Takaya Imamura — a video game designer and manga artist perhaps best known for his work on F-Zero, Star Fox, and The Legend of Zelda — has said that despite his lofty credits, there were “so many amazing people” in Nintendo, he felt “inferior” enough that it was a relief to eventually leave the company.
“There were so many incredible people at Nintendo,” Imamura wrote on X, as spotted and translated by Automaton, “and I remember constantly wondering how I could demonstrate my own worth in such an environment,” adding there was always “a sense of inferiority lingering somewhere.”
“When I left the company, it’s true that I felt a sense of freedom, as if I had been released from the inferiority complex I’d carried for years,” Imamura added. “But at the same time, there was also a loneliness in thinking, ‘I won’t be able to work with these people anymore…’ That said, with only a few years left until retirement anyway, and since game development often takes many years, I felt a stronger desire to move forward at my own pace, doing more freely creative things.”
While reading that may come as a surprise, it seems that sentiment is shared by many former Nintendo employees. One former Nintendo designer, Shinji Watanabe, who now heads up Epsilon Software, followed up to liken his former colleagues to “celestial beings,” whilst Ken Watanabe, who worked at Nintendo for 10 years before branching out an an indie creator, concurred, said: “There really is nothing but amazing people [at Nintendo]. Trying to find a way to stand out among them was both draining and fulfilling.”
On the subject of Nintendo… did you know Super Mario Strikers — or Mario Smash Football, as it’s known in Europe — is joining Nintendo Switch 2‘s Nintendo Switch Online GameCube library next week? It’s the first game to have been added to the library since Switch 2 launched earlier this month. And don’t forget, an extremely cool replica GameCube controller is also available for maximum nostalgia…
Nintendo Switch 2 is off to a strong start, with 3.5 million consoles sold, but an analysis on the console’s launch week sales paints a mixed picture of how well games not made by Nintendo are now selling.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
