The Shigeru Miyamoto Archive 2004-2007

2005

1101.com: Asking Shigeru Miyamoto Gives You A Very Clear Understanding. Nintendo DS, Nintendogs, And Various Things About The Future (untranslated from Japanese)

Publication Date: February 25, 2005 to March 28, 2005

Subject(s): DS, Nintendogs

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Shigesato Itoi, Shigeru Miyamoto

Japanese Links: https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/01.html

https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/02.html

https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/03.html

https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/04.html

https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/05.html

https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/06.html

https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/07.html

https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/08.html

Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20050305032253/https://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/01.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20050305065850/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/02.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20050307100841/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/03.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20050325013621/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/04.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20050323114418/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/05.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20050327071837/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/06.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20050404212303/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/07.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20050401070137/http://www.1101.com/nintendo/miyamoto2005/08.html

Notes: The title is a machine translation.

 

IGN: GDC 2005: Live at the Walk of Game

Publication Date: March 8, 2005

Subject(s): Mario, Link, his career

Format: Awards ceremony

People: Matt Casamassina, Bill Trinen, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/09/gdc-2005-live-at-the-walk-of-game

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20170203074301/https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/09/gdc-2005-live-at-the-walk-of-game

Notes: The Walk of Game was located at the Metreon shopping center in San Francisco for less than two years while Sony owned it. Each year four video game characters or series were inducted, and a lifetime achievement award was given to two people. It was very similar to the Walk of Fame, adding floor tiles each year for those honored. 

In 2005 Mr. Miyamoto won the lifetime achievement award, and Mario and Link were both inducted. Bill Trinen, who often translates for him, accepted the award on his behalf and read a prepared speech written by Mr. Miyamoto.

Summary: Thank you for being interested in Mario and Link. He can continue to make games because of enthusiastic consumers.

 

Nintendo Official Magazine: Miyamoto Speaks His Brain

Publication Date: April, 2005

Subject(s): DS

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Nintendo Official Magazine interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans:

Notes: Scans by Out of Print Archive.

Summary: The DS is Nintendo’s third pillar and it allows them to make new kinds of software.

Namco is one developer that is excited by the DS. They have had the idea for Pac-Pix with no way to make it happen. There’s lots of excitement for the DS. Developers can have the option of using or not using both screens, wireless communication, the microphone, and the touch screen.

When he plays WarioWare: Touched! he uses a cotton swab as a stylus. It’s smooth and funny.

Their audience for the DS is everyone. It appeals to kids because they see their parents using a PDA. You could connect it to your wi-fi and then to instant messaging programs.

Playing with someone using Game Boys became more complicated over time because of cables. The DS’s wireless play is more simple.

The world became divided between people who play games and those who don’t. Mario games used to just have a button to jump, and now people are longing for a return to games that anyone can play. The DS allows players to feel like they are directly controlling their character and it brings new players to the same level as others.

 

Nintendo Official Magazine: A Message from Shigeru Miyamoto

Publication Date: April, 2005

Subject(s): DS

Format: Essay

People: Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans: 

Notes: According to Cool Box Art this was printed on both sides of a piece of cardboard. It is suggested that this insert be folded in half, which would make it look like a closed DS and reveal the message when opened.

Summary: Thank you to Nintendo Official Magazine for the support. He hopes the magazine’s readers enjoy the Nintendo DS.

 

Nintendo of America: E3 2005

Publication Date: May 17, 2005

Subject(s): Nintendogs (26:59)

Format: Presentation/demonstration (spoken English)

People: Tina Wood, Shigeru Miyamoto

Video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=anRy0JeHeCY&feature=shares&t=1599

Notes: Uploaded by YouTube user CARSLOCK.

Summary: Even serious gamers should have fun with puppies. His Shiba is teaching Tina Wood’s pug new tricks.

 

IGN: E3 2005: Shigeru Miyamoto Interview

Publication Date: May 19, 2005

Subject(s): Wii, Nintendogs, DS, console power, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Format: Transcribed interview, interview (dubbed)

People: Matt Casamassina, Tim O’Leary (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/05/19/e3-2005-shigeru-miyamoto-interview

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20130927081606/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/05/19/e3-2005-shigeru-miyamoto-interview

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87df4f6sqa4

Notes: This interview took place May 18, 2005, during E3 2005.

Summary: They were able to show a lot of content at E3, including what they’ve been working on for the DS.

New Super Mario Bros. will allow for simultaneous two player play, Animal Crossing: Wild World allows for four players, and Mario Kart DS has eight player racing.

Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! isn’t exactly a game, but it’s easy to get into. There is also a Japanese to English and English to Japanese dictionary, and something based on Japanese school tests.

He’s not worried about Sony and Microsoft’s plans, they aren’t going to influence Nintendo. They’re taking a different route.

It seems odd that technical power is considered the crux of success. Relying on power suppresses creativity. They’re asking why consoles are needed and what will make a family want one.

There will be a new Mario game for the Wii, but they’re doing tests now. It will not necessarily be Super Mario 128.

It’s not their intention to parallel the movie Ladyhawke with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Adding animals makes the world more realistic.

They’ll be talking about the Wii at the next E3. Development kits have not been sent out. They can’t talk about the Wii and its controller yet so that the idea doesn’t get stolen. The analog stick, rumble, and Wi-Fi are now everywhere, so it has to be a secret.

The Wii will be small, quiet, and affordable. It’s irresponsible to tout your machine’s power before the boards are finalized.

They can sell any past game on the Wii, but which ones and how much they will cost hasn’t been decided yet.

They are working with a few third parties on Wii games. They want to make sure they don’t focus too hard on any genre though.

They want the Wii to appeal to casual gamers, hardcore gamers, and non-gamers.

Sony and Microsoft have chosen to go down the same road, while Nintendo has chosen the road less traveled.

 

SPOnG: Features// Nintendo at E3 2005 Hands on with Revolution and exclusive Miyamoto insight/Interviews// Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto

Publication Date: May 19, 2005, May 25, 2005

Subject(s): Super Mario 128, Wii, New Super Mario Bros., cars, recipes, Sunday activities, typical work day

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Stefan Walters, Shigeru Miyamoto

Links: https://spong.com/feature/10109292/Feature-Nintendo-at-E3-2005-8211-Hands-on-with-Revolution-and-exclusive-Miyamoto-insight/2

https://spong.com/feature/10109293/Interview-Nintendos-Shigeru-Miyamoto

https://spong.com/feature/10109293/Interview-Nintendos-Shigeru-Miyamoto/2

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20191102051411/https://spong.com/feature/10109292/Feature-Nintendo-at-E3-2005-8211-Hands-on-with-Revolution-and-exclusive-Miyamoto-insight/2

https://web.archive.org/web/20110704205221/http://spong.com/feature/10109293/Interview-Nintendos-Shigeru-Miyamoto

https://web.archive.org/web/20231019232425/https://spong.com/feature/10109293/Interview-Nintendos-Shigeru-Miyamoto/2

Notes: This interview took place at E3 2005. I am combining these entries since the first article is more of a preview of the second, with slightly different different information about Super Mario 128.

Summary: Super Mario 128 will not release on the GameCube. They are working on a Super Mario game for the Wii, which started life as a GameCube game. This Wii Mario game could be Super Mario 128 or it could be something else. New Super Mario Bros. for the DS will have wireless play and is on the E3 show floor.

It was last year that they moved Super Mario 128 from the GameCube. The Wii is similar technologically to the GameCube so the new Mario game is going to be made of the same things. The code will be enhanced and optimized.

His first car was a Honda K: Z600 N360, which his friend upgraded to a N450. He painted “Bluegrass Express” on the sides, as well as a fireball. Now he drives a seven seat Nissan minivan. He’s always had four-wheel drive cars.

He watches his weight, but loves udon noodles.

He tries to spend as much time with his family on weekends as he can. He swims and takes his Sheltie for walks. Sometimes he goes into the mountains with his family. He practices playing the guitar and banjo and does some gardening.

At work he doesn’t stick to a time frame, he wanders in when he wants to, but he’s also one of the last to leave. He reads reports about games and goes to meetings. About a third of his day is spent on e-mails.

The things they announced at the pre-E3 press conference were things that people wanted. Games like Nintendogs have a broad appeal. The Game Boy Micro is impactful if you examine it.

They can offer whatever they want on the Virtual Console. Fees haven’t been decided, but it will be minimal if these is one.

 

CNN: Nintendo: Innovation is Dying Mario Creator Miyamoto Discusses What’s Wrong With the Video Game Industry Today

Publication Date: June 3, 2005

Subject(s): Wii

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Chris Morris, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://money.cnn.com/2005/06/02/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm?cnn=yes

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20210605210254/https://money.cnn.com/2005/06/02/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm?cnn=yes

Summary: A lot of games are too long now, he doesn’t want to play many of them. If you’re not interested in spending time with Halo or Grand Theft Auto, you’re not going to play them.

The Wii will use cutting edge technology. They’re asking why a family would need a gaming console, and designing it around that.

He wants developers to make unique games.

Sony and Microsoft’s showings at E3 this year are just shiny graphics, how Nintendo uses technology will separate them. The Wii will deliver a different kind of experience.

 

Wired: The Man Who Keeps Nintendo Cool

Publication Date: June 15, 2005

Subject(s): The gaming industry, Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros., Wii

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Chris Kohler, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.wired.com/2005/06/the-man-who-keeps-nintendo-cool/

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20180530035702/https://www.wired.com/2005/06/the-man-who-keeps-nintendo-cool/

https://web.archive.org/web/20070102222217/http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,67854-1.html?tw=wn_story_page_next1

Notes: This interview took place at E3 2005.

Summary: The game industry as a whole is in trouble, not just in Japan. The United States is an exception. People used to be interested in games when they were new but they have lost interest. The industry has become shaped around the people who have stuck with it, which makes it difficult for others to come back to it.

Nintendogs has sold over 400,000 copies in Japan and should continue to sell. A third of the owners also bought a DS, so it’s getting people back into gaming. It’s not following a trend, it’s about something that’s appealing in general. When companies make less money they stuck to safe products. People may say they constantly make Mario and Zelda games, but they are always new and challenging. Nintendo is creative and profitable.

Takashi Tezuka and Toshihiko Nakago are working on New Super Mario Bros. 3D Mario games are more difficult to design. With New Super Mario Bros. they are using cutting edge technology and going back to the series roots.

They haven’t made a 2D Mario in so long because they’ve been making 3D games and they had Rare making 2D Donkey Kong Country games.

