Long-time composer at Nintendo Ryo Nagamatsu has left the company after 17 years to "work a little wider".
Announcing the news on Twitter earlier today, the composer and arranger — whose most well-known works include The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, Splatoon 3, and the Link's Awakening remake on Switch — shared that he wants "to help those who need my help and to help the industry". The composer has left the company on good terms.
Nagamatsu joined Nintendo in 2006 and his first credit was in Wii Music. If you've attempted the expert staff ghost trials in Mario Kart Wii, you'll have likely faced off against Nagamatsu's Mii in Wario's Gold Mine and GCN Waluigi Stadium.
Nagamtsu's credits are far and wide across Nintendo, with the incredible 'Melty Monster Galaxy' theme in Super Mario Galaxy 2 and various C-Side compositions in Splatoon 3 being just a few highlights of his career.
We're sure we'll be seeing Nagamatsu again in the industry and hopefully lending a helping hand in another Nintendo release sometime in the future. Until then, we want to thank Nagamatsu for years of incredible music and wish him all the success and luck in the world!
What's your favourite Ryo Nagamatsu track? Let us know in the comments.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 29
Wow that's a big loss, hope he'll still compose for Nintendo games to come.
he did mk8? LEGEND.
Absolutely one of the best Nintendo composers. Best of luck to him.
Really sad to see him go considering how good the soundtracks for the games he worked on are, but still wish him all the best in whatever he does next!
Excited to see what contributions he’s made in Splatoon 3 Side Order before leaving.
Wish him the best as he offers his top level skills to games outside Nintendo.
@Slowdive Best soundtrack of 2019, imo. One of my all time favorites.
That stinks to hear. Nagamatsu was easily one of my favorite composers working for Nintendo. But hopefully he goes on to create music for other studios!
I hope he finds success, wherever the future might take him! I love his stuff! And I can’t wait to see where he goes next,
He’s one of Nintendo’s good ones, his Mario Kart Wii soundtrack is one of my all time favourites. Can’t wait to see him in non Nintendo games!
Hopefully whoever fills his shoes is just as creative! Best of luck to him.
His contributions to games like Splatoon, 2D Zelda and Mario Kart were some of the most legendary music in recent Nintendo history and it's undeniably a gigantic shame to see him move on to greener pastures. Wish the best for him going forward though; he's easily left his mark on the world of Nintendo!
He did great jobs
Best of luck to him
I wish him well in future endeavors.
Oh that’s a shame, his work while at Nintendo was quite iconic. Here’s hoping he continues doing well.
Noooooooooo...
What a legend, between Mario Kart Wii, Mario Galaxy 2, and Wii Sports Resort, this man practically made my childhood.
I know Square's had a good handful of their composers strike out on their own as freelancers but keep coming back on projects anyway. Has that happened before for Nintendo's in-house composers?
@CoastersPaul Not sure about composers, but it's not uncommon for developers to go independent. Just look at Masahiro Sakurai. He left HAL Laboratory, but still keeps making games for Nintendo platforms.
As much as I adore his work on Zelda, Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart and Splatoon, one game Nagamatsu composed for that should not be slept on is Nintendo Land; that game was loaded some of the most charming Nintendo arrangements ever.
Wish Mr. Nagamatsu all the best in his future endeavors and hope he returns to work on future Nintendo projects as a freelancer.
Well wishes! I'd say Moo Moo Meadows from Mario Kart Wii and its arrangement, the final boss themes in NSMB Wii and Mario Galaxy 2, his arrangement of Tick-Tock Clock in Mario Kart 8, the music from Omega 3 and Ink Theory and Off the Hook's Shark Bytes from Splatoon 2, and the arrangement of Face Shrine in Link's Awakening for Switch are my favorites from him.
Hopefully he will broaden his horizons, grow as a person and return to Nintendo one day, to make even better music. If not I still wish him the best of luck. Not sure how many tracks in Mario Kart 8 he did but the songs make me very happy. It is sunshine in music form.
Shame. Looking at this guys catalog, he’s done a lot of great work. Hate to see him go.
He has certainly left his mark when it comes to Nintendo music.
Wish him the best.
That’s a big list of great soundtracks. He will be missed.
He'll certainly be missed, but at least he left us with (without exaggeration) some of the best video game soundtracks of all time.
I certainly remember challenging his ghost trial in Mario Kart Wii. That was a fun ghost trial back in the day. I haven't even attempted any of the ghost trials in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe yet. I probably should get right on that...
He did great work. I’ll keep an eye on what he does next.
@Dpullam golden tires await!
Ballad of the Windfish from Link's Awakening will always be my favourite Zelda song
Looking forward to what he does in the future. Listening to the Link's Awakening remake soundtrack in my office now. He'll have no problems finding his next perfect role.
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