Miyamoto Steps Down As Nintendo Game Design Head

RobinEggs writes "Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator and producer of the Zelda and Mario franchises among other works, is stepping down at Nintendo. After personally managing Nintendo's blockbuster franchises for ~20 years, Miyamoto said today: '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.'" Update: 12/08 21:35 GMT by T : Note that Nintendo is careful to say that this is not retirement, even if Miyamoto's role at Nintendo changes.

Getting out while the getting's good?

[milbournosphere]

Nintendo is at a crossroads. The 3DS appears to be bombing, the Wii is sliding into irrelevance, and the Wii-U doesn't look like it's going to be repeating the success of the Wii when it came out. Everyone I know seems to only bust out their Wiis either for a Brawl party or for the newest Zelda\Mario game. I love Nintendo, but it seems like they've gotten back into the funk they were in back in the pre-DS days. I wonder if Miyamoto doesn't see them getting back out.

Re:Who else ...

[blackicye]

actually I consider obsessions with japanese culture to be an extension of inferiority complex that comes from low self esteem. A slashdot without so much of that is a benefit. the people i've known like that were truly pathetic as they'd put japan on a pedestal and try their damnedest to act, think, and look like stereotypical japanese. of course they weren't fooling anyone and just ended up looking like total idiots. I'd also think that a genuine japanese would find this behavior somewhat offensive.

It's funny, we say the same thing about American culture in Asia.