Super Mario 128 is floating around, they are doing tests. It might be a Wii game.

It’s technically possible to run every past Nintendo game on the Wii.

The Wii’s controller will drive game design and make Nintendo stand out, he can’t talk more about it yet.

 

Kikizo: Nintendo Video Interview Summer 2005

Publication Date: June 17, 2005

Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Mario Kart DS, Nintendogs

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Koji Kondo, Hideki Konno, Eiji Aonuma, Bill Trinen (translator), Tim O’Leary (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/nintendo_videointerview_june05.asp

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20100130061830/http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/nintendo_videointerview_june05.asp

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j4XPAp3QsA

Notes: This Q & A took place at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Summary: His job was to help Mr. Aonuma right the tea table.

Realistic graphics are important for the story they are telling in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Their skills at making realistic graphics have improved. They still need to improve on interacting with the characters.

This is the first The Legend of Zelda game with an orchestrated soundtrack.

They always want to make games that bring people together. That’s an important part of their DS strategy. Bark Mode is very popular in Japan, there’s blogs about it.

Mario Kart DS and Nintendogs appeal to people of all ages.

They have three dogs at their house.

His brain age has finally reached 20.

 

Electronic Gaming Monthly: Show Time!/WAR!

Publication Date: August, 2005

Subject(s): Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, online gaming

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Electronic Gaming Monthly interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans:

Notes: This interview likely took place at E3 2005, and it seems like Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aimé also took questions, so it may have been a press Q & A. It’s also possible these quotes were from the larger one on one interview that appears in EGM’s next issue. Scans by Retromags.

Summary: They are thinking about a DS Super Smash Bros. game.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is unique, and they are working on something else with Donkey Kong.

Online gaming needs to be easy to use, free, and reliable.

He’s getting older, maybe he’ll make a game about that since it has a broad demographic built in.

 

Hyper: The Maturing of Link and other Twilight Tales

Publication Date: August, 2005

Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the importance of interactivity, the boomerang

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Hyper interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://retrocdn.net/File:Hyper_AU_142.pdf

Scan:

Notes: This feature also includes a brief interview with Eiji Aonuma and Koji Kondo. Uploaded by Doc eggfan, who possibly scanned it as well.

Summary: The graphics help tell the darker story they want to tell. Rather than focus on how good the game can look he instead wants to make it as interactive and believable as possible.

His favorite item in The Legend of Zelda games is the boomerang, it has to be in all of them. This time it has a whirlwind power. They have to be careful not to make the game too complicated.

They want players of Zelda games to feel like they are part of a living and breathing world, to feel like they are Link on an epic quest.

 

Electronic Gaming Monthly: Why is Shigeru Miyamoto so Damned Happy?

Publication Date: September, 2005

Subject(s): Super Mario 128, Wii, online gaming, DS, his family, Nintendogs

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Mark MacDonald, Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans:

Notes: Scans by Retromags.

Summary: He can’t talk much about the Wii games he’s working on, but they will use the inherent functionality of the system.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat took his attention away from Super Mario 128. They have been running lots of experiments with its engine. They do lots of experiments when making a Mario game and Super Mario 128 has never gotten past that stage.

Nintendo has generally stepped back from online gaming due to the business model involving servers and monthly fees. It wasn’t consumer friendly. Their system is easy to use.

GameCube to Game Boy Advance connectivity was an interesting idea but it wasn’t communicated well. People thought it would be difficult to connect them. Everything is built in to the DS.

They don’t want developers to build games around the Wii, they want them to make interesting games. The point is to make unique, interesting experiences.

He wakes up between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. He’s at work until 10 p.m. at least, sometimes he gets home at 1 a.m. At work he checks in on teams, meeting with the producers. He also has meetings with Satoru Iwata and the public relations department.

One of his children is in college, the other is in high school. Unfortunately they know where to watch him do something embarassing at trade shows like E3. His wife is hooked on Nintendogs. His dad stole his DS to play Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!

When he got a dog he met a lot of other dog owners. It was interesting how people walking their dogs would stop to talk to each other. He had an idea involving dog collars exchanging information. They made a prototype dog game on the GameCube. He later realized the DS was a perfect fit for his idea.

The Luigi’s Mansion director really wants to make another one.

The Wii is a good fit for Pikmin

There’s a group called Tongari Kids that released a rap song called B-Dash that has Mario sounds in it. It’s popular right now.

If he saved Link from a burning building Mario and Donkey Kong could probably get out on their own. Link couldn’t, he’s too cute.

He doesn’t have a problem with making a violent game if the violence was a key component.

 

Japanese radio interview (reported on by Palgn)

Publication Date: September 4-5, 2005

Subject(s): The next Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda game

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Reported on by Chris Leigh, unknown interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20090728084102/http://palgn.com.au/nintendo-wii/3018/miyamoto-discusses-new-directions-for-mario-and-zelda/

Notes: There is no information about which radio station this interview occurred on. It is unknown if the reporter of this article is the one who transcribed and translated the interview.

Summary: They’re always looking for new, unique things to do with Mario. They’re working on something special right now. It will surprise people, and there is a new character with him.

Super Mario 128 will be released for the Wii, under a different name. It had a big role in the Wii’s conception.

The next The Legend of Zelda game will be the last Zelda game as you know it. He’s worked on it more than he did The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. They wanted to make the best Zelda game ever. It will be a GameCube game.

 

Nippon News Network: War in the game Can you kill people? (untranslated from Japanese)

Publication Date: September 18, 2005

Subject(s): Depictions of war in video games

Format: Interview

People: Unknown Nippon News Network interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Japanese Link: https://www.ntv.co.jp/document/back/200509.html

Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20090814210616/https://www.ntv.co.jp/document/back/200509.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltf2NQG3Cm4

Notes: The title is a machine translation. Thank you to makgameadv for finding this interview. Uploaded by YouTube user kanpei hagama.

 

MTV: Nintendo Fans Swarm Mario’s Father During New York Visit

Publication Date: September 27, 2005

Subject(s): Super Mario Bros.’ 20th anniversary, Nintendogs, Wii Remote, appearing in Super Smash Bros.

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Stephen Totilo, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.mtv.com/news/i9r9be/nintendo-fans-swarm-marios-father-during-new-york-visit

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220925091551/https://www.mtv.com/news/i9r9be/nintendo-fans-swarm-marios-father-during-new-york-visit

Notes: Mr. Miyamoto made a public appearance at the Nintendo Store in New York City on September 25, 2005, and then did this interview.

Summary: [At the signing event.]

He’s impressed that so many people are fond of his work, but it somewhat embarrasses him.

[At the interview.]

The owner of a warehouse that Nintendo of America used looked like the character they had made, and his name was Mario. The employees kept calling the character “Mario” and they made that the official name.

Nintendogs is about dogs because his family got a dog, a Shetland Sheepdog named Pikku, four years ago.

Nintendo doesn’t take the easy path, they always want to challenge themselves.

He’s been so involved with designing the Wii Remote that he’s barely had any time to work on games.

A lot of people have trouble with 3D games. The Wii Remote is intuitive and will allow people to be able to experience 3D games.

They have experiments where you use motion to control Mario.

It might be funny for him to appear in Super Smash Bros., there’s a 1% chance.

 

Nintendo Online Magazine

Publication Date: October, 2005

Subject(s): Super Mario Bros.’ 20th anniversary, Mario, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Super Princess Peach, hobbies, ideas

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://shmuplations.com/mario20th/

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20150920143113/http://shmuplations.com/mario20th/

Japanese Link: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0510/interv/index.html

Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20051214001638/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0510/interv/index.html

Translator: shmuplations

Notes: Nintendo Online Magazine was a part of Nintendo’s Japanese website styled as a magazine. There was some commotion over Mr. Miyamoto stating that Mario was 24 or 25 years old in this interview.

Summary: He doesn’t feel much about the 20th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., no special feelings.

It was lucky that they didn’t decide on details about Mario, like his favorite color or foods. All that’s been defined is that he’s 24-25 years old. They didn’t want to limit the ability to put him into other games. He’s glad Mario is used freely.

Third party developers have had great affection for Mario and strict regulations placed upon them. Regulations that make even him look lenient. With 2D games they had to check every sprite, but now they can just provide a single 3D model, which expands the kinds of games he can be used in. It’s fine for Mario to have new moves in Mario Tennis, but the platforming games get lots of scrutiny.

Staff at Nintendo couldn’t believe they were making another Mario game as they worked on Super Mario Bros. It was going to be the last game developed for cartridge and disk before switching to disk only.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island might be the first game to star a supporting character from the Mario series. He wanted a game with a flutter jump and grabbing things with Yoshi’s tongue. They added Waluigi in the tradition of Wario, and it never would have happened if Mario hadn’t played tennis. Luigi might be more loved than Mario at Nintendo, so they made Luigi’s Mansion for them.

They wanted to make sure Peach was Peach-like in Super Princess Peach. She has a free optimism, she’s not protected by Mario.

Visually confusing design is the biggest no-no. It must also be fun to play. Yoshi Topsy-Turvy would have been rejected if it was a platformer.

Human life is busy so he finds ways to take breaks. He does have people to help him, though. People in charge of individual developments do most of the work. Life gets crazy in the last few months of development. He worked many late nights on Super Mario 64 DS. He rests and spends time with his family on the weekends. He walks his dog, gardens, does DIY projects, listens to bluegrass music, and plays guitar.

He goes to bluegrass festivals, where over 100 people will jam together, it’s a highlight of his life. He’s played for 30 years.

You’ll need technical skills to be a game creator. You should be good at programming, sound, graphics, something specific. You should play games but also do other things, expand your horizons. Have friends and talk to lots of people. He wishes he talked to more people in college, he had to repeat a year, which was good for him.

He usually gets ideas during meetings. Some people at the meeting won’t know what’s being talked about, and you can explain things to them, which makes the issue clearer to you. His bath ideas are good, but his bed ideas are bad.

Mario belongs to digital media. There was a poll in America that found Mario to be more recognizable than Mickey Mouse. It doesn’t make sense to compare a new character to one with as much history as Mickey Mouse.

Mario is his lucky star. After Super Mario Bros. the term “game creator” started to be used. Satoshi Tajiri made Pokémon to sell more copies than Mario. He’s made a lot of characters, but he draws Mario’s face beside his signature. Mario became so popular because games are about fun. It would have been the same if he’d been named Herio.

