Retiring Mario and Zelda director Takashi Tezuka clarifies he’ll still be involved at Nintendo

Veteran Nintendo designer Takashi Tezuka says he’ll still be involved with the company in some capacity, even though he’ll no longer be part of its executive board.

It was announced last month by Nintendo that Tezuka would retire from his role as an executive officer today, June 26.

During a Q&A session at Nintendo’s 2026 shareholders’ meeting, however, Tezuka reportedly said he would still be involved as as ‘production producer’.

In Japan, a production producer is a term often used in anime to describe a job similar to a line producer, where someone works between the creative and financial staff to oversee the day-to-day creation of content.

As reported by X user NStyles, who attended the meeting and has reported on previous Q&As in the past, one shareholder asked if Tezuka could share some words about his resignation.

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa reportedly replied that Tezuka started with the company during the Nintendo days, but would continue to be involved in development going forward.

Tezuka then appeared to confirm this too, reportedly saying (via machine translation): “On this occasion, I will be stepping down upon the expiration of my term. Looking back on 42 years, my feeling is ‘that was such enjoyable work’.

“We used to make our own games from scratch, things you couldn’t find in toy stores. Now the company has grown on a large scale, and there’s the joy of creating together with many people. With new technologies like 3D, stereoscopic imagery and motion controls, it was a joy to work as an engineer.

“Working at Nintendo is about developing and delivering products that bring joy to people around the world. It’s something the entire company thinks about and creates with flexibility. I truly feel that working for this company was the right choice.

“Going forward, I will continue to be involved as a production producer. Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to say a few words.”

Tezuka was then reportedly met with loud applause from the shareholders.

Tezuka is one of the most experienced game designers at Nintendo, having directed classic games such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Yoshi’s Island. Most recently, Tezuka was the producer of Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

At 65, Tezuka is at Nintendo’s typical retirement age, though his longtime collaborator, Shigeru Miyamoto (73), also remains active at the company as executive fellow.