Satoru Okada
Encyclopedia
Satoru Okada is the general manager of Nintendo
Research & Engineering, the division designing and developing Nintendo handheld game console
s (such as the Game Boy Color
, Game Boy Advance
, Game Boy Advance SP
, and Nintendo DS
consoles). He was also assistant producer and director of and contributor to several Nintendo games, notably Metroid
, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1986.
Okada entered Nintendo in 1975, and went on to work as an engineer at Nintendo Research & Development 1
with Gunpei Yokoi, who developed the hugely successful Game & Watch
and Game Boy handheld game consoles. In 1996, Yokoi left Nintendo which caused R&D1 to split, its engineers creating a portable hardware division of which Okada became the general manager. His team lacked Yokoi but nevertheless developed hugely successful handheld consoles, those being the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP and most recently the Nintendo DS.
Okada also participated in the development of several Nintendo games, as the assistant producer of Metroid, the director of Solar Striker
(along with Keisuke Terasaki) and Super Mario Land
and contributor to many other titles. Nowadays, he is fully dedicated to designing and developing handheld consoles.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Research & Engineering, the division designing and developing Nintendo handheld game console
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
s (such as the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Advance SP
The , released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in Game Boy Advance SP stands for Special. The SP was marketed at US$99.99 at launch. In September 2004, Nintendo lowered the price to US$79.99...
, and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
consoles). He was also assistant producer and director of and contributor to several Nintendo games, notably Metroid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in 1986.
Okada entered Nintendo in 1975, and went on to work as an engineer at Nintendo Research & Development 1
Nintendo Research & Development 1
was Nintendo's oldest development team. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video games industry, and the original R&D1 was headed by Gunpei Yokoi...
with Gunpei Yokoi, who developed the hugely successful Game & Watch
Game & Watch
is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and an alarm ....
and Game Boy handheld game consoles. In 1996, Yokoi left Nintendo which caused R&D1 to split, its engineers creating a portable hardware division of which Okada became the general manager. His team lacked Yokoi but nevertheless developed hugely successful handheld consoles, those being the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP and most recently the Nintendo DS.
Okada also participated in the development of several Nintendo games, as the assistant producer of Metroid, the director of Solar Striker
Solar Striker
is a vertical scrolling shooter video game for the Nintendo Game Boy. It was developed and released by Nintendo. This is the only scrolling shoot 'em up developed by Nintendo.-Plot:...
(along with Keisuke Terasaki) and Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on April 21, 1989, in the United States on July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990...
and contributor to many other titles. Nowadays, he is fully dedicated to designing and developing handheld consoles.