 

Engadget: The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto

Publication Date: October 3, 2005

Subject(s): Nintendogs, Wii Remote, Game Boy Micro, cell phone gaming, Mario games, Nintendo ON

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Peter Rojas, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.engadget.com/2005-10-03-the-engadget-amp-joystiq-interview-nintendos-shigeru.html

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20051029153809/http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000297061506/

Notes: The Nintendo ON video that is talked about.

Summary: A game usually takes one or two years of development, but you might have ideas in your head for years before that. His family got a dog about four years ago, which led to the idea of Nintendogs.

Nintendo wants to link players together. They wanted the DS to not require cables, and to allow for coincidental linking. With Nintendogs they also wanted to include the phenomenon where when you’re walking your dog people may stop to talk to you.

They wanted to be sure that Nintendogs would appeal to people who don’t usually play games, people that are intimidated by strategy and difficulty. It’s not the type of game where you clear levels. In the future there will be more games with different kinds of interfaces that appeal to a broad audience.

He’s very confident in the Wii and Wii Remote. The Wii Remote is the new controller, everything else a classic controller. The expansion slot will accommodate a classic controller that is more like the WaveBird. People used to classic controllers will have that, and also new experiences. First-person shooters work well with the Wii Remote, they feel clunky with traditional controllers.

They’re trying to have as many games that use the Wii Remote ready as possible for the launch. Wii development can be done with the GameCube development environment. Developers working on GameCube games will be able to move over the Wii easily.

To use cell phones for games you have to overcome battery life issues. It’s also difficult to play games on cell phones since they are designed for phone calls. The Game Boy Micro is cell phone-sized. It might be the smallest and best looking movie player. He thinks we’ll see more convergence of devices.

Sony and Microsoft have studied Nintendo. They push games further with technology. Nintendo takes ideas and turns them into entertaining products. One of their strengths is how closely their hardware and software teams work together.

His team makes Mario platform games and will continue to make high quality Mario games every few years. Mario is a Nintendo brand and lets everyone relate to video games, makes them feel comfortable. People are more likely to try a new genre if it has Mario. They’ve made baseline models for Mario characters that can be used across games.

He hasn’t seen the Nintendo ON video. They have done virtual reality experiments in the past, and could still make something like that some day.

 

Bloomberg News: Gaming’s Grand Master

Publication Date: November 6, 2005

Subject(s): Fan reactions, how gaming is viewed

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Kenji Hall, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-11-06/gamings-grand-master

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240317172631/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-11-06/gamings-grand-master

Summary: When he went to the Nintendo World Store in September a fan told him he was a god, which embarrassed him.

For the three months it took to make Donkey Kong it was all he thought about.

Nintendo wants their games to be played by people from five to 95 years old. Games should primarily evoke emotions.

When people think of video games they think of a child staring at a TV with a joystick, but they should be for the whole family.

 

Businessweek: Meet Mario’s Papa 

Publication Date: November 7, 2005

Subject(s): Ideas, Wii Remote, Mario’s origins, movies

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Kenji Hall, Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20051102024711/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_45/b3958127.htm

Summary: The biggest innovation in games since the 1980s is 3D graphics. It allowed consoles to go from last to first place. They suddenly had 10 times the speed.

They want everyone to be able to start playing immediately. This is why the Rubik’s Cube is brilliant, you immediately know what to do.

Pikmin was meant to evoke sadness and happiness. People say no one would play a game that’s not about getting to the next area because it would be boring, but he disagrees.

Their games are for people from five to 95. Nintendo isn’t just for kids, women in their 20s are playing Nintendogs.

Games should be fun, and reward you when you accomplish something challenging. He never expected to be designing video games, he thought he’d be making toys.

Sometimes he uses his childhood memories for ideas, some are spontaneous, some come from notes he’s made. Ideas can also come from TV shows, or a story someone tells.

Super Mario Bros. came from the idea of a character that bounced around with a blue sky. Mario was too big at first so they made him smaller. But then they had the idea to make Mario shrink and grow. A magic mushroom from a forest could do such a thing.

People associate games with a child holding a joystick, but they should belong to families. He made the Wii Remote look like a remote so people would immediately know how to use it.

He only plays games when he spends 20 minutes testing the competition’s machines. He works around the house, walks the dog, gardens, and plays guitar on the weekends.

He wants to make a custom screen, one that fills a room.

Movies aren’t interactive like games are. He pays attention to how movies use music to create moods, and camera angles.

 

Game Informer: Nintendo’s Genius Speaks!

Publication Date: December, 2005

Subject(s): Nintendogs, Game Boy Micro, hardcore gamers, the competition

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Game Informer interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans:

Summary: He doesn’t see there being a “Nintencats”. They will likely use the technology from Nintendogs in other games.

They are looking into localizing Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!

The Game Boy Micro represents what they think handheld gaming should be moving toward. People do all sorts of things on their cell phones now, but you really want a dedicated gaming device because it has a better battery life and the controls are better.

Portable game systems can be multimedia machines, but Nintendo is focused on making games. That will take off with wi-fi.

Nintendo will keep making games for hardcore players, but they also need to invite more people into gaming, who can become hardcore gamers in the future. The Wii will make sports games easier to control. Electronics Arts is interested in the Wii.

Every third party developer is excited about the Wii Remote. Yuji Naka, Hideo Kojima, Capcom, and Square Enix are interested in it.

People are interested in playing games with cutting edge technology but may also not know what button to press on a controller to get started. People may be shocked at what game systems cost, but they are trying to make a cheaper system.

Nintendo has experimented with peripherals, and the challenge is always to get people to buy them. With the DS they are trying to limit what else you need to buy. With the Wii Remote the base unit is the expensive part, so expansions to it could be bundled with games.

Nintendo tries to come up with new ideas, they don’t see themselves as competing with the other hardware makers.

 

 

2006

Maxim: Nintendos & Don’ts

Publication Date: January, 2006 (approximate)

Subject(s): Wii Remote, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, creativity, hobbies

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Maxim interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.gamekyo.com/images0_4_13903.html

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20180605083411/http://www.gamekyo.com/images0_4_13903.html

Scan:

Notes: The website that scanned this also wrote a news article, in French, about it.

Summary: They wanted the Wii to have a controller everyone is comfortable with. It’s so free you’ll be able to get in each other’s way.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has hardcore content. The Nunchuk controller works well with first-person shooters.

It’s a problem that there’s a split between who play games and those who don’t. They want to appeal to everyone.

Donkey Kong came from wanting a large character to run and jump around. He wanted to make something with more drama than Pac-Man.

He expected more creativity from American developers, but Japan has crazy games like Katamari Damacy.

He’s not sure why his artist friend wanted to make Electroplankton.

His weirdest idea that he never got to make was Stage Show. People in an audience can pay to go on stage and get applause for what they do.

He had a dream where he couldn’t breathe because he was coughing. He kept pulling a nose hair until his cough went away.

He plays bluegrass music and swims.

He was a basic employee who rode his bike to work until recently.

 

Jeux-France (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award ceremony and interview, untranslated from French and Japanese)

Publication Date: March 13, 2006

Subject(s): Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award

Format: Award ceremony, interview

People: Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, unknown interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=OLebDeUZvB4&feature=shares&t=180

Notes: Mr. Miyamoto was the 106th person to receive the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture. This video contains footage of the award ceremony and an interview. A brief logo of Jeux-France at the beginning is the only indication that it is the source of this footage, but I can’t find any mention of it on their website from around the time.

Game developers Michel Ancel and Frédérick Raynal were also knighted during this ceremony. Game Developer has an excellent writeup of the occasion. Uploaded by YouTube user Kevin.

 

Nintendo of Europe (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award)

Publication Date: March 15, 2006

Subject(s): Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award, typical work day, New Super Mario Bros., DS, Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unknown interviewer, unnamed translator, Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20071012121309/www.landofthelegend.net/Hyrule/?grab=z15interv-noe-sm-032k6

Notes: The original source of this interview is only given as “Nintendo of Europe”. It’s likely it originally appeared on Nintendo of Europe’s website, which unfortunately is excluded from the Internet Archive. It is mentioned that the interview took place in a Paris hotel with other journalists and that he is about to head to London to answer questions on webchats.tv, which has an entry here.

Summary: He received the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award on behalf of everyone he works with.

Video games have about 20-25 years of history, we’re just entering the stage where everyone recognizes it. How people deal with new technologies is vital to how the industry evolves.

He used to ride his bike to work, but he was ordered not to when he became an executive, for risk management.

He’s not very punctual to work but he stays until late at night. About half of his time is spent giving feedback on games and testing them.

They always try to challenge themselves to make something new and New Super Mario Bros. is going to be important. The DS is very successful thanks to their Touch Generation line up. The DS is many people’s first gaming system, so New Super Mario Bros. could be many people’s first game.

Some of the staff had different ideas for the story of New Super Mario Bros., but he told them that they don’t need one so he cut it down to half of what they had planned.

New Super Mario Bros. is made with 3D graphics, so players will find astonishing visuals. You might see an ultra super jump. The Super Giant Mushroom will make him gigantic. You can also play as Mario and Luigi simultaneously with someone, cooperating or competing in multiplayer mode. The minigames from Super Mario 64 DS will be in the game, too.

They are trying to incorporate some old tricks for nostalgia.

Progress is going well on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, you will be able to use the Wiimote to play it.

The Wii will have a lot of sequels, but the Wii’s applications will make it important to the household. Almost everything about the Wii will be revealed at E3.

 

The Guardian: Shigeru Miyamoto Interview

Publication Date: March 16, 2006

Subject(s): Online gaming, DS, importance of graphics and variety, Playstation 3

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Greg Howson, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2006/mar/16/shigerumiyamot

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20140921205623/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2006/mar/16/shigerumiyamot

Summary: They are responsible to their shareholders and they haven’t seen any way to make money from online gaming. There has to be something interesting about them to be worthwhile. As a game designer he wants to make new games, but an online game would require him to spend all of his time on it. Since the Nintendo wi-fi service is doing well they are ready to improve it.

Since it’s difficult to keep their current audience they need to include the general public. They need to make hardware with easy interfaces. They call the DS a new gadget, not a better Game Boy Advance. They need to appeal to new markets. Many Nintendogs players are women in theirs 20s.

The DS was redesigned to make it more portable. It’s lighter and the screen is brighter.

When he started they had to think about how to make entertainment with what they had, like the Game & Watch’s LCD screen with tiny dots. Now they can express themselves much better.

Games can’t be improved by making the graphics better. Nintendo is concerned about the industry, and they’d rather focus on what makes them unique.

