese-English-French assistant, with high level (native) of japanese courtesy in the domain of work. Sounds like serious business, maybe they are in need of a full time position for the video conferences to turn out well, from whatever old guy from Kyoto they need to report.
I'm slowly (don't have that much time to spend) digging into NERD. It looks like they are oriented to middleware, providing and optimizing tools to developers as mentioned in a very fresh job announce "(the guy is an) interface between N.E.R.D. developers and technology users (Nintendo group and third-party entities) - Development of tools geared towards improvements of team workflows". I wonder what 3rd party developers they are talking about
LOL
Architecture/web/CDN (I don't think Miiverse but online like in eShop maybe), OS questions (firmware) and games optimization problems (see Iwata asks) are not out of questions. Others guys in there have more game development experience (former Wizarbox) but it will more a job for game credits administrators to figure out.
Finally, recent (few weeks) job posting is also a Japanese-English-French assistant, with high level (native) of japanese courtesy in the domain of work. Sounds like serious business, maybe they are in need of a full time position for the video conferences to turn out well, from whatever old guy from Kyoto they need to report.
They never listed Left Field in the past few years. Either they simply don't own a share, or the share is too low to be listed.
Ape is an affiliate company with the equity method non-applied.
So back to the companies with the equity method applied. Information from the annual reports:
In 2010: 4 companies, two overseas (Seattle Mariners, Silicon Knights)
In 2011/2012/2013: 4 companies, two unnamed overseas companies (likely Seattle Mariners, Silicon Knights)
So in addition to Warpstar, Pokemon, and PUX, the other two unnamed affiliate companies with equity method applied are likely the Seattle Mariners and Silicon Knights.
AcademicSaucer
Member
Nintendo does a great job hiding its russian subsidiary
Cheesemeister
Member
In Soviet Russia, subsidiary hides you!
andrerobot
Member
So who owns HAL and Intelligent Systems them? What ties them to Nintendo?
AcademicSaucer
Member
Nothing, kirby could appear in the next halo game and no one can do to anything to stop it
Mysterious
Banned
Nintendo owns the Kirby IP.
Ok, in a nut-shell...
Ownership of the IP is split between the three: Game Freak, Creatures Inc. and Nintendo.
The Pokémon Company was created to deal with the marketing, merchandise etc. and is also owned by all three.
Game Freak is independent and runs the show. Nintendo doesn't make the decisions about Pokémon, but because of joint ownership, prevents it being on other platforms. Nintendo aids in the development of Pokémon as well and Game Freak, like Intelligent Systems, while completely independent, is very close to Nintendo.
Spin-off games are decided upon by The Pokémon Company, as well.
Mysterious
Banned
Nintendo owns Creatures Inc, right?
That's a common misconception. I don't believe they do.
Please make a dedicated thread about this. It's a very interesting topic and I'd like to learn more.
Aquamarine
Member
It's a separate company but its management is VERY close to Nintendo.
Please make a dedicated thread about this. It's a very interesting topic and I'd like to learn more.
I actually think Aquamarine may have a while back.
If not, I'll do a write-up.
Thought so, thanks. While Game Freak, Creatures Inc. and Intelligent Systems are technically independent, there's no way in hell they'll depart from Nintendo due to this.
Please do a write-up and explain who exactly can greenlight a Pokémon game and then steer its direction beyond that. I'm not sure I understand how the power dynamic works.
I'd really appreciate it. Always been a fan of your site.
AcademicSaucer
Member
I know
Aquamarine
Member
Technically they're both third-party companies. So if they wanted, they could produce a game for non-Nintendo systems. Obviously they're never going to do that, but they have the option to if they desired.
They're united by an extremely strong, long-standing relationship with Nintendo. Intelligent Systems is closer to the company than HAL Laboratory...so close that Intelligent Systems used to share a building with Nintendo, but they've since moved to their own building close to Nintendo HQ.
Please do a write-up and explain who exactly can greenlight a Pokémon game and then steer its direction beyond that. I'm not sure I understand how the power dynamic works.
I'd really appreciate it. Always been a fan of your site.
Oh, that I know completely, with the spin-off stuff being shown by a Japanese TV show last year.
Main series Pokémon games...all done by Game Freak. Director is Junichi Masuda and he, among the others at Game Freak, decide on the direction of the series. They can even countermand Nintendo's wishes. Do you really believe Nintendo wanted BW and B2W2 on the DS while the 3DS was imminent/a year old?
Spin-off games is a whole other situation. There are two ways this goes. First is the conventional way. A third party developer such as Koei Temco, Jupiter, Genius Sonority etc. come to them with an idea and this is discussed at The Pokémon Company in Japan, led by Tsunekazu Ishihara. The prototypes are discussed and things such as how to improve are put forth. We actually saw this process with Pokémon Battle Trozei last year. It's then moved on from there.
Alternatively, The Pokémon Company can come up with an idea and help in the development of that. This was seen with the upcoming 3DS title, Great Detective Pikachu, due for release next summer.
Mysterious
Banned
Didn't the President of HAL move on to become the President of Nintendo? Can't see how much closer you can get than that.
