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Hiroji Kiyotake
What's his deal?
An employee of Nintendo R&D 1 hired around 1984, Hiroji Kiyotake directed Wario's debut game, Super Mario Land 2 and created everyone's favourite garlic-eating farmer. He also directed Wario Land and Virtual Boy Wario Land, and has had graphic design credits on Wario Land, III and 4.
What else did he do?
Kiyotake was heavily involved in the development of Metroid and its Famicon disk system port, and he also created Samus. He directed Metroid II.
Where is he now?
The Kyoto Report and Wikipedia credited Hiroji Kiyotake as the head of a group within SPD responsible for charater design, although I find that dubious as he's not been credited in a game since Wario Land 4 beside "Wario's creator" mentions in Mario sports games and concept art for Metroid Other M. He presumably still works at the company as he showed in recent-ish interviews like the Metroid one for the NES classic
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Goro Abe
What's his deal?
Employed by Nintendo at the turn of the millenium, Goro Abe worked as a programmer for Wario Land 4 and a ridiculous number of roles on the first WarioWare. Since Mega Party Games, Abe has had director credit on every WarioWare with the exception of Snapped! and Touched, where he was one of the director but the main one (that being Ryuichi Nakada).
What else did he do?:
Abe was also the director of the DSi Metronome app and the Play-Yan's built-in games. Patents credit him as one of the inventor of the aborted Wii Vitality Sensor and its unannounced showcase title, Wii Relax. During the gap between Game & Wario and WW Gold, his name showed up in a lot of patents relating to amiibo implementation in games, including one that foreshadowed the amiibo use in WW Gold.
Where is he now?
He directed WW Gold so likely still works at Nintendo.
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Ko Takeuchi
What's his deal?
Ko Takeuchi drew background titles for Wario Land 4 before becoming the character designer for the WarioWare series. He also has game design credits on the game from WarioWare Inc. up to Smooth Moves.
What else did he do?
He is also the character designer and a game designer on the Rhythm Heaven series. He was Art Director on its latest installment, The Best+, and also drew gag comics on the game's official promotional page. He also directed an ultra-obscure Hamtaro game for the GameBoy color
He has his own his artist box (formely?) named Kokosac, which had some success drawing promotional stuff for Japanese music group and TV series. He also really likes drawing dank memes
Where is he now?
Ko was particuly busy on WW Gold, doing all the character art, the storyboarding for the cutscenes, animating said custscenes, voicing Joe in the Japanese dub and doing the animated character trailers following the game's launch. In a deleted tweet on April 10, he mentioned how he couldn't work too much on his web animated series because he had an important meeting at "the company" (read: nintendo) so he's working on a as-of-yet unannounced game.
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Yoshio Sakamoto:
What's his deal?
A key figure of Nintendo R&D 1, Sakamoto supervised Wario Land 4 and Wario World before becoming a producer on the WarioWare series, starting with Twisted!. He also has game design credits on Smooth Moves and Game & Wario
What else did he do?
He has a long and illustrious career, his design credits include every 2D Metroid escept Metroid 2 Kid Icarus, Teleroboxer, Balloon Fight, Super Metroid, the Famicom Detective Club series, For the Frog The Bell Tolls and... Metroid Other M.
Where is he now?
Sakamoto apaprently works as a producer in Nintend EPD and produced Metroid Samus Returns.
In a 2015 interview, Sakakmoto indicated that following that year's development restructure, he was no longer supervising the "funny games" team and has no idea what they're doing now; indeed his name is not in WarioWare Gold's credit so this may be the end of his involvement in WarioWare for the time being.
Hirofumi Matsuoka
What's his deal?: He co-directed Virtual Boy Wario Land, and directed Wario Land 4 and the original WarioWare, and also notably Mario Artist Polygon Studio, whose "Sound Bomber" mode would be the basis for the WW series.
What else did he do?: A senior employee of R&D1, he was one of the original two people assigned to work on Metroid, designer on Super Mario Land, and director of Mario Paint. Which explains a lot of things.
Where is he now?: Following the completion of WarioWare, Matsuoka departed Nintendo R&D1 to join Creatures. He worked as a designer on the Mystery Dungeon series, the Poképark series and Detective Pikachu.
Takehiko Hosokawa
What's his deal?
A largely mysterious veteran employee of Nintendo, Hosokawa's gameography is largely made up of Wario games: co-directed Wario's debut game Super Mario Land II, co-directed the first Wario Land, did graphic design on Virtual Boy: Wario Land, directed Wario Land II and III, was a designer on Wario Land 4 and WarioWare Touched, and assistant director on Game & Wario.
