HAL Laboratory
HAL Laboratory | |
Founded | February 21, 1980 |
First Kirby game | Kirby's Dream Land (1992) |
Latest Kirby game | Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022) |
Current president | Shigefumi Kawase |
HAL Laboratory (HAL Labs for short, and referred to as Halken in some previous releases) is a Japanese game developer partnered with Nintendo. They are notable for developing nearly every game of the Kirby franchise, which was created by ex-employee Masahiro Sakurai. HAL Laboratory is also responsible for creating the Super Smash Bros. series, with each installment featuring Kirby as a playable character, and the EarthBound (Mother) series, and they have commonly collaborated with other teams within Nintendo.
The name "HAL" originates from the fictional computer HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey,[1] as well as each letter being one letter before "IBM."[2]
The first two Super Smash Bros. titles, Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, were developed by HAL Laboratory. Starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sora Ltd., a game developer founded by Masahiro Sakurai, would take over HAL Laboratory's role in developing the Super Smash Bros. games.
External links
References
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (March 10, 2005). GDC 2005: Iwata Keynote Transcript. IGN. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ Madden, O. (November 30, 2012). Iwata Explains Where The Name HAL Laboratory Came From. Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 6, 2018.