Nintendo: Takashi Tezuka no longer Executive Officer, will keep working as Producer

Earlier this year, we learned that Takashi Tezuka would be retiring as Executive Officer on June 26th (when the 86th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders was held). However, it wasn’t clear whether the legendary creator was retiring from Nintendo altogether, or if he would keep working at the company.

But during the Q&A session at the 86th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, the man himself confirmed that he would keep working at Nintendo moving forward. He will no longer be an Executive Officer, but will serve simply as Producer moving forward. In other words: he will keep being involved in the production of games at Nintendo, so you can expect to keep seeing his name in the credits of various Nintendo games in the future.

Here’s a translation of the Q&A:

Question: Please tell us why Executive Officer Tezuka is concluding his term, and how he will be involved with Nintendo going forward. I would also like to hear a few words from him.

Shuntaro Furukawa: Mr. Tezuka joined Nintendo in 1984 and has been involved in the development of many software titles, including Super Mario Bros. for the Family Computer System. He will step down as Executive Officer due to the expiration of his term, but he will continue to be involved in development at Nintendo.

Takashi Tezuka: If I were to look back on the 42 years since I joined the company and summarize them in a single phrase, I would say, ”I got to do some very fun work.” When I first joined Nintendo, the development environment necessary for game development generally did not exist, and part of the fun was in creating it ourselves. Today, within a large-scale development structure, there is great enjoyment in bringing together the expertise of many people in our creative process. Also, when I think about how to apply each emerging new technology, such as 3D, stereoscopic imaging and motion capture, to game development, I feel a kind of excitement that makes me think I could continue being a developer without ever getting bored, and I would like to continue doing so in the future.

Nintendo’s work involves the entire company considering how to develop, manufacture, and deliver to consumers products that many people can enjoy, while flexibly creating these products in response to changes in the business environment. I am very happy that I have worked at a company that can take on such initiatives.

I will step down as Executive Officer, but I plan to continue working for Nintendo as a production producer. I am grateful to have been given this opportunity to offer my appreciation to everyone at this milestone.

Source: Nintendo