Miyamoto: "I can't tell if I'm a good boss or not"

By Fred Dutton Published 23 November, 2011

Nintendo talisman rejects 70% of staff suggestions.

Shigeru Miyamoto rejects around 70 per cent of all game suggestions brought to him by his staff.

The revelation comes from a predictably insightful new Iwata Asks session between Miyamoto, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and famed Japanese copywriter Shigesato Itoi in which they discuss the creative process.

"I don't know if it comes from not having a boss, but I can't tell if I'm a good boss or not," questioned Miyamoto.

"For example, staff members who have worked with me for a long time will often come up to me and say, 'I thought of something,' but about 70 per cent of the time, I say, 'That won't work.'

"I know it isn't nice, but I know if that idea was mine I'd decline it too, I have to say it anyway. Sometimes, I think if I don't stop that, I won't be able to help anyone grow.

"Well, part of that can't be helped," replied Itoi.

"I know, but when I think about it later, I didn't need to be so harsh for about 20 per cent of that 70 per cent," replied Miyamoto.

Elsewhere in the interview, Miyamoto discussed how he frequently stops projects in their tracks if he thinks they're not going anywhere.

"I'll also stop something when there's no consensus on how to go about making it," he explained.

"People may be excited about it and think it sounds interesting, but you need to ask, 'How are you planning to make that? Where are you going to start?'

"They don't need to have a flawless insight into how it's going to work, but they do need to have some sort of idea about it. When you've got those plans without any idea of how it will turn out, that's always when people say things like, 'But doesn't it sound fun? It's so full of dreams.'

"That's when things get dangerous, when people start talking right away about dreams or how much fun it will be.

Itoi then chimed in, insisting he'd place a "moratorium of dreams" at his company.

"I have a moratorium on dreams, too," responded Miyamoto. "And when it comes to something being fun, you need to know what makes it fun. You can't just say, 'It's fun.'"

Miyamoto did add that occasionally he gets it wrong and ideas that he originally nipped in the bud do eventually make it through to fruition.

"You know how in Super Mario 64 you can grab Bowser and spin him around by his tail? I actually stopped that," he revealed.

"I didn't tell them it was impossible, but I said, 'Don't explore that direction anymore.' I just felt like it was pretty risky. Then something happened to get the program working, and I decided that since there was now a light at the end of the tunnel, we should go with it as one of the main features."

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (31) Latest comment 3 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • knocker #1 3 months ago

    I hope I'm as young as him when I'm his age.

    ( have eurogamer comments ever featured in pseuds corner?)

  • Yeoung #2 3 months ago

    It's a shame considering that concepts as trivial and insignificant as Jumpman eventually sold millions and millions of games and even launched consoles.

    Sure quality control is all well and good but I get the feeling this man may be going overboard. It's understandable considering the magnitude of the IP and its legacy status, but formulaic design processes are stagnating the industry.

    Commercialism vs Artistry, it's no secret which has the upper hand.

  • Donaldthescotishtwin #3 3 months ago

    He seems like a polite person with talent definitely, but I don't know him what it's like to work with him,hopefully I will eventually......what can't I dream?

  • captain_Carl #4 3 months ago

    He's too determined to keep the series the way they are and not try anything new because it's not what the last one was like. He needs promoting like Ken Kutaragi was promoted - somewhere he can't do anything.

  • sethsez #5 3 months ago

    @Yeoung On one hand I agree, but on the other hand when you have people with ideas and no way to implement them... well, that's no good commercially OR artistically. Art is just as much about implementation and execution as it is about conceptualization, and any good boss for a creativity-oriented industry understands this. Otherwise you end up with Heaven's Gate or Duke Nukem Forever.

  • Apaar #6 3 months ago

    I think Nintendo should squeeze all they can out of Miyamoto during his last decade in the industry. He is the greatest video game designer that has ever lived.
    Edited by 1 at 23/11/11 @ 19:12

  • caesar_ #7 3 months ago

    Miyamoto is actually a horrible person to work for, the amount of rage he can exert is abit disconcerting. He has tantrums and throws shit around. He's abit of a bastard really.

