Mario creator says he’s ‘retiring’ – sort of

Is this story from 2011?

Thanks for all the memories.

he does this every couple years, and then gets back on board to make games for the new system launch

Sell Nintendo Stock Immediately!!! Sell Sell Sell.

He hasn't actually done anything in 20 years. Every Zelda game has been the same since Link to the Past (find a bunch of artifacts, kill Ganon, save Zelda). Every Mario game has been the same (travel to different worlds. Stomp goombas. defeat Bowser...).

It probably would be good for Miyamoto to step aside and get some new blood in. Maybe we'll actually see software innovation from Nintendo for a change.

whats with the finger, excuse him while he picks his nose.
who knows where that finger has been.

It sounds to me like he wants to work on some original concepts without a lot of stress on his shoulders from people expecting the next big thing.

I love this man.

Awesome achievements. He's irreplaceable.

While I love playing Mario, if someone tried putting out a game where you jump on turtles and bang boxes with "?" on them to get coins, you probably wouldn't sell too well. Mario Bros 2 was my fave.

Nintendo will give him ANY title and position he wants at this point. His value to them is greater then giving him almost anything he wants, he could have the title, President of Future Gaming and do nothing but collect a million or two a year, and nintendo wouldn't object as long as people believed he was still there.

Should be interesting. I just watched "The Company Men" last night, and Miyamoto's decision sounds a lot like Tommy Lee Jones'. He's not retiring from his position, he's just going back to doing what he loves while still maintaining his position. I mean, for all the gamers out there, would you rather someone without Miyamoto's standards took charge of all of Nintendo's upcoming games?

maybe PETA made him quit,you know all that fake fur and skin mario used for the past 30 years...

Wow , what a man

I've watched my kids play Mario - crazy game - they loved it. Nintendo should just let him do what he wants, just don't let him go - or retire....

How do you train someone to have imagination and creativity?

Mr. Miyamoto quitting? That's a lie, just like the cake.

He is GOD - He cannot retire, just rest for a while (although he may be playing Minecraft, Word War III or Fable during that time)

Back during Nintendo's rise in the video game industry, I was an editor for Nintendo Power's premiere issues. I also designed/produced several games. My nickname comes from a character (and later, a Saturday morning cartoon) I created for them. I was told that 80% of the sales came as a direct result of the magazine and the cartoons/advertising. However, I was not Asian. So you never heard my name or learned about what I accomplished there. Nor was I compensated for my contribution. The Japanese management is very careful about that sort of thing. They look down their noses at American audiences (as well as all Americans--including American employees) because they are disgusted that they have to tweak their games for the American public, which they feel is inferior.

I was hired away by a rival/partner Japanese video game company and found the same bigotry, arrogance, and treatment there.

Miyamoto is to be congratulated for his accomplishments and contributions to the video game world. As do many other writers, artists, producers, and programmers, whom you will never know. Just don't believe everything you read in the trades. It was more accident than genius by design. Nobody wakes up one day and decides I'm going to make a game about a squatty plumber that saves a princess by knocking a monkey in the head with a mallet while he dodges barrels. On its own, that is not a plan for success. It was helped greatly by having no real competitors at the time and being first to do many things. Any cute character performing any bizarre act would have been equally successful with the proper promotion, positioning, and placement.

Bitter? You bet. I saw a LOT of people mistreated at the big red "N." Which is why I did not stay and their turnover rate is so high, even 23 years later. Neither Miyamoto, nor Nintendo, did it on their own. There was a lot of right place/right time; a lot of luck; a lot of abuse (of people, consumers, American laws and the American legal system); and a lot of talent behind the scenes that was not publicized.

Defend Nintendo to your heart's content. You will be spitting into the wind. I know them better than you, unfortunately. I was there during that formative time when they emerged into what they finally became. Your defense lacks credibility. They have no defense. Nor do they care.

Apparently the guy who wrote this article never heard of Carmack from ID.