There’s a problem in the industry with making games that are similar to one another. Variety matters more than quantity. Shareholders are worried that different games are risky. You don’t always need a big budget, as with Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, which was a big success. He wants game makers to know that Nintendo has the money if they have the idea.

Customers see the PlayStation 3 as competition to Nintendo, but Nintendo doesn’t. Nintendo is taking a different direction.

 

Webchats.tv

Publication Date: March 17, 2006

Subject(s): DS, Mario Kart DS, Nintendogs, the future of gaming

Format: Interview (dubbed)

People: Maury Norton, Yasuhiro Minagawa (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Video:

Archive Link: https://archive.org/details/WebchatstvMiyamotowebchat_0

Notes: Nintendo advertised this event and asked people to send in questions, so it was likely an official event and the interviewer may have been an employee of Nintendo. Uploaded by YouTube user Kevin.

Summary: He was flabbergasted that 11,000 questions were sent.

He likes to make games based on his hobbies, and sometimes Satoru Iwata tells him what to make. He talks about game ideas with colleagues who may then make a prototype, they then test the prototype, and then there are further discussions.

He likes to move his body when playing games. He wants people to feel like they are doing the physical exercises. The Wii has an innovative controller.

The Wii will drastically change video games, specifically the controller. You can just point at the TV screen. They are doing experiments with Mario jumping, and in Zelda games you could swing the controller to swing Link’s sword.

The want New Super Mario Bros. to appeal to everyone, just like the original did. They’re worried Mario games are too complicated for new players.

He thought he was good at Mario Kart DS until he played it online.

Mario may look chubby, but he is muscular. Mario can be his role model in losing weight.

Downloadable items will come to Animal Crossing: Wild World in Europe, but he doesn’t know when.

He doesn’t remember his initial brain age, but he’s gotten it to 20 years old.

He made Nintendogs after getting a dog and realizing a lot of people near him also had dogs.

The DS Lite is only available in Japan right now and its selling out very quickly.

Games require a lot of people and a long time to make now, but Brain Training took a short time with a small number of people to make.

No one had a career as a game designer, game creator, game director, or game producer when he was young. To get into making games now you should be a professional in a specific area.

Recently in France he was conferred knighthood in the Order of Arts and Letters but he received it as a representative of the colleagues he has worked with.

In his spends his spare time with his family and practicing guitar.

No one knows what will happen in 10 years. Computers are evolving quickly. Computers may have a different shape in the future, we may have more devices, we may not be carrying around physical discs.

 

Multiplayer.it: Intervista a Shigeru Miyamoto (untranslated from Italian)

Publication Date: April 4, 2006

Subject(s): GameCube, DS, Wii

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Fabio Palmisano, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://multiplayer.it/articoli/intervista-a-shigeru-miyamoto.html

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20260613232149/https://multiplayer.it/articoli/intervista-a-shigeru-miyamoto.html

Notes: Meristation is thanked for granting the interview.

 

Edge: His life in your hands

Publication Date: May, 2006

Subject(s): DS, Animal Crossing, New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs, the video game industry, Wii, important figures in the video game industry

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Edge interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans: 

Notes: This interview is described as taking place during a European press tour, and shortly after Mr. Miyamoto was awarded Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, so it likely took place in March. Scans by mattandi.

Summary: The DS is selling to all kinds of people, for many it’s their first game system. Some at Nintendo worried that they would only be interested in games like Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, but many are moving to more traditional games.

The first two Animal Crossing games sold about 600,000 copies, but Animal Crossing: Wild World on the DS has sold about 2 million. 

They are making New Super Mario Bros. since they can’t just rely on casual gamers. They are going back to 2D with some 3D aspects so new gamers and old gamers alike will recognize something.

There are some games they haven’t been able to release outside of Japan. Nintendogs is the only Touch Generations title. In Japan they just asked people if they liked dogs, they didn’t tell them when Nintendogs came out and for what price. When you ask someone what they ate two days ago they have to think hard about it, which shows how relevant Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! is to daily life.

It’s not healthy for everyone in an industry to move the same way. He’s concerned that making a great game keeps requiring more money and more developers. One or two people with great ideas can’t enter the market, they have to work on someone else’s idea. Nintendo wants to make a new platform that allows small teams to make great games.

The Wii will be unique and people will want to copy it. They always want to be the best creators on their platforms, to be a role model.

Satoru Iwata has been supportive of him choosing how to spend his time. He doesn’t have to do as many PR tours.

Japan understands what kind of company Nintendo is, thanks to the success of the DS. The next year will be important for the rest of the world. 

They want to call the Wii a “new-generation” console, not a “next-generation” one. They want every TV to have one connected to it, to create a new relationship between people and their TVs.

He admires Sony’s endeavor to make enough chips to drive the manufacturing cost down and Microsoft’s development kits.

Hiroshi Yamauchi may be the most important figure in the video game industry, he understood entertainment. Mr. Yamauchi gave him a lot of money, which he spent on making games.

 

N-Zone: Shigeru Miyamoto, the Mario Creator, in an Interview (untranslated from German)

Publication Date: May, 2006

Subject(s): Wii, DS

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unknown N-Zone interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Link: https://archive.org/details/n-zone-archive-dvd/2006/NZ_0506/page/n9/mode/2up

Scans:

Notes: N-Zone is a Nintendo-focused German magazine. They released a DVD in 2022 with scans of all their past issues. The title is a machine translation. It is mentioned that this interview takes place in London, so it likely took place during the same visit as the webchats.tv Q & A. Uploaded to Internet Archive by husan93.

 

Nintendo of America: E3 2006

Publication Date: May 9, 2006

Subject(s): Wii Sports (57:42)

Format: Presentation/demonstration (spoken English, live translator)

People: Reggie Fils-Aimé, Satoru Iwata, Scott Dyer, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Video: 

Notes: Before Mr. Miyamoto’s segment Reggie Fils-Aimé talks about a sweepstakes they held with AOL to determine who will get to play Wii Sports first, on stage. Uploaded by YouTube user CARSLOCK.

Summary: Control is intuitive, even your mom can play. You can hit forehands, backhands, lobs, and add top or backspin. Scott Dyer is the sweepstakes winner.

[Scott joins Mr. Miyamoto against Reggie and Mr. Iwata.]

 

Nintendo Power: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Developer Interview, Famitsu: Miyamoto and Sakurai: Investigating the Newest Smash

Publication Date: May 11, 2006

Subject(s): Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii, Wii Remote, gamer stereotypes, high definition

Format: Q & A

People: NOA_Andy, Unknown Famitsu interviewer, Bill Trinen (translator), Masahiro Sakurai, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://sourcegaming.info/2015/11/19/investigating-the-newest-smash/

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20060525003834/http://e3src.nintendo.com/news/shigeru_miyamoto_and_masahiro_sakurai_talk_smash_b/ 

https://web.archive.org/web/20151121082844/http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/11/19/investigating-the-newest-smash/

https://web.archive.org/web/20060616123552/http://www.famitsu.com/game/event/2006/05/11/264,1147329626,52988,0,0.html

Translator: Brando, with assistance from Soma and Crane043, for Source Gaming

Notes: Famitsu held a Q & A event with Masahiro Sakurai and Shigeru Miyamoto about Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo.com reported on it at the time, and years later Source Gaming translated the whole thing from Famitsu’s website. There was a video of this Q & A on Famitsu’s website, but it is gone now.

Summary: The Wii has the possibility of reviving older franchises, but he barely has time to work on all the new ideas he has.

They are experimenting with a two player mode for Super Mario Galaxy where one person controls Mario and another helps or hinders them. He’s having a lot of fun playing Wii Sport’s tennis. He’s become very used to using the Wii Remote for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and can’t go back to the GameCube version. Super Mario Galaxy will be released within six months of the Wii launch.

He has disagreed with Mr. Sakurai about how much of a single-player mode Super Smash Bros. should have. He just wanted the Nintendo 64 version to get out the door, but now there is more time for an in-depth single player campaign.

They want to revitalize two groups with the Wii: people that have enjoyed their games before and people that don’t play them because they are too difficult. They don’t want to make new advancements, they want to make new ideas.

Mario games have gotten more complicated. He has found himself wanting a more direct way to move the camera. The Wii is a fresh start for controls, everyone in the world will have the same sensation.

There are lots of possibilities for reviving old franchises, like Kid Icarus or Star Fox. Using the pointer could create new options for the Virtual Console.

It’s been a challenge making Zelda play like Zelda, but he doesn’t want to scare people away with too many buttons. He’s given a lot of thought to the button’s number, size, and position.

He wants to encourage people to join in after watching someone play the Wii, and not feel embarrassed. They want to erase the stereotype  of a child sitting in a dark room with the TV reflecting on their face.

Going high definition would upset the balance. They want to aim for the majority of the TVs in the world.

 

Famitsu: Wii That’s Right. It’s Not A Next Generation Machine. (untranslated from Japanese)

Publication Date: June 30, 2006

Subject(s): Wii

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unknown Famitsu interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans:

Notes: Thank you to DrLava of DidYouKnowGaming for the scans. The title is a machine translation. This interview was translated and discussed in a DidYouKnowGaming video.

 

Joystiq: The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto (again!)

Publication Date: May 11, 2006

Subject(s): Wii, what he does at Nintendo, motion controls, high definition graphics

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Ryan Block, Vlad Cole, Shigeru Miyamoto 

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20060624070148/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/11/the-engadget-and-joystiq-interview-nintendos-shigeru-miyamoto-a/

https://archive.org/details/joystiq-e-3-miyamoto

Notes: There was a video version of this interview, but the Wayback Machine only saved a portion of it. It was apparently available via BitTorrent for a time.

Summary: The Wii’s greatest strength is that you can make intuitive games for it. That’s the idea behind Wii Sports. Being able to point at the screen allows players to interact with games directly.

He doesn’t have ideas that he keeps in his head for a long time, his focus is what he’s working on at the moment. 3D games have become too complicated for people who don’t play games, the Wii Remote will help with that.

He is overseeing a large number of games, but also focuses on two or three.

Mario and The Legend of Zelda are two of his most important franchises, he always oversees them. Six young directors are responsible for each of the Wii Sports games.

His biggest contribution to development might be recognizing errors before a lot of work is spent working on the wrong thing. It’s also important to speak to the directors as a group.

Some people play testing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess found that their aim moved a bit as they released the button to fire arrows. Rather than implementing auto aim he told the team that it added realism and challenge.

You don’t have to do big sweeping motions for something like swinging a tennis racket, but a lot of people find that more fun. It’s also important that playing the game looks like fun to others watching.

