What. The. Hell?

First Miyamoto’s retiring from the front lines of EAD management. Then he’s not. Then he’s going to – someday, much, much later in the future. Please do not be concerned. (And please buy our stock!)

No doubt about it – it was an odd night. And all through it, Marc, Andre, Sir Gordon, Craig, and Rus (all they’re missing is Statler and Waldorf!) were seated ‘round the round situation room table to debate the bombshells and aftershocks until the wee early hours of the following morning. Here is the transcript (the parts that are suitable to print, at least) of the chit-chat from the man-cave.

Don’t worry, Miyamoto-san – you’ll make it through this fracas. Just do a barrel roll. 

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Marc N. Kleinhenz, gaming ronin:

Perhaps it's fitting that Miyamoto is stepping down as general manager of Nintendo's EAD teams on the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

Okay – the two events have absolutely nothing in common, but they both represent the ending of one epoch and the tentative starting of another. In many ways, this is the day that many Nintendo fans have thought was unthinkable – a Miyamoto-less Nintendo. What will the company look like? How will it behave? What will be its internal landscape in five years' time?

On the flip side, though, there's nothing but sunshine and (Nintendog) puppies. Good ol' Shigeru will be rolling up his sleeves and plunging into game development again? On smaller, possibly downloable games? What will that look like?

If this isn't deserving of an All-star Roundtable, I don't know what is.

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Sir Gordon Wheelmeier, (Total)PlayStation guru:

I'm not a huge present-day Nintendo expert, but I do have to say that I always love to see it when good developers step away from their up-on-high management roles and start getting their hands dirty again. Sure, he may have been able to help make multiple games good or even great, but what if in that same time period he can now make just one that's simply amazing?

Granted, Nintendo certainly needs more rather than less of a lot of things, but it hasn't been the industry-changing company that it once was for some time now. Maybe it could finally happen again...

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Marc N. Kleinhenz, gaming ronin:

Just curious, Sir Gordon – do you see this being at all equivalent to David Jaffey over at Sony?

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Andre Segers, GameXplain editor-in-chief:

I was shocked and a little saddened when I read the headline "Miyamoto Retiring." Fortunately, that wasn't the whole story.

I actually think the real real news – that Miyamoto is merely down to a smaller role – is extremely promising. I've long argued his current position is if not a waste of his talents, it has at least resulted in a lot of missed potential. Miyamoto's games are among the best of all time, and I've long hoped he would return to a more hands-on role. I want to again experience an entire game in which he was involved every step of the way, instead of experiencing only tiny bits of his brilliance that's sprinkled on every title. I really hope his new role results in some new, innovative experiences. Super Mario 64 is still my all-time favorite title, and if he can even come close to approaching that level of brilliance, the change will have been for the better.

Unfortunately, this story does remind us of the very real scenario that, someday, the world will be Miyamoto-less. And while I'm glad we're not yet at that point, it won't be any less sad when that day comes to pass.

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Sir Gordon Wheelmeier, (Total)PlayStation guru:

To a degree, though Jaffe had been hands-on more recently and his "break" wasn't as long.

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Craig Harris, Sega affiliate marketing manager:

I have huge respect for Mr. Miyamoto. The guy is synonymous with Nintendo game development, and – I'm not going to be the only one making this comparison – his leaving Nintendo would be like Steve Jobs vanishing Apple. A huge hit…but let's be fair – it's not the end of the company.

But that's not what's happening. I don't think he's going anywhere.

Here's the thing: as much respect I have for Miyamoto, I don't think he's quite as relevant as the credit that's been given him…at least in recent years. Nintendo's been directing attention towards other key players: Aonuma for Zelda; Konno for Mario Kart, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, the Nintendo 3DS; Sakamoto for Metroid; and the list goes on. Miyamoto definitely leaves his mark wherever he goes, but it's been difficult to know exactly where that is.

I don't blame the guy for taking a break from higher management. I'm sure Nintendo's got an office for him and is happily keeping Miyamoto on retainer in his "retirement." I'm not a mind reader, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's just stepping back from overseeing multiple teams just to get back to working on a single project.

