One of the brilliant minds behind the most beloved Nintendo hardware through the years has finally received a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award. With the Big N being such a staple in the gaming community from its wildly successful beginnings with the NES, Genyo Takeda has been honored for his part with this amazing gaming legacy.
Takeda-san received the honor at last night’s DICE Awards 2018 where he was met with a standing ovation and fans that have followed his work through decades of progress, innovative moves, and passion for gaming and its ever changing metamorphosis. To honor the man in question ourselves, let’s take a brief look at what he’s done for us as gamers and the Nintendo brand.
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Takeda-san’s Beginnings
Though he started his journey by developing games like StarTropics and Punch-Out!!, it wasn’t long before he began to shift his focus onto hardware development. His hand has been involved with amazing platforms such as the iconic Nintendo 64, the GameCube, Wii, and Wii-U. Before he retired from the Big N in 2017, he was also temporarily tasked with taking charge of the company alongside Shigeru Miyamoto when the gaming industry lost Satoru Iwata back in 2015.
Despite his retirement, he still remains close with the company as a Special Corporate Adviser though his career did take many twists and turns before he took on his latest role, starting with when he first joined the company back in 1972.
Company Growth
Bright-eyed and out of college, Takeda took to Nintendo effortlessly, quickly moving up the ladder and proving his value to Nintendo’s growth and longevity. Shigeru Miyamoto even mentioned previously that Takeda was Nintendo’s first ever game designer with his work on EVR Race, which was an arcade game back in 1975.
Both Miyamoto and Takeda worked side by side for years, with Miyamoto working on pixel art for Takeda’s gaming titles before eventually branching out on his own. He credits Takeda much for his inspiration and own progression through the company, showing what an inspiring man Takeda is, and was, in this industry.
A Revised Vision for Nintendo
Back in 2006, Takeda had this to say about turning point in the Nintendo vision: “About a year after we started developing Wii, I became keenly aware of the fact that there is no end to the desire of those who just want more. Give them one, they ask for two. Give them two, and next time they will ask for five instead of three… Giving in to this will lead us nowhere in the end. I started to feel unsure about following that path.”
A sound philosophy and one that many developers/engineers don’t think of. This is especially evident in the modern day consoles between the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X … both stunning platforms, both already being told they aren’t good enough.
Moving into Hardware
With a focus away from software and more on the platforms themselves, Takeda became incredibly immersed in this facet of Nintendo when the N64 was launched back in 1996. Takeda led the development team for the staple console, and it was there that he made a name for himself outside of game development and more into the heart of what Nintendo would be.
From the earlier interview, he spoke about the risks he took and bringing the gaming market into a world of 3D: “Nintendo is a company where you are praised for doing something different from everyone else,” Takeda said in 2006. “In this company, when an individual wants to do something different, everyone else lends their support to help them overcome any hurdles. I think this is how we made the challenge of Wii a possibility.”
His hard work, and dedication, through the years has been noted. With the Nintendo Switch bringing back the glory days of the Big N, it’s important to reflect on the many accomplishments leading up to this point and that is why we are so happy to see Genyo Takeda being honored with the AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award.
