View source for Satoru Okada

{{BLP sources|date=December 2013}}
{{short description|Former general manager of Nintendo Research & Engineering}}

{{Infobox person
| name               = <!--  Commented out because image was deleted: | image     = Satoru Okada.gif -->
| image_size         = 
| native_name        = 岡田 智
| image              =
| caption            = 
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1947|1|10}}
| birth_place        = [[Akita (city)|Akita]], [[Japan]]
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| alma_mater         = Kansai University
| occupation         = General Manager, Engineer
| employer           = [[Nintendo]] (1969–2012)
| notable_works      = Duck Hunt, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Famicom Wars, Super Mario Land, Balloon Fight
| spouse             = 
}}
'''Satoru Okada''' (岡田 智 ''Okada Satoru'', born January 10, 1947) is the former general manager of [[Nintendo Research & Engineering]], the division designing and developing [[Nintendo]] [[handheld game console]]s. He is best known for creating the original [[Game Boy]] and its successors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/09/14/okada-on-the-game-boy-advance |website=[[IGN]] |title=Okada on the Game Boy Advance |date=September 13, 2000 |access-date=January 2, 2017 |quote=Yokoi (Gunpei Yokoi) and I created the first Game Boy, with Yokoi handling more of the design and interface aspects. I handled more of the internal systems of the machine.}}</ref><ref name="okada">{{cite web |url=http://www.japanesenintendo.com/post/155107688449 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101232208/http://www.japanesenintendo.com/post/155107688449 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 1, 2017 |title=Satoru Okada talks Game & Watch, Game Boy and Nintendo DS development |work=Issue 163  |year=2016 |publisher=[[Retro Gamer]] Magazine |accessdate=January 1, 2017}}</ref> He was also assistant producer and director of and contributor to several Nintendo games, notably ''[[Metroid (video game)|Metroid]]'', released for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] in 1986.

Okada entered Nintendo in 1969 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: the [[Game Boy Color]], [[Game Boy Advance]], [[Game Boy Advance SP]] and [[Nintendo DS]]. Okada initially opposed the Nintendo DS' dual-screen design but was overruled by [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/the-man-who-worked-on-the-original-game-boy-explains-wh-1790673619|title=The Man Who Worked On The Original Game Boy Explains Why Nintendo Created The DS|last=Gach|first=Ethan|date=January 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102062039/https://kotaku.com/the-man-who-worked-on-the-original-game-boy-explains-wh-1790673619|archive-date=January 2, 2017|website=[[Kotaku]]|quote=Okada apparently tried to urge Iwata to let him try to make the case to their former boss in person and explain why going with a second screen would be the wrong move, but CEO declined.}}</ref>

Okada also participated in the development of several Nintendo games, as the chief director of ''Metroid'', director of ''[[Kid Icarus]]'', ''[[Solar Striker]]'' (along with Keisuke Terasaki) and ''[[Super Mario Land]]'' and contributed to many other titles.

Okada retired from Nintendo in January 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Report: Metroid Director Satoru Okada Retires from Nintendo |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10/06/report-metroid-director-satoru-okada-retires-from-nintendo |website=[[IGN]] |date=October 6, 2014 |access-date=January 2, 2017 |first=Cassidee |last=Moser |quote=Nintendo has confirmed with IGN that Okada actually retired back in January of 2012 and has not worked with the company since then.}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{moby developer|id=156228}}
*[http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/084/084894p1.html IGN: Okada on the Game Boy Advance]
*[https://shmuplations.com/okada2022/ Satoru Okada - 2022 Retrospective Interview]

{{Nintendo}}
{{Game Boy}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Okada, Satoru}}
[[Category:Nintendo people]]
[[Category:Japanese engineers]]
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:General and operations managers]]