Legendary Nintendo veteran Takaya Imamura may have departed the company in 2021 after over 30 years of service, but he still believes the company is in "good hands," although he thinks relying solely on owning popular series going forward would be "a big mistake."
Imamura – who designed multiple iconic characters including Captain Falcon, Fox McCloud, and Tingle, supervised multiple F-Zero games, and served as The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask's art director amongst other roles – has now shared a blog post explaining his thought process behind leaving Nintendo. In it, he talks about the "back-and-forth of emotions" he faced when weighing up the decision, but also mentions that it's "no easy task" to manage a company "with many creators." He adds: "Rather than just a 'good-natured boss,' a charismatic leader is essential to keeping things running smoothly."
Clearly though, he has no concerns about that when it comes to Nintendo. "Nintendo is still in good hands, thanks to the many charismatic developers who have created major hits," he continues. "But the idea that 'as long as we have popular IPs, we'll be fine!' is a big mistake. It's crucial not to forget the talented individuals who uphold the value of those IPs."
While Imamura doesn't point to any series in particular here, it's a statement I'm sure fans of, well, pretty much anything can agree with. Watching a game series fall off is heartbreaking, and it's certainly fair to say that sticking a popular name on the front of something doesn't guarantee it'll be good. The devs are – literally and figuratively – the people who make brilliant games happen, and at a time where the industry is constantly being hit with layoffs, Imamura's message feels more important than ever.
