Former Kotaku UK boss Keza MacDonald got to interview Nintendo’s Shinya Takahashi and Hisashi Nogami over at The Guardian, and while the entire thing is a joy to read, there’s one part in particular—about what it’s like working with the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto in 2019—that I thought stood out.
Because he’s now serving as a creative guide for the entire company (a role he’s been in since 2015), and not just on single games or series, it can be tougher seeing just where Miyamoto’s influence has made its mark than it used to be.
But Takahashi and Hisashi are able to shed some light:
“He is not involved in the minute details of development, but does oversee entire projects and identifies major issues: this part is bad, this part is bad, THIS part is bad … ” laughs Takahashi. “If he says something’s good, it’s rare, and you know it is. He’s actually a shy person – even when he thinks something is well done, he would not often say that to someone directly.”
“I have never once been praised by Mr Miyamoto,” Nogami chimes in, deadpan.
“Perhaps not to your face, but behind your back he’s very pleased with you,” Takahashi laughs.
In other words, he’s now just everyone’s dad. Which is as expected and perfect as you’d imagine.
The full interview, which covers 130 years of Nintendo history but especially loads of hardware and development anecdotes, is definitely worth your time.