Kensuke Tanabe is a Japanese video game designer and producer who works at Nintendo. After he had graduated from the Visual Concept Planning Department of Osaka University of Arts, he decided to enter the video game industry, and joined Nintendo in April 1986. At first, Tanabe was part of the Nintendo R&D4 division, later renamed to EAD (Entertainment Analysis and Development) where he directed the platformer games Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2. Tanabe worked on the scripts for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

In 2003, Tanabe switched to the Software Planning and Development division, where he became the manager of Production Group No. 3. In recent years, he has become a producer, and has managed the development of first party Nintendo video games such as Metroid Prime. Tanabe primarily works with overseas developers who aren’t part of the immediate Nintendo structure such as Next Level Games, NST, Retro Studios and various other which specifically create titles catered to the North American market, though the games are also released in Europe and Japan. Tanabe currently serves as an Executive Officer at Nintendo Software Planning and Development (SPD) division.