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Update #2 []: The official English translation of the Q&A is now live on Nintendo's investor site:
Q17: Please tell us why Executive Officer Tezuka is concluding his term, and how he will be involved with Nintendo going forward. I would also like to hear a few words from him.
Takashi Tezuka (Executive Officer):
If I were to look back on the 42 years since I joined the company and summarize them in a single phrase, I would say, ”I got to do some very fun work.” When I first joined Nintendo, the development environment necessary for game development generally did not exist, and part of the fun was in creating it ourselves.
Today, within a large-scale development structure, there is great enjoyment in bringing together the expertise of many people in our creative process. Also, when I think about how to apply each emerging new technology, such as 3D, stereoscopic imaging and motion capture, to game development, I feel a kind of excitement that makes me think I could continue being a developer without ever getting bored, and I would like to continue doing so in the future.
Nintendo’s work involves the entire company considering how to develop, manufacture, and deliver to consumers products that many people can enjoy, while flexibly creating these products in response to changes in the business environment. I am very happy that I have worked at a company that can take on such initiatives.
I will step down as Executive Officer, but I plan to continue working for Nintendo as a production producer. I am grateful to have been given this opportunity to offer my appreciation to everyone at this milestone.
Update #1 []: During Nintendo's latest shareholder Q&A today, Takashi Tezuka confirmed he would continue to be part of Nintendo as a Production Producer after retiring as Executive Officer. Here's part of what he had to say about this (text via @NStyles, machine translation):
Takashi Tezuka: On this occasion, I will be stepping down upon the expiration of my term.
Looking back on 42 years, I felt, "That was such enjoyable work." We used to make our own handmade playthings that weren't available in toy stores. Now it's on a large scale, and there's the joy of creating with many people.
There were new technologies like 3D, stereoscopic vision, and motion controls, which were fun as an engineer.
The work at Nintendo is about developing and delivering products that bring joy to people around the world, and being able to think about it as a company and flexibly create them. I truly feel that working for this company was the right choice.
Going forward, I will continue to be involved as a production producer.
Original Story: [Fri 8th May, 2026 08:16 BST]:
Nintendo has announced that legendary developer Takashi Tezuka will be retiring from his role as Executive Officer.
Tezuka-san is one of the most significant figures in Nintendo history, having served as a designer on the original Super Mario Bros., director on Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, and Super Mario World, and producer on countless iconic titles since.
His final credited work at the time of writing is Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup In Bellabel Park.
The retirement will be effective from 26th June 2026, and it's also been confirmed that Takuya Yoshimura, Katsuhiro Umeyama, Keiko Akashi will also retire from their roles.
Meanwhile, subject to shareholder approval, senior director of the Auditing Department Yutaka Takenaga has been selected as a director candidate alongside Chika Saka, who has been selected as an Outside Director.
Now, it's not 100% clear whether this means Tezuka-san will be retiring from Nintendo entirely, but that seems to be the implication here. We'll follow up further if we hear any more details.
For now, thank you Tezuka-san. For everything!