They will have games that use the Wii Classic Controller.

Their competitors are becoming more PC-like with extra features, but the Wii connects to the TV and everyone can have fun with it. Wii Connect24 makes the Wii the only hardware device always connected to the Internet. They don’t want to include extra things that raise the price.

Eventually everyone will have a high definition television, but for now the interface you use, how you connect to the Internet, and how the whole family uses the hardware is more important.

Using HD graphics won’t expand their audience, and the video game audience will continue to shrink. The touch screen and microphone were important to the DS’ success. It also has games that are appealing to people who haven’t played games before.

He hasn’t been to Tokyo Games Show in several years, so he’d say he prefers E3.

 

New Super Mario Bros. Podcast: Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto

Publication Date: May 22, 2006

Subject(s): New Super Mario Bros.

Format: Interview (dubbed)

People: Daylan, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Link: https://archive.org/details/new-super-mario-bros-podcast/Shigeru_Miyamoto_interview_AVC.mp4

Notes: Nintendo released a series of “video podcasts” to promote New Super Mario Bros., one of which was an interview with Mr. Miyamoto. These were probably posted on Nintendo’s website. This interview took place at E3 2006.

Summary: He intended to use Mario in many different games as a cameo.

New Super Mario Bros. appeals to the nostalgia of people who played Super Mario Bros.

Nintendo wants to appeal to people of all ages. They have found that games are harder to get into as they become more complex. They want New Super Mario Bros. to go back to the simpler design of Super Mario Bros. The Mega Mushroom will make Mario so big he nearly takes up the whole screen.

He usually starts on the next game as soon as one is done, but he might take some time off to play the Wii with his family.

 

MTV: Video game legend reveals details about ’Super Mario Galaxy,’ motion-sensitive controller and his unique creative process.

Publication Date: May 26, 2006

Subject(s): Wii, controls, gamer stereotypes, Super Mario Galaxy

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Stephen Totilo, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.mtv.com/news/drgtks/nintendos-design-guru-shigeru-miyamoto-says-wii-can-destroy-gamer-stereotype

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230124031758/https://www.mtv.com/news/drgtks/nintendos-design-guru-shigeru-miyamoto-says-wii-can-destroy-gamer-stereotype

Summary: People immediately knew what buttons to press on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It wasn’t like a computer keyboard, there were only a few options. More and more buttons were added over time to allow the player to do more and more things. The Wii allows to players to do these things with motion controls, making it more intuitive.

The Wii Remote gives players feedback with the rumble feature and speaker. The sound of a tightening arrow string in Zelda gives players the feeling they are having a direct response.

He has been concerned about the stereotypical image of the gamer for some time. We need to break free it to become part of the worldwide culture.

The focus of Super Mario Galaxy is running around on spheres or planets. You can move without the usual camera issues. It makes Mario a running around game rather than a jumping game. You can point directly at things on the screen, which is more intuitive.

Getting older has not really affected his tastes or approach. He doesn’t feel older.

 

Electronic Gaming Monthly: Revolutionary Warfare

Publication Date: June, 2006

Subject(s): Wii, online services, Wii Remote

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Electronic Gaming Monthly interviewer, Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans:

Notes: Scans by Retromags.

Summary: They are looking at ways to use the Wii’s always-online functionality for The Legend of Zelda. They have a lot of ideas involving sending information to the console whether it’s awake or asleep.

There is basic speaker in the Wii Remote. They tried other ideas involving cameras and microphones. Yoot Saito said it could ring like a phone. A headset microphone would have to be attached to the controller, which would make it complicated to use.

He’s not familiar with what Xbox Live is doing. They are evolving the Wi-Fi Connection that the DS uses. They’ll talk more about their ideas later this  year.

The Virtual Console will take advantage of the higher resolutions and crisper displays of modern televisions, but they won’t be redoing the art of older games.

He’s been playing a lot of DS games since you can play them in short spurts. He’ll need to reconsider his schedule when The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess comes out.

 

The New York Times: Q & A: The Forces Behind Wiii[sic]

Publication Date: June 4, 2006

Subject(s): Wii, graphics versus creativity, appealing to a wider audience, music, the shrinking game market

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Seth Schiesel, Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/arts/04NintendoQnA.html

Archive Link: https://archive.ph/f8VEZ

Notes: This interview took place at E3 2006.

Summary: Hardware and controllers have gotten more complicated over time. Nintendo tries to think of a person who has never seen a game controller, and tries to make it welcoming. The old style of controller limited their audience.

Nintendo takes feedback about what people want, but they always describe their desires using existing frameworks. This has led the industry to focus on graphics, while game play doesn’t change. Game designers have relied on graphics rather than creativity.

For the Wii they’ve analyzed the average household and television. They want to figure out fun ways for a household to interact with the TV. The Wii Remote looks natural on a coffee table. They want to change the image of a gamer being someone in a dark room holding a controller with two hands.

Interactivity sets games apart from other media.

He doesn’t try to recreate things from other media for a video game. His own bad idea is better than remaking someone else’s work. His personal experiences do inspire him, though.

He likes bluegrass and plays guitar. He listens to David Grisman, Emmylou Harris, and some Japanese pop bands.

His corporate role is making creative new products. He doesn’t spend much time on corporate or management duties.

In Japan and the rest of the world there is a perception that gaming is something young children do. In Japan, and to a degree around the world the gaming market is shrinking. The DS has caused more people to play games in Japan.

 

Digital Trends: Gaming Legend Shigeru Miyamoto Speaks 

Publication Date: June 18, 2006

Subject(s): Wii, expanding the gaming market, Wii Remote

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Chris Zimmerman, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/gaming-legend-shigeru-miyamoto-speaks/

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230306202413/https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/gaming-legend-shigeru-miyamoto-speaks/

Summary: The attention he gets is both flattering and embarrassing. Some designers like it, but he finds interviews unnerving. He’d rather let his work do the talking.

No one is trying to expand the gaming market, they forgot to innovate and they’re just targeting the same core group. Nintendo wants to bring gaming to the mass market.

He’s pleased with the name “Wii”. They wanted a name that was different from everything else. Non-gamers will be turned off if something sounds like a game system. Everyone will remember it and it will spark their interest.

The Wii provides a new interface, gives game developers a new interface, and it challenges traditional game design. Anyone can pick it up and play so it will create a new audience.

Developers like to make the same games repeatedly to play to a user base. But eventually you have to engage the player’s imagination and consider what the people watching them play think of the game. It should be fun to play or watch

He doesn’t like the term “next-generation”, he prefers to refer to it as the new generation that Nintendo is working on.

They’re creating a cultural shift and taking the next step to bring gaming to a new level. They want to push the boundaries, women are only the start.

The Wii Remote is simple and subconscious and you won’t have to worry about your arms getting tired.

Nintendo does things differently, you can’t just do the same thing.

 

Nintendo Dream (reported on by IGN, partially untranslated from Japanese)

Publication Date: July, 2006 (assumed) (reported on August 21, 2006)

Subject(s): Super Mario 64, Super Mario 128, Super Mario Galaxy 

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Reported on by Anoop Gantayat, unknown Nintendo Dream interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/08/21/miyamoto-opens-the-vault

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20130422105210/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/08/21/miyamoto-opens-the-vault 

Summary: They had Mario and Luigi together on screen when making Super Mario 64 but couldn’t get it to work.

The parts used for running around the surface of Super Mario 128 ended up in Super Mario Galaxy. The camera in Super Mario Galaxy won’t cause nausea, it’s good for people who haven’t played 3D games before.

Shigesato Itoi and Tsunekazu Ishihara got too busy to complete Cabbage, but some design techniques for it ended up in Nintendogs.

They stopped working on Marionette, but they are preserving the story. They wanted to use the Nintendo 64 controller in interesting ways.

 

Level (partially untranslated from Swedish)

Publication Date: Unknown (reported on July 6, 2006)

Subject(s): Game difficulty, music, controls

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unknown Level interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.neogaf.com/threads/new-miyamoto-interview.109003/#post-3775916

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20190221071949/https://www.neogaf.com/threads/new-miyamoto-interview.109003/

Translator: SantaC for NeoGAF

Notes: This is not a translation of the entire interview. Unfortunately, SantaC does not link to the interview source and I have been unable to find it.

Summary: He made Donkey Kong alone, Nintendo has grown a lot.

He tries to make games for new and experienced players, but it’s difficult.

He gave some advice and perspective in the development of the DS.

To know if a game is good or not he studies people while they play. The Super Mario Club also gives feedback.

He plays CDs for the music team to give them an idea of what kind of feelings and genre to go for. Those are more important than melodies to him.

Super Mario 128 was an experiment. He has a habit of abandoning projects. He had a prototype for a Nintendo 64 game with Mario and Luigi.

It’s too complicated to move a camera in 3D while still performing other complicated actions. They want to get away from that with the Wii and its motion controls.

Many people start by playing simple games on the DS, then move on to Super Mario 64 DS, and eventually Zelda games.

Some times have been tough but he has always loved his job.

 

Iwata Asks: Wii Remote

Publication Date: September 11, 2006 

Subject(s): Wii Remote

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Satoru Iwata, Genyo Takeda, Kenichiro Ashida, Akio Ikeda, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/wii_remote/0/0/

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20220826090009/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/wii_remote/0/0/

Japanese Link:  https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/topics/interview/vol2/index.html

Japanese Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20150715043311/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/topics/interview/vol2/index.html

Summary: He was in charge of the new graduates at Nintendo entering the industrial design part of the company and created a pecking order. He always recommends Nintendo hire people with a background in industrial design because it gives them a creative grounding. With the Wii the industrial design people had to convince the people used to traditional interfaces.

More than 10 years ago he said that Mario games were not meant to be played with one hand. He wanted the Wii’s controller to make people curious about trying it, accessible, while also being usable with older games. Deciding on the shape and that it should be one-handed solved a lot of problems. Connecting controllers was cheaper than using wireless.

Code names are rarely kept, but the Nunchuk was. Satoru Iwata insisted the main controller be called a remote. He sometimes wished there were more buttons while working on Zelda, but he also told people to move on from adding more buttons. The Nintendo Entertainment System worked for everyone.

He was obsessive about the appearance of the sensor bar, and decided against using batteries for it. He was on edge when first showing the Wii, but relieved they were the only ones doing anything new. It’s important for Nintendo to fight against being conservative, they are at their best with innovative products.

