Nintendo Research & Engineering
Nintendo's logotype, used until 2016 | |
Exterior of the Nintendo Central Office in Kyoto, where the division was housed for most of its existence | |
Native name | 任天堂開発技術部 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Nintendō Kaihatsu Gijutsu Bu |
| Company type | Division department |
| Industry | Video games |
| Genre | Handheld game console development |
| Predecessors | Nintendo R&D1 |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Hiroshi Yamauchi |
| Defunct | February 16, 2013 |
| Fate | Merged with Nintendo Integrated Research & Development |
| Successor | Nintendo Integrated Research & Development |
| Headquarters | , Japan |
Number of locations | 1 (2012) |
Key people |
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Number of employees | 150 (2012) |
| Parent | Nintendo Manufacturing Division |
Nintendo Research & Engineering Department, commonly abbreviated as Nintendo RED, was a division of Nintendo responsible for the development of handheld game consoles and its associated peripherals. It was founded in 1996 and disbanded in 2012. The department was under Nintendo's manufacturing division, and was led by Satoru Okada. The department was created in 1996 following Nintendo Research & Development 1's (R&D1) general manager and Game & Watch and Game Boy creator, Gunpei Yokoi's departure from Nintendo. Most of the department's team originate from R&D1's hardware engineers.
The department went on to create some of Nintendo's best-selling handheld game consoles such as the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. Following the retirement of Okada in early 2012, the department was merged into the Nintendo Integrated Research & Development division, effectively merging Nintendo's handheld and home game console development teams.