Miyamoto retires from current post, still with Nintendo

Calm down everyone! Miyamoto’s still making games! He’ll still be employed by Nintendo, but will be working on smaller personal projects. The reason for the retirement is that he wants to send the message to the younger staff that he won’t always be around. even though he’s eager to work with a smaller younger staff on some of his ideas. I’m sure we’ll see some of his creative genius come forward in small titles as long as he’s still around!

(Source: Wired)

[UPDATE 1 — Dec. 8, 2011]

When contacted by Reuters Japan, Nintendo denies the report from Wired that Miyamoto was stepping down as Nintendo’s Senior Managing Director and General Manager at Nintendo EAD. Nintendo’ statement is as follows

“This is absolutely not true. There seems to have been a misunderstanding. [Miyamoto] has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned.”

–Nintendo Spokeswoman (via Reuters)

Also, an official statement released by Nintendo today, stating that Miyamoto is still a major contributor in the company and has not stepped down from his position and that he’s simply just encouraging young developers and pursuing fresh ideas that originally inspired him to start in the gaming industry in first place.

“Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s role at Nintendo is not changing. He will continue to be a driving force in Nintendo’s development efforts. In discussing his priorities at Nintendo in a media interview, Mr. Miyamoto explained how he is encouraging the younger developers at the company to take more initiative and responsibility for developing software. He attempted to convey his priorities moving forward, inclusive of overseeing all video game development and ensuring the quality of all products. Mr. Miyamoto also discussed his desire to pursue fresh ideas and experiences of the kind that sparked his initial interest in video games.”

— Nintendo Official Statement

So there you have it guys, Miyamoto’s role hasn’t changed all that much and he’s still gonna pump out games filled to the brim with awesomeness at Nintendo HQ!

(Source: Reuters Japan, Bloomberg and IGN )