Shigeru Miyamoto's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Shigeru Miyamoto. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

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.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

January 1983: Arcade Awards for Donkey Kong

In January 1983, Donkey Kong received the Best Single-player video game award and the Certificate of Merit at the 1982 Arcade Awards.

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.

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.

1998: Induction into Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame

In 1998, Miyamoto was the first person inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame, marking a significant recognition of his contributions to the industry.

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.

May 21, 2003: Super Mario 64 Sales

As of May 21, 2003, Super Mario 64 had sold eleven million copies.

November 28, 2006: Featured in TIME Asia's '60 Years of Asian Heroes'

On November 28, 2006, Miyamoto was featured in TIME Asia's "60 Years of Asian Heroes."

2006: Made a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

In 2006, Miyamoto was made a Chevalier (knight) of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres.

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.

March 31, 2007: Twilight Princess Sales on GameCube

As of March 31, 2007, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess had sold 1.32 million copies on the GameCube.

June 2007: Super Mario 64 Popularity on Wii's Virtual Console

By June 2007, Super Mario 64 had become the second most popular game on Wii's Virtual Console, following Super Mario Bros.

September 25, 2007: Super Mario 64 Ranked Seventh Best-Selling Game in US

As of September 25, 2007, Super Mario 64 was the seventh best-selling video game in the United States with six million copies sold.

March 1, 2008: Twilight Princess Sales on Wii

As of March 1, 2008, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess had sold 4.52 million copies on the Wii.

2008: Topped Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People

In 2008, Miyamoto topped Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the Year list with 1,766,424 votes.

2009: Super Mario Bros. ranked second on Game Informer's list of top games

In 2009, Game Informer ranked Super Mario Bros. second on its list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time", highlighting its brilliant design and fun gameplay.

2009: The Legend of Zelda considered the greatest game of all time by Game Informer

In 2009, Game Informer ranked The Legend of Zelda as the "greatest game of all time", recognizing its early example of open world, nonlinear gameplay, and its introduction of battery backup saving.

March 19, 2010: Made a Fellow of BAFTA

On March 19, 2010, Miyamoto was made a Fellow of BAFTA at the British Academy Video Games Awards.

2012: Awarded the Prince of Asturias Award

In 2012, Miyamoto was the first interactive creator to be awarded the Prince of Asturias Award in the category of Communications and Humanities.

2019: Awarded Japan's Person of Cultural Merit

In 2019, Miyamoto was awarded Japan's Person of Cultural Merit for his contributions to the video game industry, making him the first person in the industry to receive this honor.

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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