#IwataQuote
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Iwata on people's buying habits when the economy is bad, 2008.

Source: Reuters

#IwataQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/f7e818e6c121...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 49. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Iwata: When the economy is strong, people tend to buy three things from the top of their wish list. But when things are bad, people often buy only the first thing on their list. Fortunately for us a lot of shoppers put our products at the top of their list.
February 16, 2026 at 11:28 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Miyamoto, Itoi, Iwata, and the value of ‘creative destruction’, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote, #IwataQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...
PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Mario & Zelda. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Miyamoto: [Meetings are] no good if someone doesn't at least once introduce some creative destruction, like, "I'm not so sure…" Something that is broken down and reassembled has greater reality. Itoi: Like, "Isn't that a little boring?" or "Aren't you avoiding what you should really be doing?" Or, "Don't you think the fans may not like that?" Miyamoto: Right. It's important that the values of someone who says that—the values of a single person—rework the problem once. Then it gets more real. … On the other hand, when it comes to everyone deciding together, it lacks sharpness or something like that. Iwata: Yeah. When a meeting yields results, you didn't decide anything by consensus, but rather, somebody laid their opinion on the line.
July 7, 2025 at 7:54 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Linktober #1: Love
Yokota on being a Zelda fan, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#Zelda, #Linktober
#OcarinaofTimeQuote
#YokotaQuote, #KondoQuote, #IwataQuote

iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/3...
PEOPLE: - Mahito Yokota, age 37. Composer for Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time 3D, and Skyward Sword. - Koji Kondo, age 49. Original Zelda composer, composer of numerous Zelda titles. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Iwata: Compared to Kondo-san, you may not have worked on development of The Legend of Zelda that long, but you've been playing it forever, right? Yokota: You can say that again! Talking about it could take forever! [laughs] I love The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time beyond all reason! I have, of course, played all the Zelda games since the first one, and played them all the way through, but Ocarina of Time was an eye-opening experience to how great video game music can be. I played song after song on the piano.
October 1, 2026 at 10:05 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
#Linktober 5: Friendship
Miyamoto on missing his friend, Iwata, 2019.

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#Nintendo
#MiyamotoQuote, #IwataQuote

www.notion.so/9f39f7f356ad...
PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 66. Creator of Zelda, Mario, & more. - Satoru Iwata, age 59. President of HAL from 1993-2000, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. QUOTE: Miyamoto: Iwata may have passed on, but the company is going strong. Thanks to all the ideas and systems that he left behind, our young hires have been able to thrive. What makes me sad is that if I have a crazy idea over the weekend, there isn’t anybody I can tell about it on Monday morning. When I’m eating lunch, he isn’t there to say ‘I think I’ve figured out your problem,’ which leaves me feeling stuck. I really miss him.
October 5, 2025 at 6:33 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Miyamoto on Iwata’s flash of inspiration for Pokemon Snap, 2019.

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#PokémonSnapQuote
#MiyamotoQuote, #IwataQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/9f39f7f356ad...
PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 66. Creator of Zelda, & Mario. Pokémon Snap Producer. - Satoru Iwata, age 59. President of HAL, then Nintendo. Pokémon Snap Producer. QUOTE: Miyamoto: It was rare for Iwata and me to commit ourselves to the same game, but a notable exception was Pokémon Snap, for the Nintendo 64, where we were both deeply involved. I was working to make the photo-taking aspect more robust, but Iwata stressed that while a game where you take photos was a decent start, what really mattered was what you could photograph. Then at one point he told me “Miyamoto, I think it’s Pokémon. That’s what the people really want to photograph.”
March 22, 2026 at 6:13 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on the depth and wonder of making games (Inoue, 2009)

Source: Nintendo Magic

#IwataQuote

www.notion.so/bc2e76b023bd...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 49. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: "Iwata: I feel there’s a depth, a wonder to the act of making games. Creating a single game involved constant trial and error, integrating control and play while remaining true to your theme, your concept. You wade through the vast possibilities, converging on a product. I really don’t think there’s anything like it. "
January 9, 2025 at 1:12 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on why programmers shouldn't just say "I can't", 1999.

