Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto won't retire until "the day I fall over"

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto won't retire until "the day I fall over"
Nintendo

Written by 

Joseph Kime

Published 

31st Dec 2023 12:43

Nintendo is full of true icons, which will come as little surprise to anyone.

The game studio practically brought gaming to the masses with the launch of Super Mario Bros, and ever since, they've occupied their own league in the gaming world that doesn't need to stay occupied with sheer processing power to remain one of the best that the industry has to offer.

Some of the figureheads of the company are getting on a bit now, though, especially when it comes to the medium's champions that helped kick gaming into gear. But one of those icons insists that they're not going anywhere.

Shigeru Miyamoto isn't interested in retirement

Shigeru Miyamoto appearing in a Nintendo Direct presentation.
Click to enlarge
Nintendo

Well, we'd hope not.

Speaking to The Guardian, legendary developer of Super Mario Bros Shigeru Miyamoto has indicated that retirement isn't exactly high on his to-do list, as he suggests that he isn't interested in leaving his career behind just yet.

"More so than retiring, I'm thinking about the day I fall over," he said. "In this day and age you have to think about things in a five-year timespan, so I do think about who I can pass things on to, in case something does happen.

"I'm really thankful that there is so much energy around things that I have worked on. These are things that have already gone out into the world … they've been cultivated by others, other people have been raising them, helping them grow, so in that sense I don't feel too much ownership over them any more."

It's good news for fans, as Miyamoto's touch is thought to be the thing that has kept the spirit of Mario so consistent since the first game's release, and his appearance at Nintendo conferences is always a treat. He's a core member of the team, and his loss would make for big shoes to fill.

Miyamoto wants to be legendary at Nintendo

Miyamoto onstage at E3 2017 to reveal Mario + Rabies Kingdom Battle alongside Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.
Click to enlarge
E3

"There is a scene in Iron Man where the president goes to his own company and the guard man doesn't let him in, and he points at the portrait and says: 'That's me!'" he continued. "But I really hope that the teams I work with, at least, remember me as the creator of these things!"

It's easy to feel as though the work is never done, but when it comes to icon status like this, Miyamoto has already made it to the top. It's nice to see that he still cares about the legacy of his work at Nintendo, but frankly, he's already proven that his work has stood the test of time. We're glad he's not going anywhere, but damn, if anyone has earned retirement in the gaming industry, it's the man behind Mario.

Joseph Kime
About the author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
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