Shigeru Miyamoto, Creator Of Super Mario And Zelda At Nintendo, Turns 70

Shigeru Miyamoto, the celebrated game designer, producer, and director at Nintendo, has turned 70 years old today. Happy Birthday, Miyamoto-san!

Born on November 16, 1952, Miyamoto is widely known for creating some of the most beloved Nintendo franchises of all time, including Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pikmin, and Star Fox. He directed acclaimed titles such as Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario 64 before moving into a designer / producer role. In more recent years, he’s taken on the role as one of Nintendo’s representative directors and has been working closely with Chris Meledandri at Illumination on the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie.

His latest major appearance came during the Nintendo Direct showcase in September of this year, during which he gave a rather enthusiastic presentation on Pikmin Bloom before announcing the long-awaited mainline sequel, Pikmin 4. It’s not currently known exactly what Miyamoto’s role in the new game will be, but we’re certainly very excited to see more!

Over on Twitter, fans and ex-collagues have been celebrating Miyamoto’s birthday milestone with some touching messages for the creator, including former Nintendo art director Takaya Imamura:

Translated, the above tweet reads:

I never bothered to say “Happy birthday”… because the atmosphere was always tough on set. But let me tell you today.
“Miyamoto-san, congratulations on your 70th birthday!”

Of course, everyone here at Nintendo Life is wholly indebted to Shigeru Miyamoto and his astounding contributions to the gaming industry over the decades. Without him, we’re not sure the site would even exist!

Thank you, Miyamoto-san, and Happy Birthday!