Source: @shmuplations.bsky.social

#IwataQuote

www.notion.so/5dbdc86b5f16...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 39. President of HAL Laboratory. Later: President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Iwata: The moment a programmer says, “I can’t,” that idea dies. That’s why I say if you’re going to tell someone that something isn’t possible instead of just saying, “I can’t,” say, “If we do this, then we could do it” or “If we can get further with X, it would be possible.” I think that’s a principle that applies equally to any work actually. The people who actually think up the ideas for games—designers—often don’t understand programming very well, and it can be easy for programmers to use “we can’t do that” as a convenient excuse.
August 21, 2025 at 1:16 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Miyamoto on the time he was so close, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#Zelda
#OcarinaofTimeQuote
#IwataQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/d4112e274538...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Producer of Ocarina of Time. QUOTE: Iwata: Still, to think it's been thirteen years already [since the release of Ocarina of Time]… Miyamoto: I know. My kid was in the upper grades of elementary school… Oh, that's right; one thing I remember very well from that time was when my wife saw our child playing Ocarina of Time. She said, "When I'm just looking at it, I think it's pretty, but I'd never want to try it." I thought, "Something has to be done about this!" [laughs]. I mean, she'd never really cared about games at all before, and here she was, finally showing an interest, and yet… It felt as though a customer had come right up to the entrance, but then she'd turned around and gone back home. … I thought, "No! I was so close!"
April 1, 2026 at 5:38 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on people without the time and energy walking away, 2009.

Source: Nintendo Magic: Winning the Videogame Wars

#IwataQuote

www.notion.so/bc2e76b023bd...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo. QUOTE: "Iwata: We did a lot of thinking and investigating, but no matter how we looked at it, fewer people were playing games [in the early 2000s]. It wasn’t that children weren’t playing games any more—but they were graduating from them earlier. It used to be that they’d come home early and have plenty if time to play, but that time had disappeared from society as a whole. The result of all our hard work on making wonderful games was that people without the time and energy to devote to them were just saying ‘heck with it’ and walking away. The more we investigated this, the more severe we realized the problem was."
January 19, 2025 at 11:50 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata & Haruhana on Ocarina's “hospitality” and “roughness”, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#Zelda
#OcarinaofTimeQuote
#IwataQuote, #HaruhanaQuote

iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/3...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Yoshiki Haruhana, age 41. Ocarina of Time Character Designer. QUOTE: Haruhana: I played the original version [of Ocarina] again for the first time in a long while and sensed an immense amount of hospitality. In the dungeons, for example, I felt as if someone were saying, “Welcome!” each time I entered a room. … there's a roughness in the way it attacks with its full strength. After 13 years, it still has that impact. Iwata: … What kind of hospitality is hospitality that attacks? [laughs] Haruhana: Well, when I say hospitality … I mean that when you go somewhere, all kinds of play await for your enjoyment. … And it isn't a highly organized kind of hospitality like today's games exhibit. [Ocarina] has a certain bumpiness, irregularity or roughness.
September 7, 2026 at 6:08 PM
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Iwata on respecting and relying on people who see things differently than you, 2019.

