'I'm Retiring,' Nintendo's Miyamoto Tells His Staff

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/12/miyamoto-interview/

by aaronbrethorst • 15 years ago

176 30 15 years ago

zapman449• 15 years ago

God speed Miyamoto-san. Thank you for everything.

wavephorm• 15 years ago

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

zyb09• 15 years ago

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• 15 years ago

"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• 15 years ago

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.

qntm• 15 years ago

The clock in Majora's Mask wasn't there to provide time pressure during the regular Zelda dungeoneering. That's the part of the formula that rarely gets tinkered with, and MM had relatively little of it.

The clock was there to provide a Groundhog Day-like structure and a more genuine "approaching apocalypse" atmosphere. If you don't act, the world really does end. And by the end of the game, you've not just saved the world, but got to know everybody in the game world and made a difference in their lives. It was much more emotional game than other Zeldas, especially in comparison with its predecessor, Ocarina Of Time, which is what it had to measure up to.

michaelochurch• 15 years ago

Zelda's first sequel (Link, in the late 1987) was radically different from the first and, at the time, not very well received. It was a good game in its own right, but very different from the original Zelda (with an experience-points system, a magic system, and most notably, all combat in side-scrolling levels) so a lot of people were disappointed by it.

This was "the lesson" with regard to sequels that differ too much from the original game. People (in the aggregate) want expansion of something they already like, not radical revision.

Examples of successful sequeling would be the Dragon Warrior series. Dragon Warrior II (the worst of the series; enemies tended to gang up on one character and that made it nearly unplayable, esp. with the princess being ungodly weak and dying constantly) is an example of that. It was an expansion on top of Dragon Warrior I, and that expansion was roughly implemented and painful, but the core game concepts of DW 1 remained and it paved the way for DW 3 and 4 (which were among the best NES games) to be made.

pjscott• 15 years ago

The title is misleading; he's actually going to work on smaller, lower-budget games, presumably with more artistic freedom. It's kind of exciting.

Tiktaalik• 15 years ago

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• 15 years ago

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• 15 years ago

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.

docmarionum1• 15 years ago

Very misleading indeed.

But, honestly, I think his shift to smaller games/teams could be for the best. It's hard to guess how much influence he had anymore when "producing" titles. But working on small games might allow his creativity to flourish like it did when he first started.

derefr• 15 years ago

Indeed, I think he's basically maneuvered himself into an even better position, creatively: he still has all the resources of Nintendo at his disposal, but now will have none of the requirements or expectations to produce huge, sprawling, guaranteed multi-million-dollar-franchise-continuing titles.

6ren• 15 years ago

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=6ofHvL9T-k4C&lpg=PA2... (couldn't find the exact text; probably in one of his copyrighted books and not online)

loboman• 15 years ago

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

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

Jach• 15 years ago

He talks about that too around the 20 minute mark here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgaw9qe7DEE

carldall• 15 years ago

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.

DanBC• 15 years ago

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

padobson• 15 years ago

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• 15 years ago

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

Djehngo• 15 years ago

I'm not a game developer, but I am assuming that if you iterate on gameplay too long you have less time/money to develop high fidelity art.

Assumptions:

* Lower poly models and lower res textures can be produced faster

* Gameplay starts unbalanced/poorly paced/with a mix of good and bad mechanics and is then improved iteratively

* Hiring more artists costs money which results in hiring less devlopers/designers (or vice-versa)

* Art and gameplay do not compete for staff time (artists vs designers/developers) however due to an almost-critical path they do compete for completion time.

barrkel• 15 years ago

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.

jader2012• 15 years ago

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

jader2012• 15 years ago

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...

mark_l_watson• 15 years ago

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• 15 years ago

>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• 15 years ago

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!

'I'm Retiring,' Nintendo's Miyamoto Tells His Staff

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