Feb. 13, 2008

Three key platform developers for recent and upcoming Nintendo products, Takao Sawano, Takashi Aoyama, and Masahiro Sakurai, will speak to GDC 2008 attendees about the company’s most recent developmental Wii™ product achievements including Wii Fit™, WiiWare™ and Super Smash Bros.® Brawl.

Takao Sawano, the producer for the Wii Balance Board™ development team, will address attendees about the development of Wii Fit on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 4 pm. Attendees will learn how Sawano’s team created an unprecedented new game controller, the Wii Balance Board, and how Wii Fit, which recently launched in Japan, is already turning family living rooms into private fitness clubs.

On Friday, Feb. 22 at 9 am, Takashi Aoyama will tell the development story of the Wii console’s internal hardware programming, which includes a diverse array of built-in entertainment and informational channels for everyone in the household such as the News Channel, the Everybody Votes Channel and the Check Mii Out Channel. Aoyama will also discuss how his team tackled some unprecedented hurdles for Wii, including the most recent challenge of introducing WiiWare.

Also on Friday at 10:30 am, Masahiro Sakurai will present how he approached the task of advancing the legacy of the Super Smash Bros. Brawl franchise by providing a unique Wii experience and by leveraging popular characters and game worlds from the history of Nintendo, as well as other publishers.

All Nintendo panels will be held in Room 135 of the North Hall of the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.

Nintendo Press Room