Ex-Nintendo Devs Hail Celestial Team's Game Dev Genius

Takaya Imamura, the acclaimed video game designer and manga artist behind F-Zero, Star Fox, and The Legend of Zelda, has revealed that despite his impressive portfolio, he often felt "inferior" among Nintendo's talented workforce — so much so that leaving the company eventually brought him relief.

"Nintendo was filled with so many extraordinary individuals," Imamura shared on X (translated by Automaton). "I constantly questioned how I could prove my worth in that environment," he admitted, noting that a persistent "sense of inferiority" weighed on him.

"When I finally departed, I did feel liberated from that longstanding inferiority complex," Imamura added. "Yet, there was also sadness in realizing I'd no longer collaborate with such brilliant minds. With retirement approaching and game development being such a lengthy process, I wanted to pursue creative work at my own rhythm."

While surprising to some, this sentiment resonates with other Nintendo alumni. Former designer Shinji Watanabe, now leading Epsilon Software, compared his ex-colleagues to "celestial beings." Ken Watanabe, who spent a decade at Nintendo before going indie, agreed: "Nintendo truly gathers nothing but exceptional people. Standing out among them was exhausting yet deeply rewarding."

On a related note, did you know Super Mario Strikers (called Mario Smash Football in Europe) is joining the Nintendo Switch 2's GameCube library next week? It's the first addition since the new console launched earlier this month. For the full nostalgic experience, an officially licensed GameCube controller replica is also available.

Nintendo Switch 2 has sold 3.5 million units so far, but launch week sales analysis reveals a stark contrast between Nintendo's first-party titles and third-party game performance.