 

Bloomberg: Nintendo: Wii Want To Expand Games’ Appeal

Publication Date: September 13, 2006

Subject(s): Wii, the competition

Format: Presentation

People: Kenji Hall, Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-09-13/nintendo-wii-want-to-expand-games-appeal

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230520232539/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-09-13/nintendo-wii-want-to-expand-games-appeal

Notes: I don’t know what Tokyo event this article is covering.

Summary: The Wii is more powerful than the GameCube, but you don’t need the power of their competitors to make fun games.

The media talks about next generation consoles competing, but Nintendo has a different strategy.

 

Unknown (footage used in Game On! The Unauthorized History Of Video Games and The Rise Of Nintendo, possibly incomplete)

Publication Date: Unknown (earliest showing of footage was November 15, 2006)

Subject(s): Donkey Kong’s name, aging

Format: Interview (dubbed)

People: Unknown interviewer, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSuWOw7Ka3s&t=1552s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whW1qJZwxs0&t=1085s

Notes: CNBC has aired two video game documentaries (Game On! The Unauthorized History Of Video Games on November 15, 2006, and The Rise Of Nintendo on April 12, 2020) that use footage of the same interview with Mr. Miyamoto, though different parts of this interview are seen in each. The original source of the interview is unknown.

Summary: [From Game On! The Unauthorized History Of Video Games footage.]

He thought to have a guy chasing a gorilla who has kidnapped a girl.

He wanted the name to mean “dumb monkey”. The word “kong” is associated with gorillas in Japan. He heard somewhere that “donkey” means dumb.

[From The Rise of Nintendo.]

He thought he’d always be young, but somehow he’s now the oldest guy in the room.

 

Businessweek: The Big Ideas Behind Nintendo’s Wii

Publication Date: November 16, 2006

Subject(s): Wii development, DS

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Kenji Hall, Kenichiro Ashida, Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20061201013947/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061116_750580.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20071121134859/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061116_750580_page_2.htm

Summary: They started working on the Wii around the time the GameCube was released. They decided power wasn’t everything, too many ferocious dinosaurs could lead to extinction. If it was powerful it would have cost $450, used a lot of electricity, and been so noisy that moms would be against it. They thought about what would get a mom to buy a console for their child. By early 2005 they decided on the Wii Remote’s shape, motion sensor, and button layout. He wanted it to cost $100. Satoru Iwata wanted it to be able to play every Nintendo game.

The DS influenced the Wii, it had traction with non-gamers.

Game controllers came to dictate how games were made, it was stifling. The DS had loosened creativity. The infrared pointer took a long time, they had to test it in different conditions. They had worries that the sensor bar wasn’t simple enough. They don’t use focus groups.

 

 

2007

Talk Asia: Shigeru Miyamoto Talk Asia Interview

Publication Date: February 15, 2007

Subject(s): Joining Nintendo, Wii, DS, Wii Sports, taking risks, women playing games, violence in games

Format: Interview (dubbed)

People: Anjali Rao, Shigeru Miyamoto

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzR0zXhq-q0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mN1RXxFeFc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IH1Xzp23jo

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/14/miyamoto.script/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230301004038/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/02/14/miyamoto.script/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Notes: The linked article has a full transcript of the interview. Talk Asia appeared on CNN International.

Summary: There was no such thing as game making at Nintendo when he joined. He wanted to make toys. He was an industrial designer so he drew boxes for games. His first game developing job was Donkey Kong, which led to game design being recognized as a big thing at Nintendo. He is a director at Nintendo, and still making games.

He enjoys making unique games. He gets inspired by watching people playing games. He and his staff are motivated by trying to make something unique, not what will sell.

The original Mario design had to be small but recognizably human. He has a mustache so they wouldn’t have to draw a mouth. They gave him big hands so he’d be distinctive.

Game makers and game players grew up together, going through the history of video games. Everyone can enjoy games and he’s been trying to make games that even veterans like him can enjoy. He tries to make DS games appeal to all ages and have a new theme. Anyone can enjoy Nintendogs. Everyone can enjoy golf, tennis, and bowling on the Wii. He’s trying to get back to the basics.

They are too conscious of the competition. Nintendo should be unique and become incomparable. They can make games that are accepted for a long time.

[Mr. Miyamoto plays Wii Sports with Anjali Rao.]

It took one or two years to make Wii Sports. It is a simple game but he hopes people enjoy it. People will watch and want to give it a try.

Japanese people have a habit of abbreviating names, like with the Family Computer. They decided to name the Wii something that couldn’t be abbreviated. It’s short and can be combined with other titles, like “Wii Sports”.

New markets open when you make something unexpected. Nintendo is a company that takes risks. Nintendo puts as much money into big projects as possible.

His wife has never been interested in games until recently. They are starting to tear down the walls that have prevented women from playing video games, starting with the DS. He hopes women will enjoy games more. He thinks their target will be mothers, who take the lead in family entertainment.

Some shy away from video games because they have to plug them into the TV, or because of the shape. Nintendo is trying to diversify in themes and genres, which will help more people relate to games.

He’s careful about excessive violence in his games. His parents were worried about the comics he was reading. Nintendo has many ways to entertain people without using violence.

He will take in fan suggestions that are useful. He predicts how players will react to games he’s making, but people have different views on everything. Rather than read blogs he’d rather stand behind someone playing a game and observe them. He always tries to think about how to surprise the people who play his games.

 

GDC 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech

Publication Date: March 7, 2007

Subject(s): His career

Format: Award ceremony (live translator)

People: Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bTndFnL1DM

Notes: Uploaded by YouTube user digitalreporter.

Summary: He’s been surrounded by young people during his career, sucking up their life force. He has a fondness for America and its spirit of taking on challenges. This award is an incredible honor and he looks forward to the future.

 

2007 GDC Keynote

Publication Date: March 8, 2007

Subject(s): Gaming’s reputation, Wife-o-Meter, Animal Crossing, DS, tenacity, Miis, Super Mario 128

Format: Presentation (spoken English, live translator)

People: Unnamed GDC staff member, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Videos: 

Notes: The official GDC channel has not uploaded an official version of this speech. Nintendo uploaded a video of this speech to a website that doesn’t exist anymore. This keynote speech was reported on in detail on several sites such as here, here, and here. Uploaded by YouTube user CARSLOCK.

Summary: When he started making games people were talking about games like these.

[An image of Pac-Man appears in the Wii’s Photo Channel.]

And this was the image of gamers.

[An image of two children playing games appears.]

When he gave his GDC speech in 1998 Nintendo released the best selling game of the year, GoldenEye 007. Gamers didn’t have a bad image at the time. By 2004 none of the best selling games were by Nintendo. Reporters around this time kept asking him about the effect games had on people. Sales went up, but gaming’s reputation went down. Players just seemed to want the same kind of game. Nintendo had to reflect on its vision.

There are three elements to Nintendo’s vision. One is expanded audience, which can explained with the Wife-o-Meter. Playing Super Mario Bros. or Pac-Man may have been an important moment for you, but they were not for his wife. When his daughter played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, his wife started watching. He told her that Animal Crossing had no enemies to fight and she was happy to send letters and cut down trees.

He loves dogs and his wife loves cats.

[An image of a poll on the Wii’s Everybody Votes Channel appears.]

About 64% of Wii owners agree with him that dogs are better, 90% in Guatemala.

[Images of his dog appear.]

His dog Pick is six years old and sleeps on a better mattress than he does. He’s made friends with other dog owners. When he showed Nintendogs to his wife, she saw games in a new light, but Brain Age turned her into a gamer.

Women give chocolate to men on Valentine’s Day in Japan. He came home late from work on Valentine’s Day and thought she had stayed up to give him chocolate, but she was voting on the Everybody Votes channel. She downloaded the channel on her own. His wife brags that she can beat him the Dr. Mario game in Brain Age. The Wife-o-Meter jumped up. She’s made Miis for everyone.

The second part of Nintendo’s vision is its devotion to entertainment. They don’t worry about expanding into other things. Everyone understands entertainment. Programmers and engineers can meet face to face and collaborate.

As an industrial designer he has worked on every Nintendo controller, but everyone works on them together. Designing the Wii required different departments with different viewpoints to work together. One team was focused on innovation, the Zelda team wanted to make sure their franchises would work on the system, another group focused on making sure third-party games could be played. Software designers were enthusiastic but also concerned, they didn’t want to turn away from Nintendo’s heritage. They made dozens of prototypes of Wii controllers.

[Images of prototype Wii controllers appear.]

The final controller is a collaboration between several departments.

It’s important that their hardware can play games meant for other systems, but it’s more important that it can create new experiences.

There’s a museum in Kyoto dedicated to Hyakunin Isshu cards with poetry and he was put in charge of making the attractions. Visitors are given a DS that keeps track of visitor’s locations. The DS can be used to change the card displayed on the screens that make up the floor. These kinds of poems are mostly interesting to older people, but younger people are entertained by the interactivity.

The last element of Nintendo’s is risk. Hiroshi Yamauchi always encouraged them to take risks. The DS and its interface was a risk, but the Wii was their biggest risk. The GameCube was a half step, but he wanted it to appeal to a wide audience. He wanted the A button larger and a different color so anyone would know how to start playing, but it was still too complicated. When they saw the satisfaction of people who played the Wii at E3 2006 they knew the risk was worth it.

He’s often asked about specific things in his games, but his focus is on the core element of fun within the game. He imagines the face of the player as they play it. They recorded some footage of people playing the DS for the first time.

[Footage of people in Japan playing the DS.]

People watching get caught up in the excitement too. He wants the reaction to be something positive, like surprise, happiness, or glee. Other developers work with fear, horror, or violence, and that’s fine too. 

They have to make games from the viewpoint of the player that knows nothing about the game. He has to upend the tea table if they aren’t delivering on that.

When someone sees another person in their household having fun with a game they may be inspired to give a try too. Wii Play may seem too simple for core gamers, but they enjoy it because they can play with their non-gaming friends.

Communication is an important topic, but not all games include it, like solitaire or Tetris. They are popular because they create a personal sense of fulfillment. The Legend of Zelda was not intended to be a game like that. It didn’t do well in Japan at first because it confused people. Rather than make it easier and more linear he made it so that you don’t start with a sword anymore. This would encourage people to think about what they were going to do, and to communicate with other players.

That became the basis of Animal Crossing, a game totally based on communication. Many hardcore gamers like Animal Crossing too.

Every developer has the same complaint: not enough. They don’t have enough people, budget, or time. It’s natural to think that they have to add more content and better graphics to please the player. Satoru Iwata tells him “too bad”.