    That's not to say I don't love him. <3

  • NewbieZilla #8 3 months ago

    @caesar_ Where are you getting this from?

  • funkateer #9 3 months ago

    "He's too determined to keep the series the way they are and not try anything new because it's not what the last one was like."

    I think he's actually been really successful at keeping long running series fresh with new ideas. I think Miyamoto has been a key figure in keeping things in check, and keeping the quality of his games ridiculously high.

  • Mr.Spo #10 3 months ago

    Miyamoto rejecting ideas is no bad thing, the presence of incredible games like Skyward Sword, Mario 3D Land, the Galaxy games, revolutionary fare like Wii Sports, Fit, Brain Training, Nintendogs etc, all coming out of the House of Mario in the last few years, under Miyamoto's watchful eye, is more than enough evidence for me he hasn't lost it yet. Throw in oddball experiments like Flipnote Studio or Face Raiders, and I think he's still doing an excellent job.

    That example with Mario 64 is very similar to the Mario Kart customisation article that went up today--Miyamoto will block a procedure from being implemented in a game if he thinks it can't be fully realised or if it will compromise the enjoyment of a game, but if the team can make it work well, he'll accept its inclusion in the game. Sure he rejects ideas, but he also seems to compromise with those he works with, and allows them to contribute--so long as their contributions are quality and they are polished, they go into the game.

  • SG #11 3 months ago

    "You know how in Super Mario 64 you can grab Bowser and spin him around by his tail? I actually stopped that," he revealed.

    Wow, that is quite surprising - I remember how much that scene rocked the world when shown way before its release - not only is it in a whole new dimension, but Mario isn't just dodging Bowser anymore or throwing things at him, he's actually taking Bowser hands on!

  • Der_tolle_Emil #12 3 months ago

    It really makes me wonder how it is working for him. I mean it's one thing having an idea rejected by someone after just a few minutes, it's frustrating. However I imagine it being ten times as frustrating when it comes from someone like Miyamoto because obviously the man REALLY knows what he is talking about. With any other person you'd probably think to yourself "ah he doesn't know any better". Not so sure if you could say that in his case :) It is really impressive that after 30 years in such a rapdily changing industry the man is still very much on top of his game.

  • NewbieZilla #13 3 months ago

    @Der_tolle_Emil On the other hand, most people coming up with ideas probably aren't veterans of so many years in the industry.

    As far as rejecting ideas that will not work, obviously this has to happen. So long as some degree of explanation as to why this is the case rather than a simple "no, wouldn't work" there is no issue.

  • Turfschipper #14 3 months ago

    Aha, i know he fired some one for bringing in a new story what was not about kidnapping a princess.

    That japanese producers are so conservative in changing games is the main reason we still have the same games over and over again for almost 30 years now.

  • ZippyNL #15 3 months ago

    In what is still an emerging medium, he is an icon and a pioneer - the Shakespeare of video games. For him to only reject 70% of ideas brought to him and then publicly apologise for it afterwards makes him a gentleman too.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #16 3 months ago

    @NewbieZilla: As far as rejecting ideas that will not work, obviously this has to happen. So long as some degree of explanation as to why this is the case rather than a simple "no, wouldn't work" there is no issue.

    That is of course true, still 70% sounds like an awful lot. I doubt you'd walk up to Miyamoto to present just any random idea that popped into your head while in the shower that morning. Or maybe that's the case - then the 70% aren't too bad at all, heck if I was able to use almost a third of all my crazy ideas I'd be more than happy :) Luckily nobody can turn them down because ultimately it's my decision at work - sadly that also means that I only realize that they will never work after spending two days trying to get them to work :)

  • Cowbomb #17 3 months ago

    Miyamoto can be as harsh as he likes, Nintendo are easily the most consistant developer around when it comes to releasing quality games, so whatever he's doing obviously works!

  • Kami #18 3 months ago

    70% sounds like too little.