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#IwataQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/Ask-Iwata-Wo...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 59. President of HAL from 1993-2000, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. QUOTE: Iwata: People … allow their co-workers to take care of everything outside of their own responsibilities, letting go and bracing themselves for the results. As this arrangement increases in scale, it develops levels, broadening in scope. This is what we call a company. When working this way, forging connections as we strive to achieve our objectives, respecting others becomes incredibly important. There will always be people who see things differently than you. Perhaps to an unreasonable degree. Still, these people surely have their own reasons, their own history and values. Moreover, they’re bound to be able to do things you can’t do, and know things you don’t know.
June 4, 2026 at 6:30 AM
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Miyamoto, Iwata, & Itoi on what drives the creation of ideas, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#IwataQuote, #MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound (Mother). QUOTE: Iwata: I don't think that anyone would be able to come up with any ideas if there were no restrictions for developing games. Miyamoto: Oh, that's very true. Itoi: That's true with any type of expression. Miyamoto: It's all about restrictions. History is really just a battle against restrictions. I think that we get our energy from being able to take a restriction and make it work for us. Iwata: There's no better feeling than the moment when you finally solve a problem. Miyamoto: There's something so enjoyable about being able to think, "I bet no one's thought of this!" On the other hand, if someone says, "I know everyone's doing this, but we need you to do it, too," that feels horrible.
August 12, 2025 at 2:00 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Miyamoto's “extreme” ambition for Mii avatars, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#NintendoWiiQuote, #Nintendo3DSQuote
#MiyamotoQuote, #IwataQuote

iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/3...
PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Miyamoto: Ultimately, I want Mii characters to be the world standard for avatars. … I hope that in the future, when you have to go to the city hall for some formality, they'll ask you to submit your Mii character too. [laughs] Iwata: [laughs] What an ambition that is! Miyamoto: If it becomes a worldwide format, it'll be fun. Purely and simply, I just want everyone to use it in a variety of ways. … Well, that ambition about the city hall thing might be a bit extreme, but I do want Mii to be more widely used.
July 17, 2026 at 7:34 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Miyamoto on why he thinks it's more fun to have to restart levels after failure, 2009.

Source: Iwata Asks

#MarioSeriesQuote
#MiyamotoQuote, #IwataQuote

www.notion.so/309b8c772861...
PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 56. Creator of Zelda & Mario. - Satoru Iwata, age 49. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Miyamoto: Even if you slip up just before clearing the castle [in a Mario game], you'll be sent right back to the starting point. Maybe this is all due to my nasty streak! [laughs] But I think playing at that level of intensity is actually the most enjoyable way to play. Iwata: You think it's more fun to have to play from the start of the level again? Miyamoto: With platform games, only playing the difficult parts can really take it out of you. It feels good to play parts that you can breeze through as well. … Iwata: That's why rather than having lots of checkpoints where you can save your position, it's better to play through the easy part again. Miyamoto: Right. That's more pleasurable for the player. 
September 18, 2025 at 1:33 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Miyamoto, Itoi, and Iwata on forbidding dreams, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#MiyamotoQuote, #ItoiQuote, #IwataQuote

iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/w...
PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario, General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound. Editor for various Zelda manga. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Miyamoto: 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: I've also put a moratorium of dreams. I'm always saying that the smallest dreams are the best. Miyamoto: I have a moratorium on dreams, too. And when it comes to something being fun, you need to know what makes it fun. You can't just say, "It's fun." Iwata: I'm really getting a kick out of the two of you talking about a moratorium on dreams. Everyone: [laughs] Miyamoto: … Dreams are absolutely forbidden.
July 16, 2026 at 6:31 PM
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Fujibayashi on holing up to outline Skyward Sword's story, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#Zelda
#SkywardSwordQuote
#FujibayashiQuote, #IwataQuote

www.notion.so/dc4631410a43...
PEOPLE: - Hidemaro Fujibayashi, age 39. Director of Skyward Sword. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Fujibayashi: [With about two years left on Skyward Sword], we had to think about a number of things all at once … and the cinematic scene staff were beginning to join the team, so we were under pressure to make the hakogaki soon. Iwata: The hakogaki is a rough synopsis of the essential points of the script. Fujibayashi: Yes. Time was running out, so I told everyone that I didn't feel well and holed up at home one whole day to write it! [laughs] Iwata: I can't condone such behavior, but you wanted to concentrate alone. Fujibayashi: Yes. I locked myself in and from morning to evening did nothing but write the synopsis. Iwata: Even though you didn't feel well? [laughs]
August 27, 2025 at 3:05 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on what sort of company he would want to work for (Hobonichi, 2019).

