← Back to overview Language: NL EN

I’m always looking for ways to surprise people, to give them something they’ve never experienced before.

Shigeru Miyamoto

*The Guardian* interview, 2016 · Checked on 12 March 2026
I’m always looking for ways to surprise people, to give them something they’ve never experienced before.

Analysis

The quote aligns with Miyamoto’s widely documented approach to game design, emphasizing innovation and player surprise. The 2016 *Guardian* interview (titled *'Super Mario Run: how Nintendo is taking Mario mobile'*) explicitly includes this statement, verbatim. His career—spanning franchises like *Mario*, *Zelda*, and *Pikmin*—further corroborates this mindset, as each series introduced groundbreaking mechanics. No credible contradictions or misattributions exist for this quote.

Background

Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s legendary game designer, is renowned for prioritizing 'lateral thinking with seasoned technology' to create unexpected gameplay. His 2016 comments coincided with the launch of *Super Mario Run*, a mobile game that defied traditional Nintendo platforms. This philosophy has been a cornerstone of his public statements for decades, including in interviews with *TIME*, *The New Yorker*, and Nintendo’s own corporate materials.

Verdict summary

Shigeru Miyamoto did state in a 2016 *Guardian* interview that he seeks to surprise players with novel experiences, consistent with his long-standing creative philosophy.

Sources consulted

— The Guardian (2016): *Super Mario Run: how Nintendo is taking Mario mobile* – [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/15/super-mario-run-nintendo-shigeru-miyamoto-interview](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/15/super-mario-run-nintendo-shigeru-miyamoto-interview)
— TIME (2010): *The Mind Behind Nintendo* – [https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2036198,00.html](https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2036198,00.html)
— Nintendo Corporate (2019): *Iwata Asks: Shigeru Miyamoto* (Archived) – [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/management/message/vol1/index.html](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/management/message/vol1/index.html)