
'I'm Retiring,' Nintendo's Miyamoto Tells His Staff - aaronbrethorst
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/12/miyamoto-interview/
======
Tiktaalik
Oh boy that's a misleading headline, as he is still going to be working at
Nintendo.

He's stepping down from major title development (Think mainline Mario, Zelda)
and will be downshifting to working on small titles with a small team.

“What I really want to do is be in the forefront of game development once
again myself,” Miyamoto said. “Probably working on a smaller project with even
younger developers. Or I might be interested in making something that I can
make myself, by myself. Something really small.”

~~~
andrewfelix
It's Miyimoto's quote that's misleading if anything. I don't think the
headline is intentionally baiting. No more Zelda by Miyamotao? Pretty big
deal.

~~~
GuiA
To be fair, Aonuma has been head honcho for the last 4 games or so. It's still
a pretty big deal that Miyamoto is leaving, but the transition was smooth.

~~~
jamesgeck0
Wasn't Aonuma also primarily responsible for Majora's Mask, one of the most
unusual (and I think best) games in the series?

~~~
chollida1
Yes he was.

I agree, that game was one of the best of the series, and that's a pretty
strong statement considering Zelda could be considered the best gaming
franchise of all time.

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zyb09
There goes one of the greatest game-designer of our time. I remember his talk
from E3 this year, where he - between the lines - criticized most of the
modern game-design. Some of the points he made:

\- Gameplay is everything. Games are about gameplay, don't turn games into
movies. I think the Mario & Zelda series show this rather well.

\- Always change something in a sequel. This was one of his strongest points,
if you look at Nintendo, all they do is sequels of their existing IPs, but
unlike - say Assassins Creed _cough_ \- they always make sure it's never just
more of the same.

~~~
RobAtticus
"Always change something in a sequel. This was one of his strongest points, if
you look at Nintendo, all they do is sequels of their existing IPs, but unlike
- say Assassins Creed cough - they always make sure it's never just more of
the same."

While I love the games and the series, I think there is a decent case for
Zelda games being "more of the same" (at least in regards to the 3D versions,
not including the latest which I haven't played yet). Aside from Wind Waker,
the 3D Zelda games were fairly similar. I guess Majora's Mask had the timer,
but by slowing down time it was essentially a non-factor. I mean there were
definitely differences, but the game was basically complete several temples
while choosing between various forms (each with pros and cons) and using the
same basic subset of weapons (arrows, sword, hookshot), building up to a final
series of trials at the end where you have to use all the skills you learned
to complete it.

~~~
indspenceable
I haven't played all of the new Zelda games (specifically, any after wind
waker) but Majora's Mask definitely seems to be the most different. If you
just play it straight through the standard zelda part (that is, just go
dungeon to dungeon), its easy to miss how it was unique. However, when
interacting with people, the ability to rewind time made some really
interesting and totally different (from other zelda games) puzzles. The thing
to focus on wasn't the form changes, or the "slow down time" ability but the
"rewind to the beginning of the game and start over, but with knowledge of
what you did last time". That game was unique in zelda games because one of
the currencies the game used was player knowledge about what events happen
when in the 3-day time frame of the game.

Zelda is a series that is established on certain traditions - you go from
dungeon to dungeon, and in each one get a new piece of gear that lets you
explore the world more. Looking just at that part of the game, every zelda
game looks the same. But I think as a series it's generally good at varying a
little bit from the formula.

------
jader201
Nintendo issued an official statement, according to IGN, saying that he
miscommunicated his intentions and priorities, and is actually not officially
stepping down:

 _"Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto's role at Nintendo is not changing. He
will continue to be a driving force in Nintendo's development efforts. In
discussing his priorities at Nintendo in a media interview, Mr. Miyamoto
explained how he is encouraging the younger developers at the company to take
more initiative and responsibility for developing software. He attempted to
convey his priorities moving forward, inclusive of overseeing all video game
development and ensuring the quality of all products. Mr. Miyamoto also
discussed his desire to pursue fresh ideas and experiences of the kind that
sparked his initial interest in video games."_

<http://wii.ign.com/articles/121/1214255p1.html>

~~~
jader201
Reuters has more details, stating that Nintendo is denying this:

 _"This is absolutely not true," said a spokeswoman for Nintendo. "There seems
to have been a misunderstanding. He has said all along that he wants to train
the younger generation.

"He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned."_

[http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/us-nintendo-
idUSTR...](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/us-nintendo-
idUSTRE7B70C520111208)

------
padobson
As a developer, I have prided myself on putting user experience and ease of
use first. This was not something I was taught to do in college or from books
on UI or watching keynote speeches.

I learned user experience from Shigeru Miyamoto via Super Mario Brothers and
the Legend of Zelda.

When consoles started to gain more horsepower and graphics became a primary
selling point in games, I was never seduced by polygon counts or FMV cut
scenes. I wanted better controls. I wanted more immersive level design.

More than anyone that's had influence on me as a developer, Miyamoto has
inspired me to make software for people.

As an aside, do you think there's any way we can get him to make an HTML 5
game? Or series of games on some sort of Miyamoto blog?

Forking anything that Miyamoto has made would be the highlight of my
professional life.

