Toshihiko Nakago
Japanese video game programmer
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Toshihiko Nakago (Japanese: 中郷 俊彦, Hepburn: Nakagō Toshihiko) is a Japanese video game programmer and the president of Systems Research and Development (SRD), a programming studio that has worked on Nintendo titles for nearly four decades.[1] He is best known as the lead programmer of the original Super Mario Bros. (1985) and The Legend of Zelda (1986) for the Nintendo Entertainment System.[2]
Toshihiko Nakago | |
|---|---|
中郷 俊彦 | |
| Occupation | Video game programmer |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Known for | Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda |
| Title | President of SRD |
Career
SRD was founded in 1979 and initially specialised in computer-aided design (CAD) software. The studio began working with Nintendo in 1983, when it helped port the arcade game Donkey Kong to the company's Famicom/NES platform, drawing on its expertise with the 6502 microprocessor.[3]
After working on the Donkey Kong ports, Nakago and SRD collaborated with designer Shigeru Miyamoto on Excitebike, their first original Famicom title.[3] Nakago went on to serve as lead programmer for Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, working alongside Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka.[2] Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata described the three as a long-standing creative core within the company.[1]
Over subsequent decades Nakago's role evolved from programmer to programming director, supervisor and adviser across numerous Mario and Zelda titles, while remaining president of SRD rather than a direct Nintendo employee.[1]
On 1 April 2022, Nintendo acquired SRD, making it a wholly owned subsidiary; Nakago continued to lead the studio.[4] SRD ultimately contributed to roughly one hundred Nintendo games, including most of The Legend of Zelda series and the Super Mario and Animal Crossing franchises.[4]
Selected works
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Donkey Kong (NES) | Programmer |
| 1984 | Excitebike | Programmer |
| 1985 | Super Mario Bros. | Programmer |
| 1986 | The Legend of Zelda | Programmer |
| 1990 | Super Mario World | Programming director |
| 1991 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | Programming director |
| 2000 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Programming director |
| 2006 | New Super Mario Bros. | Programming director |
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | Supervisor |
| 2012 | New Super Mario Bros. 2 | Level design advisor |
| New Super Mario Bros. U | ||
| 2013 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | Supervisor |
| 2017 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | |
| 2019 | Super Mario Maker 2 | Special advisor |
| Ring Fit Adventure | ||
| 2020 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Associate producer |
| 2023 | Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Special level design adviser |