Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Update: Nintendo has told Reuters Japan that the reports of Miyamoto stepping down are false. Their official statement says:
This is absolutely not true. There seems to have been a misunderstanding. [Miyamoto] has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned.
Nintendo stock fell 2% after the report. Is Nintendo in damage control or is the report from Wired false?
Original Story: Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda and other major franchises is stepping down from his position at Nintendo as Senior Managing Director and General Manager of Nintendo’s Entertainment Analysis and Development Division.
In an interview with Wired.com, Miyamoto has said that he would stop supervising the development of major titles and instead give younger developers a chance to change gaming like the 59-year-old gaming legend has.
“Inside our office, I’ve been recently declaring, ‘I’m going to retire, I’m going to retire,’” he said through an interpreter. “I’m not saying that I’m going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position.”
He also said, “What I really want to do is be in the forefront of game development once again myself. 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.”
He wants to start a smaller project in 2012 and show the game within a year, also adding that he’s not looking at starting projects that “require a five-year development time.” He also wanted to let the younger developers know that he won’t always be around to work with them.
The full interview will be published at Wired.com next week and we’ll be digging out some of the highlights right here at techgeek.com.au.