Kensuke Tanabe
| Kensuke Tanabe 田邊 賢輔 | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 26, 1963 (age 63)[1] |
| Super Mario–related roles | Senior officer, producer, game designer |
Kensuke Tanabe (田邊 賢輔) is a Japanese video game developer and producer formerly employed by Nintendo. Tanabe, after graduating from the Visual Concept Planning Department of the Osaka University of Arts, decided to join Nintendo and was first enrolled into Nintendo EAD in 1986. One of his first assignments was developing a prototype for a vertical scrolling-focused Super Mario–style platformer, which would serve as the basis of Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic.[2]
From at least 2019 until June 2026, Tanabe served as a senior officer of Nintendo EPD. In 2026, Tanabe stated in an interview with Nintendo DREAM in its March 2026 issue that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, released in December 2025, is his last game that he would be making at Nintendo.[3] He would later leave Nintendo in June of that year and joined Winning Entertainment Group as Chief Creative Officer in August of that year.
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Games[edit]
- Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic / Super Mario Bros. 2 - Director, Course design
- Super Mario Bros. 3 - Level design, Map design[4] (uncredited)
- Donkey Kong Country - Japanese localization[5]
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Screenplay advisor
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - Special Thanks
- Super Smash Bros. - Special Thanks
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - Supervisor
- Super Mario Strikers - Producer
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis - Producer
- Super Paper Mario - Producer
- Mario Strikers Charged - Producer
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Producer
- Captain Rainbow - Producer
- Punch-Out!! (Wii) - Producer
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! - Producer
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! - Producer
- Donkey Kong Country Returns - Producer
- Mario Kart 7 - Special Thanks
- Mario Party 9 - Special Thanks
- Paper Mario: Sticker Star - Producer
- Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - Special advisor
- Game & Wario - Directing support, Game design (directed the Ashley and Islands minigames in cooperation with Risa Tabata[6])
- Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move - Producer
- Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - Producer
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Producer
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars - Supervisor
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam - Supervisor
- Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge - Producer
- Paper Mario: Color Splash - Producer
- WarioWare Gold - Producer
- Luigi's Mansion (Nintendo 3DS) - Producer
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Original Game Supervisor
- Luigi's Mansion 3 - Producer
- Paper Mario: The Origami King - Producer
- WarioWare: Get It Together! - Producer
- Mario Strikers: Battle League - Producer
- WarioWare: Move It! - Producer
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) - Special Thanks
- Luigi's Mansion 2 HD - Producer
- Donkey Kong Country Returns HD - Original Game Supervisor
Other works[edit]
- Super Nintendo World - Creative Director
Gallery[edit]
Tanabe (center) with Risa Tabata (left) and Michael Kelbaugh (right)
References[edit]
- ^ Shokugan's Link's Awakening guide (translation available at glitterberri)
- ^ The Secret History of Super Mario Bros. 2
- ^ February 21, 2026. 【ストーリー最終解答】『メトロイドプライム4 ビヨンド』開発スタッフインタビュー. Nintendo DREAM WEB. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ Iwata Asks: Paper Mario: Sticker Star
- ^ Iwata Asks: Donkey Kong Country Returns
- ^ Iwata Asks: Game & Wario