Nintendo Execs Reveal Their Favorite Games

Generally speaking, when we cover shareholder meetings, its because some interesting or insightful news is revealed: stuff like release dates, promises for the future, plans, updates on long-forgotten titles, or even just revenue for games that betray just how well — or badly — it’s done. This is because shareholders generally only care about how the company is making money, and what kind of prospects they’ll have in the future. It sort of sets the tone for these Q&A sessions.

That said, at Nintendo’s 81st annual general meeting of shareholders, one such shareholder decided to buck the trend, and ask all of Nintendo’s top dogs an interesting but technically irrelevant question: what are your favorite games?

And even more delightfully, they answered:

Furukawa: Super Mario Bros. was released when I was in junior high school, so I was right in the middle of the Famicom (NES) generation. Even today, in my private time, I play various games, both from Nintendo and from other companies. I play most of our own first-party titles, but recently I’ve been playing a lot of the Hanafuda card game in Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics.

Shiota: Like Mr. Furukawa, I was part of the Famicom generation and grew up with the NES and SNES. I’m in charge of hardware now, but I’ve tinkered with hardware and been interested in how things work ever since. That probably explains why I gravitate to games like our recent product Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which I play with my kids.

Takahashi: I’m in charge of all our first-party software, so it’s hard to choose one game over another. But the first game I was involved with when I joined Nintendo was Yuyuki for the Family Computer Disk System. It’s a lesser-known adventure game, but it left an impression on me as the first title I was involved with.

Shibata: I like adventure games, and I just recently cleared Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind for Nintendo Switch. Back in the day, I really loved playing Shin Onigashima for the Family Computer Disk System. I’m in charge of the Licensing Division, which serves as a contact point for software publishers, and they also have many adventure games that I enjoy.

Miyamoto: I basically tend to play the games I created myself, so I haven’t been influenced much by the games of other companies. That said, the first game that influenced me when I started the job of game development was Pac-Man, and from a design perspective, I think TETRIS is wonderful. I’m currently hooked on Pokémon GO. This game, which I’m playing with my wife, is a dream come true of playing a game with my whole family. I’ve been enjoying Pokémon GO with my wife and neighborhood friends for some two years now. The average person playing Pokémon GO in Japan is probably around 60 years old (laughs).

A bunch of older games for older gents. It checks. I very much doubt this information helped the shareholders decide if they’re going to hold or sell, but I for one appreciate the question. Thanks, nameless shareholder.