Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Shigeru Miyamoto

How Shigeru Miyamoto built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Shigeru Miyamoto is a highly influential Japanese video game designer, producer, and director at Nintendo. As an executive since 2002, he is celebrated as one of the most accomplished designers in video games. Miyamoto is the creator of iconic and best-selling franchises like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox and Pikmin. Games featuring his creations have sold over 1 billion copies, solidifying his legacy in the gaming industry.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1977: Joining Nintendo

In 1977, Shigeru Miyamoto joined Nintendo after impressing Hiroshi Yamauchi with his toys.

1977: Hired as Apprentice at Nintendo

In 1977, Shigeru Miyamoto was hired as an apprentice in the planning department at Nintendo.

1980: Involvement in Radar Scope

In 1980, Shigeru Miyamoto helped Nintendo develop the game Radar Scope.

1981: Tasked with Converting Radar Scope Units

By 1981, Nintendo's efforts to break Radar Scope into the North American video game market had failed, Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi decided to convert unsold Radar Scope units into a new arcade game, tasking Miyamoto with the conversion.

1981: Donkey Kong release

In 1981, Miyamoto's Donkey Kong was released, becoming a major arcade hit and highly influential, leading to the "platform" genre. Computer and Video Games called Donkey Kong "the most momentous" release of the year. The game innovatively combined storytelling and cutscenes to advance a story.

1981: Designing Donkey Kong

In 1981, Shigeru Miyamoto was tasked with designing a new arcade game, which led to the creation of Donkey Kong.

1982: Donkey Kong Jr.

In 1982, Miyamoto worked on sequels such as Donkey Kong Jr..

1983: Rescuing the video game industry after the North American video game crash

In 1983, Super Mario Bros. was released, revitalizing the video game industry after the North American video game crash. The game popularized the side-scrolling genre and set the standard for future video games.

1984: Involvement in Devil World and Excitebike

In 1984, Shigeru Miyamoto was involved in the creation of Devil World and the side-scrolling racing game Excitebike.

1985: Development of Super Mario Bros.

In 1985, Shigeru Miyamoto developed Super Mario Bros., taking a linear approach with gameplay focused on running, jumping, and defeating enemies.

February 1986: Release of The Legend of Zelda for Nintendo Entertainment System's Disk System

In February 1986, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda as the launch game for the Nintendo Entertainment System's new Disk System peripheral.

1986: Release of The Legend of Zelda

In 1986, Shigeru Miyamoto's game The Legend of Zelda was released, contributing to the Nintendo Entertainment System's success.

1992: Rejection of RPG Classification for Zelda

In a 1992 interview, Miyamoto declined to classify the Zelda series as an RPG, instead calling it "a real-time adventure." He expressed a lack of interest in games determined by stats and numbers, preferring to preserve a 'live' feeling.

1995: Listed among the most important people in the game industry

In 1995, Next Generation listed Miyamoto in their "75 Most Important People in the Games Industry", recognizing him as the most successful game developer in history with a unique understanding of what gamers want.

1996: Creation of Pokémon Red and Blue

In 1996, Shigeru Miyamoto played an important role in the creation of the influential games Pokémon Red and Blue.

1999: Sales of Miyamoto's games reach 250 million units

As of 1999, Miyamoto's games had collectively sold 250 million units, generating billions of dollars in revenue.

1999: Preference for interactive fun over movie-like games

In 1999, Miyamoto expressed his preference for interactively fun games over elaborate film sequences, stating he would "never make movie-like games." He emphasized the importance of a rapid and malleable development process with small teams, focusing on interactive elements rather than pre-rendered images.

2000: Luigi's Mansion Revealed

At Nintendo Space World 2000, Luigi's Mansion was first revealed as a technical demo for the GameCube.

2001: Luigi's Mansion at E3

Luigi's Mansion was shown at E3 2001 with the GameCube console.

2002: Creation of Metroid Prime

In 2002, Shigeru Miyamoto played an important role in the creation of the influential game Metroid Prime.

2002: Appointment as Representative Director

In 2002, Shigeru Miyamoto was appointed as one of Nintendo's representative directors as an executive.

2003: Expression of dislike for the RPG genre

In 2003, Miyamoto described his "fundamental dislike" of the RPG genre, feeling that players are initially restricted but gradually gain power, leading to a feeling of happiness, but not necessarily fundamental fun. He contrasted this with games like Mario, where skill is crucial for progress.

2004: Unveiling The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

At E3 2004, Shigeru Miyamoto unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, dressed as Link.

2005: Showing off Nintendogs at E3

At E3 2005, Miyamoto showed off Nintendogs with Tina Wood.

March 7, 2007: Received Lifetime Achievement Award at Game Developers Choice Awards

On March 7, 2007, Miyamoto received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards for his career contributions, including Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.

2007: Release of Super Mario Galaxy

In 2007, Shigeru Miyamoto produced Super Mario Galaxy for Wii.

2010: Release of Super Mario Galaxy 2

In 2010, Shigeru Miyamoto produced Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Wii.

2011: Release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

In 2011, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was released for the Wii.

July 2015: Appointment as Acting Representative Director

Following the death of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in July 2015, Miyamoto was appointed as an acting Representative Director, alongside Genyo Takeda.

July 2015: Appointment as Acting President of Nintendo

Following the death of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in July 2015, Shigeru Miyamoto became acting president alongside Genyo Takeda.

September 2015: Appointment as Creative Fellow

In September 2015, Shigeru Miyamoto was appointed the position of "Creative Fellow" at Nintendo, providing expert advice to Tatsumi Kimishima.

December 2016: Showcasing Hobby on The Tonight Show

In December 2016, Miyamoto showcased his hobby of guessing dimensions on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. During the same show, he also performed the Super Mario Bros. theme on guitar with The Roots.

2018: Producer on The Super Mario Bros. Movie

In 2018, it was announced that Shigeru Miyamoto would be working as a producer on The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

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December 2020: Tour of Super Nintendo World

In December 2020, Shigeru Miyamoto hosted a Nintendo Direct, giving a tour of parts of Super Nintendo World.

July 14, 2023: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Grosses $1.347 Billion Worldwide

As of July 14, 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed $1.347 billion worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing animated movie of all time and the highest-grossing film based on a video game.

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