Editing HAL Laboratory (section)

==History==
HAL Laboratory was founded on February 21, 1980, and originally developed games for home computers, such as the [[MSX]] and [[VIC-20]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 February 2004 |title=What Was Japan for Commodore? |url=http://www.commodore.ca/history/people/michael_tomczyk.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826082008/https://www.commodore.ca/history/people/michael_tomczyk.htm |archive-date=26 August 2018 |access-date=16 October 2016 |website=commodore.ca}}</ref> There have been conflicting claims on the origin of the company's name. During a [[Game Developers Conference|GDC]] 2005 keynote, [[Satoru Iwata]] stated that HAL was named after the computer from ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref name="GDC2005">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/11/gdc-2005-iwata-keynote-transcript|title=GDC 2005: Iwata Keynote Transcript|last=Casamassina|first=Matt|date=March 10, 2005|website=IGN|access-date=December 6, 2024}}</ref> However, in a 2012 [[List of Iwata Asks interviews|Iwata Asks]] interview, he said the company was named HAL because "each letter put [them] one step ahead of [[IBM]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madden |first=Orla |date=30 November 2012 |title=Iwata Explains Where The Name HAL Laboratory Came From |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/11/iwata_explains_where_the_name_hal_laboratory_came_from |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826081823/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/11/iwata_explains_where_the_name_hal_laboratory_came_from |archive-date=26 August 2018 |access-date=16 October 2016 |website=nintendolife.com |publisher=[[Nintendo Life]]}}</ref>

In 1984, the company began its business relationship with [[Nintendo]]. HAL assisted in the development of first-party [[Famicom]] games such as ''[[Pinball (1984 video game)|Pinball]]'' and ''[[Golf (1984 video game)|Golf]]'', while also creating original titles such as ''[[F1 Race]]''.<ref name="GDC2005" /> In the west, some titles were published under HAL America Inc. (HAI), a North American subsidiary of the company led by Yash Terakura and based in [[Beaverton, Oregon|Beaverton, Oregon, USA]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 May 2007 |title=Yash Terakura Joins Throwback Entertainment As Chief Technology Officer |url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/yash-terakura-joins-throwback-entertainment-as-chief-technology-officer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122223838/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/yash-terakura-joins-throwback-entertainment-as-chief-technology-officer |archive-date=22 January 2022 |access-date=16 October 2016 |website=GamesIndustry.biz}}</ref>

In 1992, following the protracted development of ''[[Metal Slader Glory]]'', the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Nintendo offered to rescue HAL on the condition that [[Satoru Iwata]] were to be appointed its president, a role he took from 1993 to 2000.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1999 |title=Satoru Iwata – 1999 Developer Interview |journal=Used Games |language=ja}} ([http://shmuplations.com/iwata/ Translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712231245/http://shmuplations.com/iwata/|date=12 July 2016}})</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Crimmins |first=Brian |date=21 November 2017 |title=Why Does HAL Laboratory Only Make Nintendo Games? |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/hal-laboratory-metal-slader-glory-nintendo-history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902223438/https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/ne3mjd/hal-laboratory-metal-slader-glory-nintendo-history |archive-date=2 September 2018 |access-date=1 July 2018 |work=Waypoint |language=en-us}}</ref>

The company's current logo, Inutamago, was created in 1998 by [[Shigesato Itoi]]. The imagery is meant to represent "an unexpected bond [...] one that brings the birth of something new". Reception was reportedly lukewarm at first.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 April 2020 |title=Satoru Iwata Wasn't Hot on the Earthbound Creator's Logo for HAL Labs |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/satoru-iwata-earthbound-creator-shigesato-itoi-hal-40th-anniversary-interview |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401184409/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/satoru-iwata-earthbound-creator-shigesato-itoi-hal-40th-anniversary-interview |archive-date=1 April 2022 |access-date=17 April 2020 |publisher=USGamer.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How Inutamago came to be |url=https://www.hallab.co.jp/eng/company/symbol/about/ |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=HAL Laboratory|date=2 November 2020 }}</ref>

In August 2001, HAL Laboratory and Nintendo [[joint venture|jointly established]] Warpstar, Inc., a company created to oversee ''[[Kirby (series)|Kirby]]'' merchandising and outside media, such as the ''[[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]'' anime series.<ref name="HAL Company" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iwata Asks: Kirby's Epic Yarn |url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Kirby-s-Epic-Yarn/Iwata-Asks-Kirby-s-Epic-Yarn/4-Surprise-Fun-and-Warmth/4-Surprise-Fun-and-Warmth-207100.html |access-date=9 February 2020 |website=Nintendo of Europe GmbH |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2017, HAL Laboratory announced that the company would start developing games for mobile devices under the brand name HAL Egg, in order to clearly differentiate them from the company's usual output.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.siliconera.com/hal-labs-hal-egg-first-published-game-25-years/|title=HAL Labs, On HAL Egg And Their First Published Game In 25 Years|last=Wong|first=Alistair|date=November 19, 2017|website=Siliconera|access-date=December 6, 2024}}</ref> The first title released under the brand name was ''[[Part Time UFO]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=22 August 2017 |title=HAL Laboratory launches smartphone game brand HAL Egg, first title due out this fall in Japan |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2017/08/hal-laboratory-launches-smartphone-game-brand-hal-egg-first-title-due-fall-japan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825004321/https://www.gematsu.com/2017/08/hal-laboratory-launches-smartphone-game-brand-hal-egg-first-title-due-fall-japan |archive-date=25 August 2017 |access-date=9 February 2020 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US}}</ref> The company released miniature versions of the [[Sharp MZ|MZ-80C]] and [[PC-8000 series|PC-8001]] computers in October 2017 and October 2019, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=社長の夢から生まれた1／4サイズのマイコン名機「PasocomMini MZ-80C」 開発秘話と今後をハル研究所三津原社長に聞いた |url=https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/13159850/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122223731/https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/13159850/ |archive-date=22 January 2022 |access-date=3 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 September 2019 |title=ハル研「PasocomMini PC-8001」の単体販売が決定 |url=https://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1209656.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122223735/https://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1209656.html |archive-date=22 January 2022 |access-date=3 May 2021}}</ref>