Dan Adelman, Nintendo’s Head of Digital Content and Development, is departing Nintendo to focus completely on independent development. During his nine year tenure with Nintendo he spearheaded their digital content initiative and represented several indie developers and their games, bringing memorable titles like World of Goo, Cave Story and BIT.TRIP Runner to Nintendo platforms.
Dan will certainly be missed at Nintendo but I'm excited to see what his own personal indie efforts produce, as the man definitely knows the indie scene and what makes a classic game.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dan Adelman, Nintendo’s Head of Digital Content and Development, to Work Independently with Indie Developers on Marketing and Biz Dev
August 4, 2014- Redmond, WA
Dan Adelman announces that after nearly nine years with the company, he has decided to leave Nintendo of America to go full-blown indie himself. As the founder of Nintendo of America’s digital distribution business, Dan was one of the first mainstream industry professionals to recognize the importance of independent developers and advocate on their behalf. He plans to continue that success in a direct role on the ground across independent studios.
During his time at Nintendo, Dan oversaw the launch of hundreds of games and advised indie developers on game design, marketing campaigns, and general business strategy. He is best known for identifying and bringing great indie games like World of Goo, Cave Story and the BIT.TRIP series to major consoles before competing platforms took notice of indie developers.
Many indie teams recognize that the business-side is crucial to success but don’t have the resources to hire a full-time business or marketing expert. In his new endeavor, Adelman will take indie developers to the next level of success by working with them as a virtual team member to help them make informed business decisions and stand out from the rising tide of indies.
Prior to joining Nintendo in 2005, Adelman was a part of the launch team for the original Xbox, handling multi-million dollar third-party publisher business development deals as well as strategy planning for Xbox Live, which included launching XBLA. He graduated with honors from Oberlin College, and has an M.A. from Nagoya University and an MBA from Columbia University.
Additionally, Adelman is available for speaking opportunities, press interviews, and for general interaction via Twitter (@Dan_Adelman) and his blog: http://www.dan-adelman.com/. Developers interested in working with Dan can also contact him there.