Baseball in Wii Sports has one stadium, there’s no licenses, you can’t bunt, you can’t steal bases, you can’t control the fielders, and the game is three innings long. Miis are based on a type of Japanese wooden doll and don’t have limbs. At Nintendo they decided that the way to make the game feel realistic was in pitching and hitting.

The final aspect of his vision is tenacity. When the Famicom Disk System came out he wanted to make a game where you draw faces. He had prototype made, but everyone asked how it was a game. The 64DD had Talent Maker, which was only sold to rand.net members.

[Footage of Talent Maker starts playing.]

There were clothing options and a movie editor. He thought everyone would like it at Nintendo, but that wasn’t the case. He thought the eReader would finally be the answer.

[Footage of Stage Debut starts playing.]

He thought it would be a hit, but people at Nintendo didn’t. During the development of the Wii Iwata told him that another team was working on something similar, which he joined. Making Miis didn’t need to be a game and they didn’t need to make them more and more involved and complex as he had been doing. His tenacity worked out after he looked at it from another perspective. New things can be made when you wait for technology to come along that fits your vision.

He’s working on a new Mii channel that will have contests.

He’s always asked about Super Mario 128. That demo was to show how the GameCube could change Mario games. Most people have played Super Mario 128 in Pikmin, which had large numbers of creatures. It’s also playable in Super Mario Galaxy, which is possible now with the Wii.

[A Super Mario Galaxy trailer plays.]

His main message is that creative vision is the essence of game design. He has a lot of faith about the future of the video game industry after seeing the independent games nominated for Game Developer’s Choice Awards.

A measure of success of games is when they breach the world of video games. They can’t just make games for gamers, they have to reach out to more people. The vision of the typical gamer is changing.

 

G4TV: Exclusive: Shigeru Miyamoto at GDC ’07

Publication Date: March 8, 2007 (filmed, air date unknown)

Subject(s): Super Mario Galaxy

Format: Interview (dubbed)

People: Adam Sessler, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Link: https://archive.org/details/g4tv.com-video15584

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHC_vewcmZ0

Notes: Mr. Miyamoto is wearing the same clothes he was wearing during his 2007 GDC keynote address, so this was almost certainly filmed the same day. Uploaded to YouTube by Comet Observatory, uploaded to Archive.org by chris85.

Summary: They thought of levels that had new ways for Mario to explore, and one of those ideas was smaller, spherical worlds. Then they had to come up with how Mario could travel from one to another and how to make that fun. Small planets that each have their own gravitational field is very different from other Mario games and it fits well with the galaxy idea.

 

The Mercury News: Q&A: One-On-One With Shigeru Miyamoto

Publication Date: March 19, 2007

Subject(s): Wii, unique features

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Dean Takahashi, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20070929140812/http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2007/03/qa_one-on-one_with_shigeru_miyamoto.html

Notes: This interview took place after Mr. Miyamoto’s 2007 GDC keynote speech.

Summary: Their focus is always to do something different. Miis use the Internet, but that isn’t the focus. They have looked into making game makers and editors. People said that interest in Wii Sports would fade quickly, but people are still playing it.

The Wii can sustain momentum by being something people bring out when they are together. It is always connected to the Internet, it’s something you interact with every day and use naturally like a TV. Lots of third parties are making a wide variety of Wii games. They are not focused on competing with others on an epic scale, just on unique ideas that can only be done on the Wii.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was released on the DS because of its unique features.

 

GamePro: Miyamoto: I was worried about US Wii launch, Nintendo’s Miyamoto looks back to look ahead, A Moment with Miyamoto (partially incomplete)

Publication Date: April 2, 2007/June, 2007

Subject(s): Getting into game design

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Vicious Sid, Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20071011165434/http://gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=107842

Scans:

Notes: On April 2, 2007 an interview with Mr. Miyamoto was posted to GamePro’s website, spanning two pages with two headlines. The second of these pages was not not preserved in the Internet Archive. In the June, 2007 issue there is a small interview with Mr. Miyamoto that encourages readers to read the rest on their website. Scans by Retromags.

Summary: He’s happy that the Wii is selling well in America.

When making games it’s important to find a unique idea that uses their interface.

His impression is that game developers have more say in Japan than in America, where the sales team makes decisions.

Nintendo’s next big challenge is online entertainment. There’s a lot of possibilities with the Wii’s always-online functionality.

He got an interview at Nintendo thanks to his father’s friend.

Students have to compete with each other, but don’t get a chance to make something and have people criticize it, which is important to game design. It can be frustrating, but you have to use it to improve.

Students interested in game design should not focus on programming and should have interests other than video games. Expose yourself to different genres and fields while in college.

He was worried that people who liked cutting-edge video games might not like Wii Sports. They didn’t bundle it with the Wii as an extra, it’s because they want everyone to play it. It may convince hardcore gamers that it’s fun, and they may promote the Wii.

Some people in their sales group said they couldn’t bundle Wii Sports.

 

Newsweek (reported on by Game Developer and Gamezone, incomplete)

Publication Date: Unknown (reported on April 3, 2007)

Subject(s): Third party developers, PlayStation Home, Miis

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Reported on by David Jenkins and kombo, N’Gai Croal, Shigeru Miyamoto

Links: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/console/miyamoto-talks-third-party-developers-online-gaming

https://www.gamezone.com/originals/miyamoto-industry-will-grow-by-doing-things-different/

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20220516130632/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/console/miyamoto-talks-third-party-developers-online-gaming

Notes: This interview took place at GDC 2007.

Summary: Third parties can succeed on Wii if they look at examples of new interfaces, use their technical know-how, and use new ideas only possible on the Wii. Sometimes it seems games are developed by third or fourth string teams, but Nintendo uses their number one teams.

He’s happy to see something like PlayStation Home and wants video game companies to try new things. He’d be worried if the industry all went in the same direction.

People at Nintendo are interested in expanding on Miis and making a Sim-type experience. Making Miis is almost like game development.

The more people try unique things the more possibilities the industry has.

 

Entertainment Weekly: The man who made ”Mario” super

Publication Date: May 08, 2007

Subject(s): Dealing with societal issues in games, creativity, Halo, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Geoff Keighley, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://ew.com/article/2007/05/08/man-who-made-mario-super/

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20150213224022/http://www.ew.com/article/2007/05/08/man-who-made-mario-super

Summary: Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of our Fathers are thought-provoking films. He saw Defcon, a game about nuclear war, and thought it was a very powerful message to put into a game.

It really upsets him how young people will not give up their seats to the elderly or pregnant women on the train. He also doesn’t like when freelancers don’t pay their taxes. These are real-world issues he would consider putting into a game.

When he plays Wii Fit to get exercise it feels like he’s at work.

He could have made Halo, he just chose not to. He never looks for what people want, he creates new experiences. He would like people to make games like he does, games they want to create, not something focus grouped. He doesn’t ask people’s opinions when they play test games, he watches their faces.

He has been disappointed in some F-Zero and Star Fox games they partnered with other developers on. He is disappointed The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess isn’t doing well in Japan. He thinks people buying Wiis are not the type who would want to play a big role-playing game like that.

His son is not interested in making games.

 

Game Head: Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto: A Super Tribute

Publication Date: May 26, 2007 (approximate)

Subject(s): Origins at Nintendo, Nintendo characters, Wii Sports, Star Fox 2

Format: Interview (dubbed)

People: Geoff Keighley, Shigeru Miyamoto

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw4XIwnwJOs

Notes: Game Head would eventually become GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley. Information about these two shows is often intertwined so a reliable air date is difficult to pin down. 

There are several interview segments interspersed with other people talking about Mr. Miyamoto. There is a short interview with Koji Kondo as well.

Summary: When he joined Nintendo, Space Invaders was popular and he was put to work on making pixel art. There was an arcade game that hadn’t sold well and he was told to make a new game that could use the machines, which ended up being Donkey Kong.

He’s a serious person, none of Nintendo’s characters really match his personality. He wishes he could be more like Mario.

He would like game developers to turn their ideas into new, creative games.

 

[Presented with a picture of Paris Hilton playing a DS]

 

He’s glad so many people own their products.

He plays Wii Sports with his family, they also invite their neighbors over.

They worked on Star Fox 2 for quite a while, but it got put on the pending list. They’ve been looking into bringing projects like that back to life on the DS.

 

Nintendo Power: Miyamoto on Multiplayer, Power Profiles

Publication Date: June, 2007

Subject(s): Multiplayer, starting at Nintendo, current duties, real life experiences, hobbies, ideal superpower

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Nintendo Power interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Scans:

Notes: Scans by Retromags.

Summary: [From Miyamoto on Multiplayer.]

They aren’t focusing on multiplayer Wii games, they are trying to make new, unique, and fun games using the Wii’s interface that also entertain others in the household and make them want to pick up a Wii Remote.

[From Power Profiles.]

When he joined Nintendo he started by doing art for arcade cabinets, and some pixel art.

He oversees about half of Nintendo’s games, but he’s taken on more managerial roles. He is more involved in hardware decisions than he used to be.

As you flesh out a project it’s important to reflect on your experiences. The more you can find overlaps, the better the process goes. It’s important for Nintendo fans to have real life experiences. He wants to people to go outside when it’s nice out.

It’s important to him to find gameplay elements that are fun to people who have never played games. He starts with an idea for fun gameplay, not with a character. Once they have an idea of what the game is going to be like they decide which franchise would fit.

In elementary school he wanted to be a puppeteer, in middle school he wanted to be a comic book artist.

It’s fun to have an idea and realize it’s going to be great. The most exciting part of game design is combining all those ideas into a game.

When you’re stuck on something, sit and think about what the central problem is. He’s seen as negative sometimes because he’ll find where the problems within the problem are.

He was a fan of movies with lots of special effects, but he’s more interested in smaller scale performances now.

He likes carpentry and home repair.

Knowing what someone is thinking would be a fun superpower.

 

Official Japanese DS Website: Miyamoto Interview: Phantom Hourglass

Publication Date: Unknown (translated June 16, 2007)

Subject(s): The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unknown interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20070630071937/http://www.thehylia.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1181971202&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5&

Translator: Patricia for thehylia.com

Notes: I could not find an archive of the original interview on the Japanese DS website.

Summary: The game didn’t lose its Zelda essence when made for stylus control. It’s intuitive, if you touch a pot, Link will lift it. You don’t have to remember which button does what. You can write a path for the boomerang to follow. You can write notes directly instead of needing a notepad. This game is another evolution of the Zelda franchise. To his sister he would like to say that Link is cute, he’d like her to watch the animated characters. This game doesn’t use the complicated cross pad.