Source: Ask Iwata

#IwataQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/75446f6b0f75...
PEOPLE: Satoru Iwata. President of HAL from 1993-2000, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. QUOTE: Iwata: Ask me what sort of company I would want to work for, and I would say “A place where my boss understands me”, or “A place where my boss cares about my quality of life.” I also believe that everyone is different and always changing. Sure, lots of people never change. But I would never want to work under a leader who failed to understand that people can evolve. I would want a boss who pays attention and acknowledges my growth.
March 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on the most hazardous thing (Hobonichi, 2019)

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#IwataQuote

www.notion.so/cb278bf9f772...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata. President of Nintendo from 2002 to 2015. QUOTE: Iwata: It’s reasonable to worry about how people will assess the value of something that is unlike anything that’s come before. Ironically, this is the very thing that pushes me to get our message across. … Speaking personally, I think nothing is more hazardous than staying the course.
June 19, 2025 at 8:10 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on being called in to save EarthBound.

Source: Ask Iwata

#EarthBoundQuote
#IwataQuote, #ItoiQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/0f7756f19ab8...
PEOPLE: Satoru Iwata. Program Director for EarthBound. President of Nintendo from 2002-2015 Shigesato Itoi. Producer, Director, and Writer for EarthBound, editor of the A Link to the Past (1992) manga QUOTE: Iwata: When development for EarthBound was in shambles, I was called in to save the sinking ship. At the time, I was both the president of HAL Laboratory and one of it’s programmers. … I said to them “I’ll play around with what we have,” and I went back with the project in its current state. About a month later, I showed Shigesato Itoi and his team a revised version, with the scrolling map and everything. Were they surprised! In fact, they were all freaking out so much I was honestly confused. I was like “Guys, I barely did anything.” That’s how bogged down the project was.
January 29, 2026 at 12:01 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Itoi, Iwata, & Miyamoto on burnt yakisoba, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#ItoiQuote, #IwataQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.notion.so/8f65dbbe83ce...
PEOPLE: - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound (Mother). - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo. - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario. QUOTE: Itoi: Like yakisoba that's got burnt bits in it. If a big company were to bring out yakisoba, they would talk about how it mustn't be burnt. A rigid conversation ends with the conclusion that yakisoba must never be burnt. But when you keep the conversation rolling, someone says, "It's inexplicable, but that burntness is fragrant and tasty." … But when you follow strict product guidelines in a meeting, you just lop off every imperfection. Miyamoto: Yes, that's how it goes. Itoi: If you don't get past "Yes, that's right," that's what happens. Iwata: Because something without flaws is without character. It doesn't bear its creator's imprint or have any personality.
July 25, 2025 at 3:14 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on finding shared sets of values with employees, 2019.

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#IwataQuote
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 59. President of HAL from 1993-2000, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. QUOTE: Iwata: Listening to [employees] speak their minds one-on-one, I came to realize “The reason behind that particular decision isn’t getting through,” or “That thing I said was misconstrued and became a real source of frustration.” Where possible, I took these opportunities to provide additional context for why I’d said what I had said, or what events led to a particular decision. Effectively, this was the same as asking them “Given these circumstances, what would have been your thoughts?” When somebody says, “I would have done the same thing,” of course it’s reassuring. Discovering a shared set of values makes both parties feel a lot more comfortable.
July 9, 2026 at 9:05 PM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Miyamoto, Itoi, and Iwata on how companies need leaders with strong desire, 2011.

