Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, turns 61 this year. Given his age, and the incredible amount of time and energy he has spent on his work over the last few decades, it’s no wonder that he has passing thoughts about retirement. Earlier today, Miyamoto talked to Gamespot about how Nintendo is preparing for his inevitable departure.
The number of projects I’m involved in, and the volume of my work, hasn’t changed at all. Instead, what we’re doing internally is, on the assumption that there may someday be a time when I’m no longer there, and in order for the company to prepare for that, what I’m doing is pretending like I’m not working on half the projects that I would normally be working on to try to get the younger staff to be more involved.
Even though Miyamoto has talked a lot over the last few years about retiring, he shot down the idea that he will be leaving Nintendo anytime soon. Instead, this is his way of preparing the younger producers to take more responsibility for their work, rather than have them ask him for direction.
Shigeru Miyamoto has been one of the most influential developers in video game history. It is unfortunate that there will come a time where Nintendo must move on without him. At least Nintendo is preparing for the future, and his fans can relax knowing that he has prepared the next generation for his absence.
Comments