Miyamoto Gives Insight Into Nintendo's Hiring, Says He Looks For "Designers Who Aren't Just Super Passionate Game Fans"

Nintendo has had an incredibly strong year, with not just bestsellers like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, but also with introducing the Switch, which quickly became one of the hottest gadgets of the year. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Shigeru Miyamoto sheds light on that success, giving insight into what kind of potential employees he looks for at Nintendo.

Miyamoto explains that he looks for energetic, young designers. "More and more I am trying to let the younger generation fully take the reins," he says. He attempts to hire people with well-rounded skill sets, and looks for those who may not be gamers at all.

He says he looks to bring in fresh perspectives to create new ways to play, rather than perfect those that already exist. “I always look for designers who aren’t super-passionate game fans,” he says. “I make it a point to ensure they’re not just a gamer, but that they have a lot of different interests and skill sets.”

For more on Nintendo, read about how the Nintendo Switch is the fifth-bestselling tech product of 2017. During our Breath of the Wild cover story, we spoke to both Miyamoto and Aonuma about how they're training the next generation of young developers at the company.

[Source: The New York Times]

 

Our Take
Breath of the Wild is an example of Nintendo trying something that feels different in a long-running series. This proved incredibly successful, and having members of staff that think outside the box is significant for making strides in game design.