Nintendo Research & Development 2

Nintendo Research & Development No. 2 Department,^[a] commonly abbreviated as Nintendo R&D2, was a Japanese team within Nintendo that developed software and peripherals. While usually occupied in system operating software and technical support, the team would come back to early development in the 1990s where several new designers got their start at game development, the most famous being Eiji Aonuma who developed Marvelous: Another Treasure Island.

Nintendo Research & Development No. 2 Department

Nintendo's logo, used during R&D2's existence
Exterior of the former Nintendo headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, which housed the department
Native name	任天堂開発第二部
Romanized name	Nintendō Kaihatsu Daini Bu
Company type	Department
Industry	Video games
Genre	Electronic game development Video game console development Video game development
Predecessor	Nintendo Research & Development
Founded	1978; 47 years ago (1978)
Founder	Hiroshi Yamauchi
Defunct	2004 (2004)
Fate	Absorbed into Nintendo Software Planning & Development
Successor	Nintendo Software Planning & Development
Headquarters	Kyoto , Japan
Number of locations	1 (Kyoto) (2004)
Key people	Masayuki Uemura (General Manager) Eiji Aonuma (director)
Parent	Nintendo Manufacturing Division

The team was formed as a spin-off of the older Nintendo Research & Development No. 1 Department and was initially led by Masayuki Uemura, who previously worked for Sharp Corporation. Using an idea of Sharp's solar technology, Uemura's department went on to develop the popular Nintendo beam gun games, selling over 1 million units. Kazuhiko Taniguchi took Uemura's position in 2004. Nintendo R&D2 was later merged into Nintendo SPD.^[1]

History

In the 1970s, Nintendo created the R&D2 department.^[2]

In 2004, the department's general manager Masayuki Uemura retired from Nintendo.^[3][4] Following his retirement, he became a professor at the Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, and served as an advisor to Nintendo Research & Engineering.^[5]

Products developed

Electronic games

Year	Name	Ref.
1977	Color TV-Game 6	[6]
	Color TV-Game 15	[6]
1978	Color TV-Game Racing 112	[6]
1979	Color TV-Game Block Breaker	[6]
1980	Computer TV-Game	[6]

Video game consoles

Year	Name	Ref.
1983–1985	Family Computer / Nintendo Entertainment System	[6]
1990–1991	Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System	[6]
1995	Satellaview	[6]

Video games

Year	Title	Platform(s)	Ref.
1980	Radar Scope	Arcade	[7]
1983	Donkey Kong	NES	[8]
	Donkey Kong Jr.	NES	[8]
	Mahjong	NES	[8]
	Donkey Kong Jr. Math	NES	[8]
1991	NES Open Tournament Golf	NES	[9][10]
1996	Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima	SFC	[11]
1997	BS Zelda no Densetsu: Inishie no Sekiban	Satellaview	[12]
	Sutte Hakkun	Satellaview	[13]
1998		SFC
1999	Super Mario Bros. Deluxe	GBC	[14][10]
2000	Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble	GBC	[15]
2001	Super Mario Advance	GBA	[10]
	Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2	GBA	[10]
2002	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords	GBA	[10]
	Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3	GBA	[10]
2003	Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3	GBA	[10]

Notes

1. Japanese: 任天堂開発第二部, Hepburn: Nintendō Kaihatsu Daini Bu