    Seriously, we all have ideas. What Miyamoto is saying is an idea isn't always enough - you need a reasonable plan of attack. You can't just say, "Wouldn't it be cool?!" Sure, a lot of things could be cool - I'd like to run around New York City as it's being invaded by aliens, controlling a semi-naked Sarah Michelle Geller who slays the invading alien scum that look like Gordon Brown clones by shooting laser beams from her nipples.

    As fun as it sounds, I know the logistics of that would be an absolute nightmare.

    And this is partially the point - the developers and design teams must all come up with far more flights of fancy than we do. Probably everything from spaceships shaped like massive vibrators to invading a long-forgotten city under the sea. But the comeback needs to be the same. "Cool... so, how would you go about making that?"

    If that question can't be answered, then I think it's right to reject the idea. This may be in a creative business, but too often we see projects cancelled or delayed because the money isn't there, or the tech isn't there, or the team has developed itself into a creative cul-de-sac of epic proportions. The trick is being able to see that before it happens - and surely, there's no harm if someone does come up with a "how to" on their idea in resubmitting it, right? Otherwise, Miyamoto seems like a good boss. At least he seems to listen to ideas... and even if he has the odd diva strop, how is that any different to anyone else in the industry in those higher positions?

    We all know the artsy creative types speak in broken Italian and curse their escaping muse, right?

  • Mister-Wario #19 3 months ago

    Well, it's not as if the games Nintendo are making are BAD so he must be doing something right.

    At the same time, I do wish that Nintendo would make a major new IP. I mean, much as I like Mario I'm beginning to tire of it a little. I had a go on Mario 3D Land recently, and while it's probably a very engaging and imaginative title once you get into it, my first impression didn't really blow me away. Similarly, I don't have any interest in Zelda OR Mario Kart right now: it's probably not the best example, but I'm playing through The Wind Waker and I think it's a terrible game, frankly. Loved Ocarina, but not getting on with this one at all Which is a shame, because I really think it tries to do something a bit different. The only Nintendo game I like the look of right now is Rhythm Paradise on Wii.

    But I suspect I'm in the minority when it comes to this philosophy, and there are always many other games to look forward to.

    Kami: one could argue that the "invading the forgotten underwater city" has been done in Bioshock to a degree.

  • DrStrangelove #20 3 months ago

    Knowing which ideas to trash is actually quite essential for being brilliant. I remember Simpsons writers talking about replaying all jokes over and over again and trashing everything that didn't make everyone laugh after the umpteenth time.

    And Miyamoto, it must be said, is one of the most brilliant--if not the most brilliant--game creators of all time.

  • zedzee #21 3 months ago

    "Myamoto rejects 70% of staff suggestions."

    No wonder Nintendo keep putting out the same, rehashed sh*te every single time and even multiple of times, on occasion, per console/handheld.

  • ubergine #22 3 months ago

    Nintendo has felt like a really top-heavy company to me for a long time now, and I think it is because all their software output has to pass through this very conservative, narrow spigot. Miyamoto was not always the only guy they had, successful Nintendo franchises were invented by other people too. My main gripe is that their overall conten output is far too low to sustain an interesting platform anymore. They should continue to have Miyamoto's and his underlings polish epics for half-decades but also have other hubs, not under Miyamoto's control, experimenting and saying yes more often than no. Miyamoto is from an age when shipping a game was more expensive than developing it. There's no good reason now why small experimental games built around design innovations could not be released on Nintendo hardware at App Store prices, except for Nintendo's tight-fisted conservative mentality. They MUST know that the wind is against them, and I think it is tragic that they could easily turn into it and ride it for years to come but they don't seem to see yet that their "blue ocean" strategy now needs to be applied against themselves. Putting a 3D screen on a DS is no disruption. Charging .99c for a product with zero shipping costs is disruption, and Nintendo's whinging about it now that their outdated model is the "victim" of it is pretty pathetic as well as hypocritical.

  • Bluetooth #23 3 months ago

    He sounds like a dictator! A great dictator though. Like Steve Jobs (but better)

  • caesar_ #24 3 months ago

    @NewbieZilla It's not obscure knowledge, ask a journalist here for example.

  • WAusJackBauer #25 3 months ago

    Nintendo are not with the times.

