As Nintendo completes its transition into the next generation, all eyes on the success or failure of the Wii U and 3DS, one man’s word is trusted over everybody else. Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario creator and forever a Nintendo legend, speaks to the press on rare occasion, even rarer when you eliminate industry conferences. His word is not gospel, it doesn’t dispel previously unknowable truths about the world, but it does give you an idea of where Nintendo and its properties are headed. Who else would you go to?
Miyamoto sat down with Gamespot on Wednesday, letting lose about upcoming games, the Wii U's struggles and possibilities and his own standing in the gaming industry. The word retirement did pop up a few times, but little evidence suggests he’s doing anything more than considering it.
“This year I'm past 60; I’m going to be turning 61 this year. So for me to not be thinking about retirement would be strange. But in fact, the number of projects I’m involved in--and the volume of my work--hasn't changed at all,” he told Gamespot.
And those projects are certainly plentiful. Miyamoto didn’t disclose any gritty new details, but his excitement for titles such as “Pikmin 3” and “Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon” is as palpable as it would be for any Mario or Zelda fan. Many Wii U owners are far too aware of the anticipatory shadow “Pikmin 3” holds over the Wii U’s questionable future. It’s one of the few big-time exclusives the console has in the pipeline, that we know about.
“One of the biggest features of “Pikmin 3” is the fact that you have the map on the GamePad at all times and because “Pikmin” is a strategy game, it's the type of game that you might play the same levels over and over again. Having that map--and the fact that you have the three different leaders that you switch between to command your “Pikmin”--and having the touchscreen on the map will allow you to change perspective or jump to a specific leader and quickly give orders.”
Miyamoto also had an interesting take on Luigi’s place in the Nintendo universe.
“When you have a meal in front of you, and you have people who eat meat or you have people who eat vegetables, there's sort of the main dish and then you might have a dessert or a salad. Luigi is green, so maybe he's kind of like a salad and right now it seems like people tend to like lighter fare. [Luigi] is a little weaker and timid and maybe people like timid things these days. I guess Link's green, too [laughs].”
Nintendo dubbed 2013 “The Year of Luigi” in a Nintendo Direct conference a couple weeks back. Perhaps this is Miyamoto’s way of saying we all need to eat a little healthier?
And then there’s that looming threat of a failing Wii U. Gamasutra reports an abysmal 57 thousand Wii U units sold in the whole of January. It would be a worrisome number even if the console hadn’t launched mere months before. The severe lack of titles for the platform is a big factor, but Miyamoto also attributes the system’s struggles to an issue of communication.
“I think Wii U certainly has a little bit more of a challenge [than the Wii] because it doesn't have that 'looking-fun' element to it,” he said. He reckons people really only start to “get it” once they get their hands on the gamepad, whereas simply watching Wii players go at it communicated the fun of that console pretty well.
Nintendo, much like many long-standing publishers out there, is at an impasse in this evolving industry, and Miyamoto seems to be slowly preparing his company for his eventual departure. He told Gamespot he’s trying to get younger minds at Nintendo to step up by opening up more room for them to work on upcoming projects.
Considering a Miyamoto-less Nintendo may be a bit like Mario running around without his hat, as he does on occasion. It may not look right, but the plumber’s got no choice but to keep on going.
