This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021.

This week’s issue of Famitsu, as well as Super Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai’s regular column, also features an in-depth feature with Shigeru Miyamoto. The man behind Mario, Zelda and more has discussed a whole host of topics, including his legendary reputation for coming into a project at the last minute and finding entirely new approaches to take.

This has historically been referred to as Miyamoto ‘upending the tea table’, but it appears that the guy has been less prone to these moments as he’s taken on a more senior position in the company. His Creative Fellow role has led to a slightly more hands-off approach once development gets under-way. As the translation by Nintendo Everything points out:

“I might say something in the early stages of development like, “What if we didn’t do this?” Or “If you’re going to do that, then what about this?” But I no longer come in mid-development to completely rework things. I don’t “upend the tea table” just as a hobby or something, I only do so if I can see how the whole game will pan out.
By changing the structure of things when a game isn’t turning out right, I “upend the tea table” when I can see how things like the visuals and the merits of the game can change. If I can’t see a clear vision for the game, then that doesn’t mean something should be changed. After all, you can’t see all the key components unless you’re the director.”

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview Miyamoto discusses Nintendo’s position moving from something that may have been seen as ‘childish’ in the past, to what Miyamoto describes as ‘peace of mind’ - what we might refer to as family-friendly.

He also discusses Super Mario Run (Miyamoto apparently “keeping a close eye” on the mobile effort), the role of streaming in today’s industry, and comes across as rather keen to see Nintendo push more into the movie business.

You can check out Siliconera’s summary for more, but we were particularly struck with his comments on Nintendo’s approach to making games, prioritizing fun over what people may think would sell:

“If you make something for the sake of selling then it’ll have all kinds of failures. The most important thing is to make something you believe is fun, rather than something that would sell.
If you try making something that sells, it eventually ends up becoming like something that’s already out there. If what you make looks like something that might already be out there, then it won’t sell well. That’s why Nintendo makes things that have yet to be seen.”

It’s always fascinating to hear Miyamoto’s take on where he sees Nintendo’s position in the industry, and on the industry in general. Check out both sources for some more fascinating insights!

Source: Nintendo Everything, Siliconera