Nintendo President: Shigeru Miyamoto Was a "Rival"

[StewShearerOld]

Nintendo President: Shigeru Miyamoto Was a "Rival"

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently admitted to trying to give Mario-creator Shigeru Miyamoto "hell" during his early days at the company.

It's easy to look at Nintendo and imagine that it's staffed by a crew of happy-go-lucky developers who spend their days doing nothing but smiling and cranking out solidly made, family friendly video games. After all, these are the people who gave us Mario! How could the minds behind the Mushroom Kingdom ever produce anything other than goodwill and laughter?

Anyone that's followed an interview that he used to view famed developer <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/shigeru%20miyamoto>Shigeru Miyamoto (a.k.a. the guy who created all of Nintendo's biggest IPs) as a rival.

"Back when I was just starting out, I sort of arbitrarily decided that Miyamoto was my rival, though that's embarrassing to admit now," explained Iwata, in a translated statement. "Would you believe that for a long time I'd just decided within myself, completely arbitrarily and not at all reciprocated, that he was my rival and I wanted to do something to just give him hell." Iwata would go on to affirm that these feelings were quickly replaced by admiration for Miyamoto's talents, calling him an "amazing person" and describing him as being brilliant when it comes to finding solutions that no one else would think of. "[Miyamoto says] that when a problem just can't be solved no matter what, someone is lying. He doesn't mean lying in a bad way, but that the person's thought-process is mistaken, or they're looking at the problem the wrong way," he said. "He's a genius at creating perception changes."

It's worth noting that this isn't the first time that Iwata has addressed his earlier years at Nintendo and his working relationship with Miyamoto. Nonetheless, it's always interesting to get a glimpse at the interplay of personalities that drives a company as old and storied as Nintendo.

Source: 4Gamer via <a href=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/12/iwata_saw_miyamoto_as_a_rival_when_he_first_started_out>Nintendo Life


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[Hairless Mammoth]

The undisclosed corporate politics behind Gunpei Yokoi being forced to release the unfinished Virtual Boy as a stop gap for the delayed N64 has told me for years that Nintendo is just another company that might make mistakes or have people in charge that might do dirty things. The hi-larious story behind Big N, Sony and Phillips making some consoles together also shows how much malice was present in the early 90s, hiding behind a jolly Italian plumber that stomps bipedal mushrooms and turtles.

It's interesting to hear some details of Iwata and Miyamoto's early relationship. I wonder if they ever pictured themselves making videos together of the company's news 30 years later?

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

Now that I think about it, it would actually be kinda weird if he didn't think of Miyamoto as a rival; after all, Iwata was one of the best programmers HAL had in the 80's/early 90's, and he led the development of a lot of games. Someone like Miyamoto, with an equally great track record in the same company (or close enough), would be the perfect person to compare himself to and try to surpass. I liked the bit about it being arbitrary, though, because I've been there trying to beat someone who doesn't even know they're competing with you.

 

[Alexander Kirby]

One thing I've always liked about Nintendo is that the people running it aren't just businessmen, like the heads of EA or Activision, but that they've worked their way up through the industry and have a rich history in it. And they've always made sure to be publicly present too.

 

[JediMB]

The undisclosed corporate politics behind Gunpei Yokoi being forced to release the unfinished Virtual Boy as a stop gap for the delayed N64 has told me for years that Nintendo is just another company that might make mistakes or have people in charge that might do dirty things.

Gawd, I remember when I first read about Yokoi's death and how his final years with Nintendo had been. It was so sad, my eyes just teared up. Can't help wondering if Nintendo would have been better of if they'd kept him employed and that traffic accident hadn't happened.

 

[Nixou]

How could the minds behind the Mushroom Kingdom ever produce anything other than goodwill and laughter?

Goodwill and Laughter?
The same minds pulled in Fire Emblem IV a red wedding before the first Ice & Fire novel was published, littered the Zelda series with nightmarish places, characters and bosses, made a whole game series where the masterpiece [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-d45evZvYM] only further demonstrates that thousands of newborns' sacrifices to the devil have to be involved in this company's creative progress).

If Nintendo's higher ups' minds are as some may believe filled with rainbow and lolipops, tese are rainbows and lolipops flavored with eldtrich nightmares and domesticated insanity.

 

[CrystalShadow]

The undisclosed corporate politics behind Gunpei Yokoi being forced to release the unfinished Virtual Boy as a stop gap for the delayed N64 has told me for years that Nintendo is just another company that might make mistakes or have people in charge that might do dirty things. The hi-larious story behind Big N, Sony and Phillips making some consoles together also shows how much malice was present in the early 90s, hiding behind a jolly Italian plumber that stomps bipedal mushrooms and turtles.

It's interesting to hear some details of Iwata and Miyamoto's early relationship. I wonder if they ever pictured themselves making videos together of the company's news 30 years later?

Yep. Malice, pre-meditated calculated moves. (On everyone's part, in that example. Sony just as much as Nintendo), revenge, backstabbing... You name it.

Large corporations are all pretty shitty horrible people if you interpret their behaviour as you would those of actual human beings.

(Not anywhere near as horrible as countries though, if you do the same. Most countries would amount to the equivalent of violent, egotistical bullies that largely get what they want by beating up, threatening, or extorting others...)

Aren't abstract entities wonderful? XD

 

[NPC009]

The same minds pulled in Fire Emblem IV a red wedding before the first Ice & Fire novel was published

Don't forget the incest! (Lots of dragon, too. Well, wyverns, not the regular Fire Emblem dragons. Nothing wrong with wyverns, though.)

 

[McMarbles]

Man, that is so shonen anime.

"Miyamoto-san, I declare myself your rival!"

 

[Nixou]

Don't forget the incest! (Lots of dragon, too. Well, wyverns, not the regular Fire Emblem dragons. Nothing wrong with wyverns, though.)

And they didn't go with consensual incest like that puny tenderfoot George Martin, no siree: they went the extra-mile, with drug-induced rape used as a tool for a breeding program creating on purpose a raving lunatic whose mood goes from "I'll go pick flowers to make a pretty necklace for my beloved Ishtar" to "KILL INFANTS IN THE NAME OF MYSELF" in a heartbeat.

Nintendo: crafter of fine toys the whole family can enjoy since 1889.

 

[weirdee]

Don't forget the incest! (Lots of dragon, too. Well, wyverns, not the regular Fire Emblem dragons. Nothing wrong with wyverns, though.)

And they didn't go with consensual incest like that puny tenderfoot George Martin, no siree: they went the extra-mile, with drug-induced rape used as a tool for a breeding program creating on purpose a raving lunatic whose mood goes from "I'll go pick flowers to make a pretty necklace for my beloved Ishtar" to "KILL INFANTS IN THE NAME OF MYSELF" in a heartbeat.

Nintendo: crafter of fine toys the whole family can enjoy since 1889.

you could have just said "mario party" and stopped there

 

[PetitDemon]

hiding behind a jolly Italian plumber that stomps bipedal mushrooms and turtles.

Chestnuts, mister!

But yes... Capitalism is kind of... dirty.