There was a question posed this weekend on Infendo radio of who has had more of an impact on Nintendo, Reggie or Miyamoto. My initial answer was that since being hired in 2003 Reggie has been the driving force for the rebirth of Nintendo and is the reason I am here so for me Reggie is the impact player at Nintendo. So a day goes by and I am watching my girlfriend play Super Paper Mario. I ask her which of the characters she enjoys plaing more and while I assume her answer would be Princess Peach (she always leans towards the female characters) she responded withour hesitation “Mario”.
I thought about it for a moment. Why are we still playing Mario games 26 years after he first came onto the scene? Simple answer, he is a plucky little character that touches us on some childlike mental level. His creator, Miyamoto, is an artist of almost limitless creative resources. The Nintendo corporation was built on the back of his ideas and if it wern’t for them Reggie would have nothing to take charge of and make money with (though given his track record I think he could make a million with just about anything.) Reggie may control it, but its still Miyamoto’s universe.
So I ask this question to you Infendo nation. Who is more responsible for Nintendo’s current state: Reggie or Miyamoto?