Nintendo: Miyamoto Not 'Retiring'

Nintendo has issued a statement clarifying what Shigeru Miyamoto said in an article on Wired yesterday. In that interview the Mario and Zelda creator said that he was retiring from his current position to focus on developing games for the company. But the headline coming out of that interview across the internet was that "Miyamoto is retiring."

Nintendo issued an official follow-up statement saying that it wasn't true and that Miyamoto's comments might have been misunderstood:

"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."

They also issued a follow-up on a Bloomberg inquiry about the story, saying that Miyamoto will be focusing his attention on training younger developers. This would "reduce his involvement" in game development, but he would still focus in on major titles.

At the end of the day, Nintendo emphasized that Miyamoto is not leaving his current post as the director and manager of Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development.

Sources: IGN, Wired, IndustryGamers