Shigeru Miyamoto Steps Down From Current Role to Work on Smaller Games [Update]

Update: After a two percent drop in shares after what probably was a misunderstanding by investors that Shigeru Miyamoto was retiring, Nintendo denies that he’ll be moving to a lesser role.

“This is absolutely not true,” a Nintendo representative told Reuters last night, “There seems to have been a misunderstanding.”

Not long after Nintendo released an official statement:

“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.”

It remains unclear if Miyamoto will still be switching his focus to smaller games or not, the original interview could have been interpreted incorrectly.

In a tweet by Wired’s Chris Kohler, he remarked that they stand by Miyamoto’s statement:

Shigeru Miyamoto’s comments in the Wired story speak for themselves. Wired and I stand by this report.

Whether or not it’s true, Nintendo has no reason not to be protective of their most valuable designer, especially if their stockholders disagree.

The 59-year-old designer responsible for some of gaming’s most popular franchises like Super Mario Bros. and the Legend of Zelda spoke to Wired about his decision to step down. “I’m not saying that I’m going to retire from game development altogether,” Miyamoto said, “What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position.” He continued, “What I really want to do is be in the forefront of game development once again myself.” “Probably working on a smaller project with even younger developers. Or I might be interested in making something that I can make myself, by myself. Something really small.”

Miyamoto plans on showing a brand new project he’s been working on sometime in 2012.