Summary
- Shigeru Miyamoto and other Nintendo legends are likely to retire during the Switch 2 generation.
- The iconic developers are close to retirement age, with Miyamoto currently 72 years old.
- It will be hard to imagine Nintendo without Mario’s dad.
Nintendo is undoubtedly the most beloved of the big three gaming companies. Many of us fell in love with video games thanks to its titles, like Mario and Zelda, and it’s safe to say that the industry wouldn’t be where it is if it wasn’t for Nintendo. But, it’s not the games themselves that have made the impact, it’s the people behind the games.
The likes of Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma, and Yoshio Sakamoto shaped the company into the one we know and love, and have also had a profound impact on the industry as a whole. However, the sad fact of life is that these legends will likely be moving on in the next few years, making the Nintendo Switch 2 generation their last.
Nintendo’s Legendary Developers Will Likely Be Retiring In The Switch 2 Era
In a rather heartbreaking conversation on the Kit & Krysta podcast, Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, who were both former Nintendo Minute hosts, talked about how the golden generation of Nintendo will likely soon be retiring (thanks, GamesRadar). With the Switch 2 generation likely lasting about seven to eight years, the recognisable names and faces will probably hand over the reins by the time the Switch 3 comes around.
“Several of the major developers at Nintendo who we have known for 40-something years are probably going to phase out of the company through retirement over this generation, assuming this lasts seven-eight years,” said Ellis.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and Zelda, and undoubtedly the face of Nintendo, is currently 72 years old. “He obviously has reasons to stick around, and they need him, and he obviously wants to work, but in eight years he will be 80 years old… getting up there.”
Other big names that are close to retirement age are Metroid‘s Yoshio Sakamoto who is 65, Takashi Tezuka, who is Miyamoto’s deputy, is 64, composer Koji Kondo is 63, and Eiji Aonuma, of the Zelda series is 62. The hosts also pointed out that Kensuke Tanabe and Shin’ya Takahashi are also close to retirement age.
While it’s inevitable, this transition phase is going to be a big one for Nintendo. Hopefully the company has plans in place for when these legends move on, but it will be a bittersweet moment for the entire industry when they finally decide to hang up their controllers.
