Miyamoto concentrates on conjuring Nintendo’s next “big hit”

Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has shifted his main focus from overseeing established series like Mario and Zelda to creating fresh game ideas.

Miyamoto hopes to find Nintendo’s next “big hit”, and feels that’s his “basic job”.

The latest Mario and Zelda games credit Miyamoto, although his role was more a supervisory one.

“I am spending more time than before on finding new ideas for new developments,” Miyamoto told Nintendo investors, “rather than focusing my energy on work in my teams in order to solidify the contents of (existing) franchise titles.”

Miyamoto explained he had “nurtured” Nintendo development teams to continue his work on those existing franchises. And that’s allowed him to spend more time dreaming up new ideas.

“There have been many people who have observed how Mr. Miyamoto works,” Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explained, “or have been left in situations where they have to take on more significant responsibility without being allowed to be dependent upon Mr. Miyamoto.

“I am confident that people are growing. Even for the development fields that required Mr. Miyamoto’s involvement in the past, the situation is changing.”

Miyamoto said that “the ideal situation” would be one in which “I do not have to give any direction”. Wading in, he explained, could “hold back my subordinates’ independent and voluntary growth”.

“Of course, I do not let everyone go totally unchecked,” Miyamoto added. “I supervise whenever necessary.”

Now Miyamoto wishes to do even less supervising, instead focusing on finding Nintendo’s next breakout success.

“I am acting with the understanding that one big hit title can change multiple phases of a situation in the entertainment business, and I feel that finding such one big hit is my basic job,” he said.

Nintendo’s most recently created original IP was arguably the Wii series of games Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Wii Music and so on. Before that, Miyamoto conjured Luigi’s Mansion and Pikmin for GameCube, and Nintendogs for DS.