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Marc N. Kleinhenz, gaming ronin:

Well. Things are certainly getting interesting, aren't they?

"This is absolutely not true. There seems to have been a misunderstanding," Nintendo told Reuters. Miyamoto "has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned."

The company then went on to say just a few hours later:

"Miyamoto's role at Nintendo is not changing. He will continue to be a driving force in Nintendo's development efforts. In discussing his priorities at Nintendo in a media interview, Mr. Miyamoto explained how he is encouraging the younger developers at the company to take more initiative and responsibility for developing software. He attempted to convey his priorities moving forward, inclusive of overseeing all videogame development and ensuring the quality of all products. Mr. Miyamoto also discussed his desire to pursue fresh ideas and experiences of the kind that sparked his initial interest in videogames."

Is this true, or is the company just backpedaling to make up for their stocks falling by 2% immediately after the news broke?

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Sir Gordon Wheelmeier, (Total)PlayStation guru:

I think it's a cover-up, but maybe not a total lie. My guess is that he's taking a less active role in managing multiple games and will focus more on his own projects, but will still help out with as many first-party titles as he can. That's a complete guess, but this has played out a little odd, particularly as the follow-up came from Nintendo as a whole rather than Miyamoto himself, or even Iwata or someone.

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Rus McLaughlin, Bitmob staffer/IGN freelancer:

I put it down to PR spin in the wake of a nasty stock dip.

I want Miyamoto's story to be true, and until I hear him say otherwise, it's what I choose to believe. I smiled when I heard the news... not only because I was searching for a topic to write about with a deadline looming – thanks for saving my bacon there, Shiggy! – but because this is a perfect time for the guy who knows exactly how to work within strict limitations to start working on small, possibly downloadable projects. It's like James Cameron deciding to make a film on a $5,000 budget because it's important to him. Miyamoto is following his passion, and we'll be the beneficiaries. I want this to be true. I demand that it is true.

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Andre Segers, GameXplain editor-in-chief:

Some of it might be spin, but in re-reading the original article since this news, it does appear that Miyamoto might be speaking more in more of a hypothetical sense. It sounds like he's speaking to his underlings like a parent might to his children: "Get it together, Billy – I'm not going to be around forever!"

With that said, it does sound like he will transition roles eventually, which I very much hope he does. As I said before, I eagerly await the day when I can play a proper Miyamoto title again, as I feel his talent is largely wasted in his current role of overseeing myriad projects.

In any case, I'm sure we'll find out what exactly he meant over the next year or two. I'd love to see a Miyamoto-developed Wii U title close to launch.

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Marc N. Kleinhenz, gaming ronin:

Rus, please don't insult Miyamoto, especially so nastily – Cameron's a hack. (Well, The Abyss was a fantastic film...)

:P

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Rus McLaughlin, Bitmob staffer/IGN freelancer:

Aliens. Terminator. Terminator 2. Abyss.

Here endeth the lesson. 

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Previous roundtables:

Reflecting on 10 Years of GameCube Swimming with Dolphins for ten years.

Is the Vita’s Vitality in Trouble? The PS Vita gets delayed… out of our hearts? Our longest – and most contentious – roundtable yet.

3DS Woes? Cutting prices – and pride.

All-star Wii 2 Discussion Wii who? Wii U!

Nintendo in the Third Dimension… and Beyond! Our first (official) week with the 3DS, headaches and all.

The Day the Music Died Rock-n-roll legends never die – they just fade away. Or something like that.

3DS Announcement Edition The gang's all here – in threeeee deeeeeees!

Xbox Li$e GameXplain, TotalPlayStation, and IGN join forces to take on the high cost of (online) gaming.

BioShock: Infinite To walk among the giants in the clouds…

Marc N. Kleinhenz has covered the gaming industry for a dozen publications, including Gamasutra and TotalPlayStation, where he was features editor. He also co-hosts the Airship Travelogues podcast for Nintendojo.