What else did he do?
Hosokawa is a regular on the 2D Metroids, being a designer on Metroid II, "system director"(?) on Metroid Fusion, level designer on Zero Mission and one of the directors of Metroid Other M.
Where is he now?
Did the map for Samus Returns.
Taku Sugioka
What's his deal?:
An Intelligent Systems employee, Taku Sugioka was specifically requested to be brought on Mega Party Games$! development by Goro Abe due to his elite programming skills. Since then, he has been involved as a programmer and/or designer on every WarioWare game until Gold, and directed Snapped!
What else did he do?
Minor programming work on Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon and directed all installements of the Pushmo series.
Where is he now?
His last game credit is director on Stretchmo. He is credited for "Special Thanks" on WarioWare Gold but it is unknown if he had any involvement in the game or if it just an acknowledgement of his important role in the series.
Naoko Mori
What’s her deal?: Mori was a game and graphic designer on the Warioware series, starting with Twisted! For Smooth Moves, she assumed the role of art director.
For Game & Wario, Naoko Mori assumed the role of co-director. Her task was to take Goro Abe’s idea and work to implement them into the game.
What else did she do?: Mori is credited in the Special Thanks of Paper Mario Sticker Star and Planet Puzzle League, and was a graphic designer on Mario Kart Super Circuit and Pokemon Puzzle League, and assistant director on Paper Mario Color plash.
Where she is now?:
Is credited as a supervisor on WW Gold.
Katsuya Yamano
(if anyone has a photo of this guy that doesn't look like the internet equivalent of a cryptid sighting, I'd appreciate it)
What’s his deal: Sakamoto’s right-hand at SPD1, Katsuya Yamano was the main programmer of Wario Land II to 4, and the supervisor of all the Warioware games starting with Twisted!. He is also credited as a gamer designer on Touched!
What else did he do: Yamano followed a similar career path for the 2D Metroids. He was the assistant director of Game Boy Wars, and did the music and sound effects for Teleroboxer.
Where is he now? He was reportedly promoted to manager of Nintendo SPD1 after Sakamoto’s promotion to Deputy Manager of SPD. Following the EPD restructure, Yamano’s current role at Nintendo is unknown. Last credit is project manager on Samus Returns.
Hiroji Kiyotake
What's his deal?
An employee of Nintendo R&D 1 hired around 1984, Hiroji Kiyotake directed Wario's debut game, Super Mario Land 2 and created everyone's favourite garlic-eating farmer. He also directed Wario Land and Virtual Boy Wario Land, and has had graphic design credits on Wario Land, III and 4.
What else did he do?
Kiyotake was heavily involved in the development of Metroid and its Famicon disk system port, and he also created Samus. He directed Metroid II.
Where is he now?
The Kyoto Report and Wikipedia credited Hiroji Kiyotake as the head of a group within SPD responsible for charater design, although I find that dubious as he's not been credited in a game since Wario Land 4 beside "Wario's creator" mentions in Mario sports games and concept art for Metroid Other M. He presumably still works at the company as he showed in recent-ish interviews like the Metroid one for the NES classic
----
Goro Abe
What's his deal?
Employed by Nintendo at the turn of the millenium, Goro Abe worked as a programmer for Wario Land 4 and a ridiculous number of roles on the first WarioWare. Since Mega Party Games, Abe has had director credit on every WarioWare with the exception of Snapped! and Touched, where he was one of the director but the main one (that being Ryuichi Nakada).
What else did he do?:
Abe was also the director of the DSi Metronome app and the Play-Yan's built-in games. Patents credit him as one of the inventor of the aborted Wii Vitality Sensor and its unannounced showcase title, Wii Relax. During the gap between Game & Wario and WW Gold, his name showed up in a lot of patents relating to amiibo implementation in games, including one that foreshadowed the amiibo use in WW Gold.
Where is he now?
He directed WW Gold so likely still works at Nintendo.
----
Ko Takeuchi
What's his deal?
Ko Takeuchi drew background titles for Wario Land 4 before becoming the character designer for the WarioWare series. He also has game design credits on the game from WarioWare Inc. up to Smooth Moves.
What else did he do?
He is also the character designer and a game designer on the Rhythm Heaven series. He was Art Director on its latest installment, The Best+, and also drew gag comics on the game's official promotional page. He also directed an ultra-obscure Hamtaro game for the GameBoy color
He has his own his artist box (formely?) named Kokosac, which had some success drawing promotional stuff for Japanese music group and TV series. He also really likes drawing dank memes
Where is he now?
