Miyamoto questioned using Mario for Splatoon development

Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto often champions innovation, yet even he admits that Nintendo walks a tightrope between honoring its incredible legacy and venturing into uncharted creative territory. When discussing how the company develops new intellectual properties, Miyamoto emphasizes that while creating fresh characters is valuable, there must be a rigorous filter for global success.

For over a decade, Nintendo has built its empire largely on the foundation of established series. While the company has certainly dabbled in new concepts—like Codename S.T.E.A.M.—introducing entirely new IPs before the mid-2010s was relatively rare. This reliance on established franchises is something Miyamoto acknowledges, recognizing the comfort and familiarity that comes from beloved legacies.

However, history shows that innovation can strike when needed. The success of Splatoon serves as a powerful testament to Nintendo’s capacity to find wildly successful new directions. Over its eleven-year lifespan, the franchise became one of the company’s premier assets, proving that fresh, unique concepts can captivate massive audiences.

This experience shifts the perspective on character development. Miyamoto suggests that while creating new characters is inherently good, the focus must remain sharp: Nintendo needs to be extremely strict in judging whether a new concept has true global appeal before committing resources to it. This caution stems from past internal moments where ideas, such as those for Inklings, occasionally felt too derivative, leading to questions about whether leveraging existing icons like Mario might have been a safer, though less exciting, route.

The lesson learned is that while the weight of history is comforting, true creative evolution requires risk. Miyamoto notes that for truly original creations, such as the Pikmin concept developed during his time, it took twenty-five years to fully materialize into a globally appealing franchise.

Looking forward, Miyamoto is leaving the reins for future character creation to the younger generation. He trusts the next wave of developers and creators to bring forth the next great Nintendo IP, confident that they will possess the necessary vision to push boundaries while respecting the company’s core identity.