Aquamarine
Member
Didn't the President of HAL move on to become the President of Nintendo? Can't see how much closer you can get than that.
I'm talking historically.
HAL Laboratory used to make a whole bunch of Commodore / MSX games back in the day.
Intelligent Systems has always stayed on Nintendo machines.
Mockingbird
Member
How is there more invested in 1UP Studio than in Monolithsoft when Monolithsoft puts out more work and has higher budget games?
Mysterious
Banned
Why doesn't Nintendo outright buy these firms? Since they're essentially stuck making Nintendo games, it wouldn't really be a cause for concern of creatives leaving.
Oh really? I didn't know that. I always wondered why BW2 was for the DS when the 3DS was new and needed to build up its install base. Interesting that they can pull the strings like that.
Aquamarine
Member
Probably because they're already dedicated to making games exclusively for Nintendo platforms as-is. Why bother to spend the money when you already have two loyal third-party studios working for you?
Now if they started to go rogue and branch out with other third-party stuff...I can see Nintendo considering a buyout then.
Hmm, I dunno, I would've thought Nintendo was fine with B2/W2 on DS due to the huge install base.
That's amazing Nintendo doesn't have the definitive say in all of these matters. I thought it was much more of an equal partnership.
Well I imagine Nintendo didn't put up too much of a fight. BW did come 6 months before the 3DS, and jumping to a new console mid-gen would have been a bit horrible. Better to have a new engine on a new device.
Some could argue that's why Gen V was so short.
There is that, too, I was probably a bit presumptuous in my statement, but really they clearly would have preferred it to shore up the 3DS rather than keep a console going. B2W2 only sold around 8 million total anyway.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
But is there really no way? If they are really completely independent, I'm actually rather surprised, they stay so strictly exclusive. In particular when a console like Wii U runs like a trainwreck, it could be a huge advantage to develop for other consoles (PS4). Developing some small mobile games with good monetization measures could be hugely profitable for handheld-experienced companies like Game Freak or Intelligent Systems. Is being friends really that important in business in Japan?
Game Freak, selling 12 million units on a previously "doomed" handheld in 2 and a half months, decides to develop for the PS4 which is tanking in Japan? Not likely. As for mobile, while there is money in it, it's not as amazing an ocean as people think.
The Pokémon Company also has put stuff on mobile, by the way.
Also, Nintendo probably gives financial incentives to places like Intelligent Systems etc. anyway. They pay for the development, so it doesn't really matter too much, financially, for those developers if a game does well or not. If they were to go mobile or on other platforms, they wouldn't have that safety net.
It's not about being friends. It's about having good relationship to a company that has been paying the bills for the last few decades or so. There's little to gain for those companies pulling a stunt like that but literally all to lose.
And I would imagine Nintendo has some contracts in place to stop something like that happening.
Pux Corporation is a Panasonic Subsidary. Panasonic owns 50% while Nintendo in September of last year bought a 27% stake.
Pux in the past worked with Nintendo on input recognition on the DS line etc. They are kujeky going to be the primary drivers behind UI stuff alongside what Nintendo settles on with future devices.
Pux in the past worked with Nintendo on input recognition on the DS line etc. They are kujeky going to be the primary drivers behind UI stuff alongside what Nintendo settles on with future devices.
StreetsAhead
Member
I recall they also helped with the Fit Meter for Wii Fit U.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
I didn't imply Game Freak should do it instead of making Pokémon, but if they offered a big publisher a Monster catching game for PS4, there would obviously be a lot of money to get. As for mobile: The Pokédex thingies are definitely not what I was talking about, I was talking real games, though of course not using the Pokémon franchise (or, could they?). In regards to Game Freak, maybe they don't want to do that because handhelds are their life ensuance. HAL and Intelligent Systems however are a lot less dependant on handhelds existing. Considering both are also developing for Wii U, changing platforms to PS4 could potentially prove profitable for them.
That doesn't change the fact Nintendo pays them the money for the development of games and losing that would be very very risky.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
HAL would probably still get payed for Kirbys and Game Freak for Pokémons.
EDIT: I'll state the question more clearly: Is there any difference in HAL's current relationship to Nintendo compared to Insomniac's relationship to Sony before they decided they'd start being multiplatform?
Insomniac was just a third party who happened to make an exclusive. They weren't exactly close to Sony. Nintendo are very close to HAL and have been for years.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
They were not close to Sony? They worked exclusively for Sony platforms for three console generations, Sony has been their publisher since Ratchet and they shared technology with the now Sony-owned Naughty Dog. And even now, they still continue developing at least Ratchets for Sony.
I stand corrected.
CapHarlock
Neo Member
It may have just been because there was no other game in town. A lot of games are exclusive because there was no reason to put the game on other consoles. Nintendo platforms have never really been able to handle their games and the Xbox may not have seen a worth investment for them and many companies don't make PC games.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Spyro and the PS2 Ratchets could definitely have been done on Nintendo systems, too.
i had thought intsys was a nintendo first-party studio. interesting.