Ko was particuly busy on WW Gold, doing all the character art, the storyboarding for the cutscenes, animating said custscenes, voicing Joe in the Japanese dub and doing the animated character trailers following the game's launch. In a deleted tweet on April 10, he mentioned how he couldn't work too much on his web animated series because he had an important meeting at "the company" (read: nintendo) so he's working on a as-of-yet unannounced game.
----
Yoshio Sakamoto:
What's his deal?
A key figure of Nintendo R&D 1, Sakamoto supervised Wario Land 4 and Wario World before becoming a producer on the WarioWare series, starting with Twisted!. He also has game design credits on Smooth Moves and Game & Wario
What else did he do?
He has a long and illustrious career, his design credits include every 2D Metroid escept Metroid 2 Kid Icarus, Teleroboxer, Balloon Fight, Super Metroid, the Famicom Detective Club series, For the Frog The Bell Tolls and... Metroid Other M.
Where is he now?
Sakamoto apaprently works as a producer in Nintend EPD and produced Metroid Samus Returns.
In a 2015 interview, Sakakmoto indicated that following that year's development restructure, he was no longer supervising the "funny games" team and has no idea what they're doing now; indeed his name is not in WarioWare Gold's credit so this may be the end of his involvement in WarioWare for the time being.
Hirofumi Matsuoka
What's his deal?: He co-directed Virtual Boy Wario Land, and directed Wario Land 4 and the original WarioWare, and also notably Mario Artist Polygon Studio, whose "Sound Bomber" mode would be the basis for the WW series.
What else did he do?: A senior employee of R&D1, he was one of the original two people assigned to work on Metroid, designer on Super Mario Land, and director of Mario Paint. Which explains a lot of things.
Where is he now?: Following the completion of WarioWare, Matsuoka departed Nintendo R&D1 to join Creatures. He worked as a designer on the Mystery Dungeon series, the Poképark series and Detective Pikachu.
Takehiko Hosokawa
What's his deal?
A largely mysterious veteran employee of Nintendo, Hosokawa's gameography is largely made up of Wario games: co-directed Wario's debut game Super Mario Land II, co-directed the first Wario Land, did graphic design on Virtual Boy: Wario Land, directed Wario Land II and III, was a designer on Wario Land 4 and WarioWare Touched, and assistant director on Game & Wario.
What else did he do?
Hosokawa is a regular on the 2D Metroids, being a designer on Metroid II, "system director"(?) on Metroid Fusion, level designer on Zero Mission and one of the directors of Metroid Other M.
Where is he now?
Did the map for Samus Returns.
Taku Sugioka
What's his deal?:
An Intelligent Systems employee, Taku Sugioka was specifically requested to be brought on Mega Party Games$! development by Goro Abe due to his elite programming skills. Since then, he has been involved as a programmer and/or designer on every WarioWare game until Gold, and directed Snapped!
What else did he do?
Minor programming work on Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon and directed all installements of the Pushmo series.
Where is he now?
His last game credit is director on Stretchmo. He is credited for "Special Thanks" on WarioWare Gold but it is unknown if he had any involvement in the game or if it just an acknowledgement of his important role in the series.
Naoko Mori
What’s her deal?: Mori was a game and graphic designer on the Warioware series, starting with Twisted! For Smooth Moves, she assumed the role of art director.
For Game & Wario, Naoko Mori assumed the role of co-director. Her task was to take Goro Abe’s idea and work to implement them into the game.
What else did she do?: Mori is credited in the Special Thanks of Paper Mario Sticker Star and Planet Puzzle League, and was a graphic designer on Mario Kart Super Circuit and Pokemon Puzzle League, and assistant director on Paper Mario Color plash.
Where she is now?:
Is credited as a supervisor on WW Gold.
Katsuya Yamano
(if anyone has a photo of this guy that doesn't look like the internet equivalent of a cryptid sighting, I'd appreciate it)
What’s his deal: Sakamoto’s right-hand at SPD1, Katsuya Yamano was the main programmer of Wario Land II to 4, and the supervisor of all the Warioware games starting with Twisted!. He is also credited as a gamer designer on Touched!
What else did he do: Yamano followed a similar career path for the 2D Metroids. He was the assistant director of Game Boy Wars, and did the music and sound effects for Teleroboxer.
Where is he now? He was reportedly promoted to manager of Nintendo SPD1 after Sakamoto’s promotion to Deputy Manager of SPD. Following the EPD restructure, Yamano’s current role at Nintendo is unknown. Last credit is project manager on Samus Returns.
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