Mario Creator Shigeru Miyamoto Takes Step Back From Developing Mario Games

by

Shigeru Miyamoto, the longtime creator of the Mario games, is taking a less active role in developing future titles. He’s stepping back to allow a new generation of developers to lead the franchise he originally created.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, is giving more control of the franchise to newer teams he’s been training at Nintendo. He recently told Casa Brutus magazine (as translated by VGC) that he now primarily focuses on playing the beginning of new Mario games to get a sense of how they feel, rather than managing the entire development process.

Miyamoto explained that he now relies on his team to help develop and maintain the Mario games, letting them handle a lot of the work. However, he still personally plays the first half-hour of each new game, carefully checking that it feels authentic to the Mario experience. He jokingly added that he might even decide to stop checking after that point!

The 72-year-old also talked about the future of the franchise, including its 50th anniversary coming up in 2035.

“I just hope to stay healthy until Mario’s 50th anniversary!” he said.

Miyamoto also reflected on the challenge of developing for future hardware.

He mentioned that with Super Mario Odyssey, they’ve really explored all the possibilities the Switch offers. He also noted that Nintendo traditionally launches new consoles with a new Mario game, and he’s curious to see how the current development team will handle that expectation.

Miyamoto previously hinted at reducing his involvement with Mario back in 2015, and he’s brought up the idea again now.

Shigeru Miyamoto, while no longer directly managing the daily work on Mario games, is now concentrating on the bigger picture for the franchise. This includes overseeing all things Mario – from new games to movies and the Super Nintendo World theme park areas at Universal Studios parks globally.

Context and Significance

Shigeru Miyamoto has worked at Nintendo for many years and is best known as the creator of Mario and Zelda. He still helps guide the company’s creative direction, but he’s less directly involved in designing new Mario games. He’s mentioned wanting to work on projects in shorter bursts and focus on helping newer developers learn and grow.

This change marks a transition in leadership at Nintendo’s development teams. While the Mario series will still be a priority, giving more responsibility to other developers could lead to fresh ideas for future games. With Shigeru Miyamoto taking a step back from day-to-day involvement, the franchise has more room to experiment and explore new creative paths.

Miyamoto is still working on projects beyond video games, like theme park attractions, movies, and expanding the Mario brand into other areas. He’s also pointed out that Mario has become much bigger than just games, thanks to the contributions of people who don’t work at Nintendo.

Currently, Miyamoto has lent his attention to the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

We’re almost finished with production, and I’m really excited about how it’s turning out. I always aim to keep working on a project until I enjoy it, and that should give you a good sense of how pleased I am with the progress.

What Remains Unchanged

Although Shigeru Miyamoto is no longer leading the development of main Mario games, he isn’t retiring. He’s still involved with the franchise, offering guidance and working on various other projects. He wants to make it clear that stepping back from day-to-day development doesn’t mean he’s leaving Mario altogether.

Shigeru Miyamoto’s changing position highlights how big game franchises often evolve internally. It’s likely that future Mario games will be influenced more by new teams building on his work than by Miyamoto directly. Although details are scarce, his recent statements suggest Nintendo is planning for both new gaming systems and fresh challenges for the Mario series.

Read More

2025-11-15 18:56