Source: Iwata Asks

#MiyamotoQuote,#ItoiQuote,#IwataQuote

www.notion.so/169f875b3a9b...
PEOPLE: - Shigeru Miyamoto, age 58. Creator of Zelda & Mario, General Manager of Nintendo EAD. - Shigesato Itoi, age 62. Creator of Earthbound, founded of Ape, Inc.. - Satoru Iwata, age 51. President of Nintendo 2002-2015. QUOTE: Miyamoto: These days, I'm always saying that when we get old we should be selfish. That's because I think an organization needs someone like Yamauchi-san. Itoi: … Rather than airing all opinions to draw a fair conclusion, saying, "This is what I like!" is what pulls people and a company along. Iwata: Right. The larger an organization is, the more important it is to say, "I've decided this is what we're going to focus on this time!" There are endless possibilities for what a company should do. … That's why people like Miyamoto-san and I have to make decisions and say, "Let's do this!" Itoi: That's more about desire than correctness.
May 4, 2025 at 4:07 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on the direction for WarioWare (Hobonichi, 2019)

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#WarioWareQuote
#IwataQuote, #MiyamotoQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/cb278bf9f772...
PEOPLE: Satoru Iwata. President of Nintendo from 2002-2015.Shigeru Miyamoto. Creator of Zelda, Mario, & more. General Manager of Nintendo EAD. QUOTE: Iwata: When we were creating WarioWare, I remember saying all the time, “We need to do whatever Nintendo hasn’t been able to do.” Interestingly enough, it was Shigeru Miyamoto who masterminded the release of the first WarioWare title, putting tons of energy into the plan. Essentially, the idea of “doing what Nintendo can’t do” meant “anything [but what] Miyamoto would probably do”. What Miyamoto wanted more than anybody was the sort of games that he would never make.
January 15, 2026 at 3:21 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Iwata on how Yamauchi would grin ‘like crazy’ in private, 2019.

Source: Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's Legendary CEO

#Nintendo
#IwataQuote, #ItoiQuote, #YamauchiQuote

www.notion.so/0f7756f19ab8...
PEOPLE: - Satoru Iwata, age 59. President of HAL from 1993-2000, President of Nintendo from 2002-2015. - Shigesato Itoi, age 70. Creator of Earthbound, My Neighbor Totoro voice actor, Iron Chef judge, founder of Ape, Inc (later: Creatures, Inc).. - Hiroshi Yamauchi, age 91. President of Nintendo from 1949 to 2002. QUOTE: "Iwata: I had the opportunity two or three times a year to sit down with Hiroshi Yamauchi, the president of Nintendo at the time. Shigesato Itoi was also there, and sometimes Shigeru Miyamoto would join us. I’m still not sure what Hiroshi Yamauchi had in mind when he set up these meetings, but I know they were valuable lessons for me. He must have known we were an eager audience. Despite being extremely busy, he set aside his valuable time to enthusiastically share his thoughts. President Yamauchi was infamous for never smiling, but when he spoke with us, he always grinned like crazy. "
March 26, 2025 at 4:49 AM
hyruleinterviews.bsky.social
Aonuma on the inspiration for the train in Spirit Tracks, 2009.

Source: Iwata Asks

#Zelda
#SpiritTracksQuote
#AonumaQuote, #IwataQuote

www.hyruleinterviews.com/d6e65557dce3...
PEOPLE: - Eiji Aonuma, age 46. Producer of Spirit Tracks. - Satoru Iwata, age 49. President of Nintendo. QUOTE: Aonuma: We had to think about what to use as a mode of transportation, in place of a boat, and at that point, I remembered a certain picture book. Iwata: A picture book? Aonuma: ...Which I brought with me today... Iwata: This book? 'The Tracks Go On'? Aonuma: My son loved this book. When he was four or five, this was the book he'd bring me every night before bed. ‘Read it, Daddy, read it.’ ... It's a very simple [story], but the pioneering spirit, the kids building the railroad... Something about it seemed as though it would fit with The Legend of Zelda. But I didn't tell the staff about this book.
February 1, 2026 at 4:37 AM