Miyamoto, with his lifetime BAFTA award he received this year.
Whether a dig at the controversy at Infinity Ward or just another genuine appraisal of his home turf, developer-deity Shigeru Miyamoto recently spoke on Nintendo staff loyalty. Speaking to Edge magazine, Miyamoto had a lot to say how the volatile and ever-shifting industry, and how Nintendo manages to keep its developers despite the constant fluxuations. It is worth noting, however, that the cultural work ethic of Japan does differ from other markets across the globe.
“One particular difference I should point out with Nintendo is that I am in charge of the EAD division and very few people have ever left that division. Very few people have ever left Nintendo at all, actually. Nintendo is unique in this respect.” commented Miyamoto, “Many people job-shift between different development and publishing companies. For many years now, at any one point I have been in charge of 500 to 1,000 people, but quite a few of them have been working with me for nearly 30 years. And it’s not uncommon at all for people stay at Nintendo for ten years or 20 years, and yet they are still looked upon as the young developers in the company! Nintendo is an unusual company, I guess.”