Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the most recognizable names in the gaming industry. The 70-year-old Japanese game-maker is responsible for some of the most popular and best-selling video game franchises in history, including Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and Legend of Zelda.
Recently, the video game designer and producer sat down for an interview with NPR and discussed the timelessness of his games and characters, alongside how he develops inspiration for his creations.
When the interviewer asked Miyamoto what will happen to Nintendo without him, he opined that nothing will change. Miyamoto explained that Nintendo will still have executives, creators, and so on who know what it means to be the oldest video game manufacturer. He explained that opinions within the company are not too different and everyone has a shared understanding of the company, which ensures that even new ideas have the essence of the company.
Martinez also asked why Miyamoto’s games have such staying power. In response, he stated "I think that it's important to be - to make a game such that it's really simple to start and enter. But then, for people who are really looking for depth, we provide that depth if they are searching for that. That's something that's really important for us."
Despite the interview, Miyamoto is nowhere ready to retire from the company he helped made what it is today. Although he has not been heavily involved with the company’s administration for some time, he is one of its representative directors, as well as creative fellows.
Currently, he is one of the producers of the forthcoming The Super Mario Bros. film, alongside Illumination’s Chris Meledandri. Also, during a Nintendo Direct showcase last September, he announced that the highly anticipated and long-gestating Pikmin 4, another of his creations, will arrive in 2023.
In other news, it was recently reported a Switch 2 console is coming later this year, although Nintendo hasn't announced such plans. Furthermore, a new report has revealed that Microsoft will offer future Activision Blizzard titles on both of the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch platforms for 10 years in a bid to convince regulatory authorities to assent to its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
