 Logo used since 2013 | |
 Headquarters inChiyoda, Tokyo | |
Native name | 1-UPスタジオ株式会社 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | 1-Up Sutajio Kabushiki gaisha |
| Formerly | Brownie Brown Inc.(2000–2013) |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | June 30, 2000; 25 years ago (2000-06-30) inTokyo, Japan |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | Kanda Square, 2-2-1 Kandanishiki-cho,, Japan |
Key people | Gen Kadoi (President) |
Number of employees | 95 (2025) |
| Parent | Nintendo |
| Website | 1-up-studio |
| Footnotes / references [1][2] | |
1-Up Studio Inc.[a] (stylized as "1-UP STUDIO"), formerlyBrownie Brown Inc.,[b] is a Japanesevideo game developer based inTokyo. It was founded on June 30, 2000 bySquare alumni Shinichi Kameoka and Kouji Tsuda, who worked on theMana series. The studio developed games for bothNintendo andSquare Enix, includingMagical Vacation andSword of Mana.
On February 1, 2013, the company announced that due to their recent co-development efforts with Nintendo, they were undergoing a change in internal structure. As a result, the company took on its current name. At the same time, Kameoka left to form a new studio,Brownies.
Since the 2010s, the company has mainly worked as a support studio toNintendo EPD, with its staff mainly consisting of artists, game designers, and programmers.[3]
1-Up was founded on June 30, 2000 asBrownie Brown, and consisted of many 2D artists formerly ofSquare. Founders Shinichi Kameoka and Kouji Tsuda had previously worked on theMana series on theGame Boy andSuper NES platforms.[4] They left Square due to "differing ideals." The studio's name came from theBrownies, fairies of Scottish folklore said to be hardworking and friendly, which Kameoka believed fit the team's style (a Brownie is featured in the studio's logo).[5] He elaborated that he wanted to makeGame Boy Advance games, leading to the creation of Brownie Brown.[6]
The company's first original creation was the Japan-onlyMagical Vacation for theGame Boy Advance, which was released in 2001. Another popular title developed by Brownie Brown wasSword of Mana, which was created for and published bySquare Enix. Thought to be a new title in theSeiken Densetsu series, it was actually anenhanced remake of the first game in the series,Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (known asMystic Quest inEurope andFinal Fantasy Adventure inNorth America).
The company has also been credited with the development ofMother 3 in a collaborative effort withShigesato Itoi andHAL Laboratory for theGame Boy Advance, andMagical Starsign (Magical Vacation: When the Five Stars Align in Japan) for theNintendo DS. Brownie Brown expressed interest in a Nintendo DS port ofMother 3 if Nintendo asked them to make it, and that they would like it to be enjoyed by fans abroad.[7]
While the company only developed games for Nintendo's handheld consoles up to this point, the company had previously announced a title for theGameCube, namedGofuku, which was scheduled for release in 2005 and announced alongsideMagical Starsign.[8][9]
The company later releasedBlue Dragon Plus for theNintendo DS, developed alongsideMistwalker,[10] and entered into the downloadable games market in 2009 withA Kappa's Trail, aDSiWare game.[11] Brownie Brown also worked on the DS titleLivly Garden, based on a browser game from So-net Entertainment, released in Japan on January 28, 2010,[12] and aided in the development of twoLevel-5 titles,Professor Layton's London Life, a bonus game included withProfessor Layton and the Last Specter, andFantasy Life, for the DS and 3DS respectively.[13]
On February 1, 2013, the company announced on their original official website that, as a result of their recent development cooperation efforts with Nintendo, Brownie Brown had undergone changes in internal structure, which included officially changing its name to1-Up Studio and becoming a support studio for Nintendo.[6][14] Upon the changes, Kameoka left 1-Up Studio to foundBrownies, seeking to make original games.[6][15] In the same year,Yoshiaki Koizumi became part of the board of directors of the company as one of its directors.[16]
In 2020, the company moved its headquarters to the new Nintendo Tokyo Office building at Kanda Square, Tokyo withNintendo EPD Tokyo,Nintendo PTD Tokyo,HAL Laboratory Head Office and Tokyo R&D Center, andGame Freak.[17]
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Role[18] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Magical Vacation | Game Boy Advance | Nintendo | Lead developer |
| 2003 | Sword of Mana[c] | Square Enix | ||
| 2006 | Mother 3[d] | Nintendo | ||
| Magical Starsign[19] | Nintendo DS | |||
| 2007 | Heroes of Mana[c] | Square Enix | ||
| 2008 | Blue Dragon Plus[20] | AQ Interactive | ||
| 2009 | A Kappa's Trail | Nintendo DSi | Nintendo | |
| Professor Layton's London Life[21][e] | Nintendo DS | Level-5 | Co-developer | |
| 2010 | Livly Garden | Marvelous Entertainment | Lead developer | |
| 2011 | Super Mario 3D Land[22][f] | Nintendo 3DS | Nintendo | Design, level design |
| 2012 | Fantasy Life[e] | Level-5 | Co-developer |
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Role[18] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Flipnote Studio 3D[f] | Nintendo 3DS | Nintendo | Design, programming |
| Super Mario 3D World[f] | Wii U | Design, level design, sound | ||
| 2014 | Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[f] | Design, level design, sound | ||
| 2015 | The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes[g] | Nintendo 3DS | Design, programming | |
| 2017 | Super Mario Odyssey[g] | Nintendo Switch | Design, level design, CG tool programming, sound | |
| 2018 | Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[g] | Nintendo 3DS,Nintendo Switch | Design, level design, sound | |
| 2019 | Ring Fit Adventure[g] | Nintendo Switch | Design, planning, programming | |
| 2020 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons[g] | Design | ||
| Super Mario 3D All-Stars[g][h] | Design | |||
| 2021 | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[g] | Design, level design, CG tool programming, sound | ||
| 2025 | Mario Kart World[g][23] | Nintendo Switch 2 | Design | |
| Donkey Kong Bananza[g] | Design, level design, programming, sound |