 

Nintendo of America: E3 2007

Publication Date: July 11, 2007

Subject(s): Wii Fit (1:00:04)

Format: Presentation/demonstration (live translator)

People: Sharon, John, Josephine, Reggie Fils-Aimé, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Video: 

Notes: Uploaded by YouTube user CARSLOCK.

Summary: The game he wanted to introduce at E3 2007 wasn’t Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, or Mario Kart DS, it was Wii Fit. They saw the Wii as a device for the living room, so it should be relevant to everyone in the household. The subject to achieve that was health. They have three fitness trainers on stage to demonstrate, starting with Sharon who will do a one-legged stretch. The calibration seems off. You’re trying to stay balanced while doing the stretch. John will do step aerobics. There are blue icons that show when you need to step to the side. Josephine is doing a sideways twist. The onscreen indicator shows your balance, ensuring you do it correctly. It’s not moving as smoothly as it should.

Wii Fit has four genres: aerobics, muscle conditioning, yoga poses, and balance. There are over 40 activities. The Wii Balance Board is very thin and can measure your weight and your balance. Your full body movement can be used as a controller. Today we’ll do a body check on Reggie. The idea is to do this once a day. Reggie doesn’t seem to have a big belly. You can make graphs of you and your family’s data. The development team is competing to see who can get the slimmest.

 

GamesRadar+: E3 07: Miyamoto talks about strange videogame fanatics

Publication Date: July 11, 2007

Subject(s): Casual games versus hardcore games

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Matt Cundy or an unknown GamesRadar+ interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.gamesradar.com/e3-07-miyamoto-talks-about-strange-videogame-fanatics/

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230105054721/https://www.gamesradar.com/e3-07-miyamoto-talks-about-strange-videogame-fanatics/

Notes: This interview took place at E3 2007.

Summary: They wanted to show games are for everyone at E3 2007. Nintendo will continue to make hardcore games. Maybe in the future parents won’t complain about their kids playing games all the time.

 

IGN: E3 2007: Nintendo Developer Roundtable, Nintendo World Report: E3 2007 Roundtable with Shigeru Miyamoto

Publication Date: July 12, 2007

Subject(s): Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Balance Board

Format: Presentation/demonstration, Q & A

People: Matt Casamassina, Steven Rodriguez, unnamed members of the press, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Links: https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/07/12/e3-2007-nintendo-developer-roundtable

https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/13932/e3-2007-roundtable-with-shigeru-miyamoto

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20121026055241/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/07/12/e3-2007-nintendo-developer-roundtable

https://web.archive.org/web/20150227001648/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/13932/e3-2007-roundtable-with-shigeru-miyamoto

Summary: He didn’t need to make any changes to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass because it was so good.

Yesterday’s E3 press conference was for a wide audience, they’re showing traditional games today.

Wii Fit and Super Mario Galaxy are both meant to be accessible to everyone. One of the ways Mario Galaxy does that is assist mode, which allows a second player to stun enemies.

Super Mario Galaxy will have many types of gravity and spheres, with ideas from Super Mario 128. There will be about 120 stars to collect. The spherical levels make it hard to get lost.

The bee is fluffy thanks to fur-shading.

You won’t need to get all the stars to beat the game.

Super Mario Galaxy feels new the way that Super Mario 64 did, and it has more simple controls than Super Mario Sunshine.

They won’t stop making traditional games.

Third parties and the medical industry are interested in the Wii Balance Board.

Super Mario Galaxy is being made by the team which made Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, they started development right after they finished. The team size has gone from 30 to 50.

He’s been more directly involved with the design of Mario Galaxy than Super Mario 64.

Many at Nintendo think Super Mario Sunshine was too hard, while others liked that difficulty. They recently made Mario Galaxy harder.

 

IGN: Shigeru Miyamoto Nintendo Wii Interview E3 2007 Interview

Publication Date: July 12, 2007

Subject(s): Retirement, Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Balance Board, Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Format: Interview (dubbed)

People: Unnamed IGN interviewer, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Video: https://www.ign.com/videos/shigeru-miyamoto-nintendo-wii-interview-e3-2007-interview

Notes: This video was uploaded to YouTube by FFXIgaiaknight here as well.

Summary: If he had to be one of his characters he might be Mario, since he’s straightforward and at ease.

He’s having a lot of fun and working with younger developers so he doesn’t see himself retiring for now.

The Wii is well-suited to Pikmin.

The Mii Channel was made by the director of Animal Crossing.

The Wii allows you to store data on an SD card, and you can delete games from the eShop and re-download them later.

The Legend of Zelda games take around three years to make, so it’s possible there will be another Zelda game after The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on Wii.

Super Mario Galaxy is an evolution of Super Mario 64, it will please hardcore gamers.

Third parties are devoting more resources to their Wii games, so their games should improve.

There’s potential for Wii Connect 24 and Wii Fit to work with a doctor or fitness specialist. It would be easy to make a snowboarding game that uses the Wii Balance Board.

There will be fencing in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Apologies to Sega if he wasn’t supposed to say that.

He can’t talk about Super Smash Bros. Brawl, all announcements will be done on Smash Bros. DOJO!!.

Wii Sports 2 isn’t part of their plans, but if they were to do it, it would likely have a different flavor, something like “Wii Winter Sports”.

He feels they may have made too many Mario sports games. He wants Wii Sports to go a different direction.

Nintendo has acquired a few companies and built relationships with others that are good at making hardcore games.

 

Tampa Bay Times: Video Games Taking Aim at Us

Publication Date: July 14, 2007

Subject(s): Bringing video games to a wider audience

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Unnamed Associated Press interviewer, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2007/07/14/video-games-taking-aim-at-us/

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240107201753/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2007/07/14/video-games-taking-aim-at-us/

Notes: This interview was by the Associated Press and appeared in a few different newspapers. It occurred at the E3 Media and Business Summit and may have been a presentation to an audience rather than an interview.

Summary: He’ll know he’s succeeded when his relatives talk to him about video games.

He doesn’t see Sony and Microsoft as competition, he wants to make games more relevant.

 

Time: 10 Questions for Shigeru Miyamoto

Publication Date: July 19, 2007

Subject(s): Wii, casual versus hardcore, gaming in pop culture, competitors, high definition graphics

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Carolyn Sayre, Shigeru Miyamoto

Links: https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1645158,00.html

https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1645158-2,00.html

Archive Links: https://web.archive.org/web/20211013172845/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1645158,00.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20230125025006/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1645158-2,00.html

Notes: Even though it’s called 10 questions there are 20. The 20 questions were all sent in by readers.

Summary: In 10 years he hopes people look back on the Wii and DS that redefined what a video game is.

Hardcore gamers play casual games too, and he would like to break down the barrier between hardcore and casual.

He focuses on the emotions players experience, but the Zelda producer includes messages about good and evil.

Space Invaders revolutionized the industry, he wasn’t very interested in video games until he saw it.

Video games used to have a relevant place in pop culture, and he would like the Wii and DS to bring them back to relevancy.

He can’t announce any changes in price to the Wii, but technology generally gets cheaper.

He doesn’t have much time to actually play games, but Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Fit might his favorite because he had a lot of fun working on them.

He doesn’t see Sony and Microsoft as competition, it’s about making entertaining experiences.

He wanted to be a puppeteer when he was younger.

It was more important to make an approachable system than one with high definition graphics.

 

GameSpot: GameSpot E3: Shigeru Miyamoto Interview 

Publication Date: July 19, 2007

Subject(s): Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit

Format: Interview (dubbed)

People: Unnamed GameSpot interviewer, Bill Trinen (translator), Shigeru Miyamoto

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OHJgO-PGsU

Notes: This interview took place at E3 2007.

Summary: As a member of Nintendo’s executive board he has some management responsibilities, but he’s mostly involved in game development.

Mario games have become more difficult to play, not as many people could play them. They wanted to change that with Super Mario Galaxy with the Wii Remote. A second player can shoot Star Pieces and hold enemies in place. The Bee Suit can hover, which is useful for jumping across platforms.

Super Mario Galaxy has Mario traveling to different planets with different gravity. There are some 2D areas. There are lots of levels, though they are a bit smaller. They had ideas to use Miis, but he thinks they will only be used as icons for your save data.

Wii Fit was one of the first ideas they had for the Wii. It’s important that when someone sees a person playing a game that they want to play too.

People at Nintendo will tell him they want to make a game from a particular franchise, and several will be coming to the Wii.

 

Wired: E3 Interview: Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto

Publication Date: July 19, 2007

Subject(s): Super Mario Galaxy, Wii, Wii Fit, Wii Zapper, Wii Wheel, game prices, WiiWare, Touch! Generations, video games in popular culture

Format: Transcribed interview

People: Chris Kohler, Shigeru Miyamoto

Link: https://www.wired.com/2007/07/e3-interview-ni/

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20221207091235/http://www.wired.com/2007/07/e3-interview-ni/

Notes: This interview took place at E3 2007.

Summary: They’ve felt a lot of people had difficulty playing 3D Mario games, and they wanted Super Mario Galaxy to be one everyone could play. People sitting and watching you play may tell you where to go and what to do, with the two-player mode that person can point at things.

The gravity mechanic and running on spheres was something they’ve been working on since Super Mario 128. The spheres make the camera less of an issue, which makes it easier for people.

They wanted the Wii to be in the living room and for everyone to use it. They also wanted the Wii to be a set of interactive channels. You won’t necessarily sit down and play it for hours. That thinking is how Wii Fit came to be.

The Wii Zapper and Wii Wheel are designed to be inexpensive. Compare the cost of the Wii Balance Board to exercise equipment rather than to a game.

They have teams doing experiments that can eventually become WiiWare games. It gives a lot of freedom to the developer.

It was difficult to release cheap cartridges. If they release a disc-based game cheaper than the others it affects the consumer’s idea of what a game should cost.

Some Touch! Generations games are geared towards the Japanese market, but it’s possible for American developers to make such games aimed at the American market.

When he plays Guitar Hero he wants something more complicated since he knows how to play guitar, but it does feel good to get into the rhythm.

Wii Music and Mario Kart Wii should release next year.

The video game market was too focused on itself, they weren’t talked about in popular culture. DS and Wii games are reclaiming that status. His job is to continue that. The biggest concern with video games has been violence, but it’s like society considers games a nuisance. As video games become a topic of popular culture people will see what they’re about.