    Maybe this is why Nintendo are declining. Miyamoto is stuck in the mentality of how games were made 10 years ago and all his staff aren't, but their ideas don't get put forward.

  • Zomeguy #26 3 months ago

    Everyone has ideas, it is the implementation that matters.

  • varsas #27 3 months ago

    @WAusJackBauer Declining? I guess the Wii and DS sales meant nothing? Would we have seen a SMG1 and 2 if Miyamoto was stuck in the past?

    Miyamoto's stance seems pretty reasonable; an idea needs to be backed up and the Bowser example perfectly illustrates a sensible approach to development.

  • cardboardMonster #28 3 months ago

    @WAusJackBauer Yeah, Nintendo should look at the market for inspiration, rather than deliver their own, uniquely identifiable software that's typically lauded with accolades or develop hardware that challenges conventions and is later imitated by their competitors. That's the smart money.
    Edited by 1 at 24/11/11 @ 12:47

  • ubergine #29 3 months ago

    Move and Kinect are also shit.

    There's only two statistics that matter to me. One is that I was pleased with my GameCube, GBA and DS and thoroughly let down by the Wii, purely for its lack of content. The other is the certainty that I'm not alone in feeling this way.

    Nintendo could have a business model where they produce epic games exactly as they do now AND smaller, affordable content with regularity. They have the money to do this. They could have invested in online systems which aren't insulting. Didn't.

    What you are advocating is that Nintendo should continue using papyrus because paper is so overdone. Nintendo should absorb the innovations which make sense to bolster their own. Maybe Microsoft only make online appear easy, but fuck, maybe it IS easy and Nintendo are just being fucking arrogant about it. You go ahead and believe which ever version you want to.

  • Mister-Wario #30 3 months ago

    @cardboardMonster But that idea seems to be saying that everything Nintendo does is perfect and amazing and that only they can make brilliant games. Nintendo have done wonderful things for games, but so have the likes of Microsoft and Sony. Microsoft have really pushed online multiplayer: a pretty vital component of most gamers' experiences nowdays. Sony added a DVD player and pushed the idea of a media center a little more, AND they've made some pretty remarkable IPs this year, like LittleBigPlanet. I mean, come on. a game where you can literally MAKE your own games and play any more you want, for FREE? That has to be worth something, even if it's not always up to par in terms of quality or executed perfectly. And all three consoles have had unusual original titles. Look at Flower. Look at Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. There's a lot of crap but a lot of originality too if you care to look for it.

    Nintendo make great games but to be fair they generally exist within very well-established series. Similiarly, while they DO make new hardware, and change the ways in which we play games, typically they're better implemented by other companies or the hardware only caters to Nintendo software. Look at the N64 controller of the 3DS' circle pad. Maybe we don't really need a second pad but Nintendo seem to have taken one look at what THEY do in games and not thought much about what other people might want to do. To take a non-shooter example, look at a game like Kingdom Hearts. That's a game that really benefited on PS2 from two analogue sticks. The fact that the Circle Pad Pro came along suggests Nintendo are admitting their original product was flawed from the start. Will the second circle pad be a major component of games? I have no idea. But I would rather have as many inputs as possible, given the opportunity.

    The Wii Remote challenged conventions and I'm glad that it came along. But it was also an incredibly poor fit for a number of games as well. If anything, the Wii Remote taught us that you can't shoehorn one control scheme into any type of game and expect it to work.

    The point is, Nintendo excel in some areas but fail in others. Not having a strong online component, even in terms of downloadable titles, is a serious flaw. Yes, the games Nintendo release are good, but the innovations Microsoft and Sony pioneer make good consoles even better and ensure we have plenty of titles to choose from. Compare Nintendo's eShop release schedule to the likes of Xbox Live and PSN. How many titles are being released? And crucially, what sort of games are they?

    I think Nintendo's innovation is vital. But at the same time, I don't want to heap unmitigated praise on a company that also trips up in a few areas as well.

  • magicianlord #31 3 months ago

    rejecting 70% of ideas is actually an overly high rate of approval, going by best practises of product design. perhaps he should be harsher in order to help get nintendo in a better place.