The relationship between Shigeru Miyamoto and late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata was a personal one.
Iwata-san, a book published today in Japan by Hobonichi, includes a new interview with Mario creator Miyamoto on how he remembers Iwata, who passed away in 2015. A similar interview with Shigesato Itoi, the creator of Earthbound and founder of Hobonichi, is included as well.
“To me, he was a friend more than anything,” Miyamoto says. “It never felt like he was my boss or that I was working under him. He never got angry; we never fought about anything.”
Miyamaoto says it was never a point of friction that Iwata, who was seven years Miyamoto’s junior, became his boss. “Normally, if someone younger than yourself with fewer years of experience becomes president, it might be difficult to get along with each other, but it was never like that. It had always been obvious that he was more suited for the position (than me), so it never became a problem. I think it allowed us to naturally become true friends.”
Source: IGN.com Shigeru Miyamoto Opens Up in New Book about Missing Late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata