Portrait of Shigeru Miyamoto.

Shigeru Miyamoto

Designer of Playful Worlds

A Nintendo designer and producer who helped turn movement, space and discovery into a shared language of play.

Readable Motion
Makes action understandable through immediate movement and consequence.
Garden Paths
Rewards curiosity while preserving direction.
Play Before Plot
Lets interaction establish character and meaning.

Shigeru Miyamoto

Designer of Playful Worlds

Start hereDonkey KongNintendo R&D1 team; game design and art by Shigeru MiyamotoExplore project
1952–1977

From Sonobe to Nintendo

Raised in Kyoto Prefecture, Miyamoto studied industrial design and joined Nintendo as an artist in 1977.

1996–2001

Movement enters three dimensions

As producer and designer, he helped teams translate Mario and Zelda into 3D, then contributed the originating concept for Pikmin.

2004–present

Inviting new players

Miyamoto produced projects around DS and Wii interaction, mentored teams, and became Nintendo’s Creative Fellow.

Major games and software projects

  • 1981 · Nintendo R&D1 team; game design and art by Shigeru Miyamoto

    Donkey Kong

    Explore & play

  • 1985 · Nintendo R&D4 team; directed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka

    Super Mario Bros.

    Explore & play

  • 1986 · Nintendo R&D4 team; directed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka

    The Legend of Zelda

    Explore & play

  • 1996 · Nintendo EAD team; directed by Shigeru Miyamoto

    Super Mario 64

    Explore & play

  • 1998 · Nintendo EAD team; directors Toru Osawa, Yoichi Yamada, Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi and Toshio Iwawaki; produced by Shigeru Miyamoto

    The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

    Explore & play

  • 2001 · Nintendo EAD team; directed by Shigefumi Hino and Masamichi Abe; produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Hiroyuki Kimura

    Pikmin

    Explore & play