Nintendo make Research and Development a priority, constructing facility closer to company HQ
Nintendo, it seems, are increasing their investment in the company’s future by increasing the budget for their new Research and Development facility in the heart of Minami Ward, in the Japanese city of Kyoto.
Having already purchased the 40,000-square-metre plot three years ago, in 2008, the consumer electronics company increased the budget for the project by $56-million, or ¥4.5-billion. Whichever currency one looks at, Nintendo seem dead serious about the venture,
otherwise they would not have raised the investment to $204 million from the initial plan of $148-million.
Add to it the $158 million (¥12.8-billion) already spent on the purchasing the land where the building is set to stand and it goes to show just how important Research and Development is for Nintendo.
It would be hard to argue on the huge investment, seeing how their two recent products, the Nintendo DS (and 3DS) and the Nintendo Wii, were a huge success, earning both praise and generating profits. The products were not successful because they were more
‘powerful’, in terms of graphics or gameplay dynamics, but rather because they incorporated unique and revolutionary ways to play games.
The Wii focused on motion controlled gaming and the DS utilized dual screens and a touch pad, with the 3DS adding 3D into the mix, while Sony and Microsoft opted for more conventional routes. That is before jumping on the motion controlled bandwagon themselves
with the subsequent release of the PlayStation Move and the Kinect respectively.
While the plot may have been Nintendo’s property since the deal in 2008, they only just finalised plans for construction of the R & D building. Construction is expected to start on in early 2012, with the increased budget and Nintendo expect to have the
project completed in just under two years time, by the end of 2013.
The reason for the move is said to be easy access to the R & D department from Nintendo’s Head Quarters, which is located in the same, Minami, Ward district. At present, the R & D facility is located in Higashiyama Ward, which is not as convenient as the
new site.
The new facility is confirmed to be a seven-story building, where Nintendo’s most creative minds will be working under the same roof.
The news is great for the world of gaming, as Nintendo are, in more ways than one, trendsetters in the industry, taking risks where others would not and generally an organisation that is not afraid to think out of the box.
Now with the new facility in the works, gamers can expect more of the same from the company that made the word Wii (read wee), cool.
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