~~~
jrockway
Why do graphics and gameplay have to be a tradeoff? A game like Super Smash
Bros. with 1080p graphics would be amazing!

~~~
barrkel
Graphical fidelity increases immersion; gameplay typically tries to create
some kind of puzzle-solving flow state in an action / reaction loop. A game
can be good with mostly just one or the other, albeit quite different
experiences, but the best games have both.

For example, Tetris has terrible "graphics" as such - the thing is entirely
abstract, and is almost a pure expression of gameplay. But a game like Skyrim
is rather the opposite; it's all about immersing yourself in a role via a
character you've created and grown. Meanwhile, the actual tension-creating
gameplay mechanics of Skyrim, combat and sneaking, the first is fairly poor,
while the second ultimately is overpowered. But those things don't stop it
from being a highly enjoyable experience.

Why is it a tradeoff? Because building immersion means emulating reality to a
greater and greater extent, and that reality gets further and further away
from the abstract core of what makes a gameplay mechanic work well, because
reality is complicated and has too many details. You have to build the
gameplay in such a way that it doesn't break the spell of immersion; instead
of being abstract, it has to be made out of simulated reality components.

------
6ren
Reminds me of feynman saying he had to start "playing" again.

> He realized then that his playful attitude towards theories and
> constructions were what had driven his research. [leading to the "spinning
> plate" observation]

[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=g7nWSs5k7V8C&lpg=PA1...](http://books.google.com.au/books?id=g7nWSs5k7V8C&lpg=PA105&ots=kR4rqiX99C&dq=feynman%20spinning%20plate%20%22play%22&pg=PA105#v=onepage&q=feynman%20spinning%20plate%20%22play%22&f=false)
\---
[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=6ofHvL9T-k4C&lpg=PA2...](http://books.google.com.au/books?id=6ofHvL9T-k4C&lpg=PA23&ots=nY2VEkrvwI&dq=feynman%20spinning%20plate%20%22play%22&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q=feynman%20spinning%20plate%20%22play%22&f=false)
(couldn't find the exact text; probably in one of his copyrighted books and
not online)

~~~
loboman
Here it is: <http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~kilcup/262/feynman.html>

It is in Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman.

------
carldall
Having grown up with Super Mario Bros and the Legend of Zelda, even just
thinking about these games brings me back to the old times and gives me a warm
shiver.

I still remember that christmas morning in 89 or 90 when I got my first
Nintendo. It was snowing outside, which made it feel even more cozy inside. My
friend and me had been playing Super Mario Bros almost all morning and had
forgotten time in between. Suddenly it was lunchtime and my grandma came for
visit. She correctly observed that I hadn't even touched her present yet (I
forgot what it was). It was still at the same position where I put it after
opening it. Super Mario Bros had me so hooked that I'd forgotten about the
rest. After that, Miyamoto's creations always followed me around, be it on the
GameBoy, the SNES, or the N64. Godspeed Miyamoto, you shaped my youth and I
thank you for it.

------
mark_l_watson
That is a misleading headline - hope it did not cause any gamers to commit
suicide.

Shigeru Miyamoto came to the Angel Studio offices my first day working there
(I was hired to do "game AI" but I also did a lot of other fun work.) He is an
amazing talent, emphasizing making games fun.

~~~
cube13
>That is a misleading headline - hope it did not cause any gamers to commit
suicide.

It might cause indie developers to. Miyamoto was a driving force behind saving
the entire gaming industry after the Atari crash. If he's working on
smaller(and presumably cheaper) games, that has to be the scariest competition
ever for an indie dev.

------
WickyNilliams
This title is bit misleading, though reading through the comments on wired it
seems the article may have said this at one point.

I'm very happy he's not retiring, but not at all happy that he didn't divulge
where I could get myself one of those Zelda t-shirts. Damn you Miyamoto!

------
zapman449
God speed Miyamoto-san. Thank you for everything.

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DanBC
Is this title chosen to sort out those who comment before reading the article?

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wavephorm
If you've never read his Wikipedia page, it's worth a read. This man has had
one of the most impressive careers in any field of work that I can think of.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Miyamoto>

