Mario and Zelda creator says Nintendo turned to films to preserve its legacy: “Games become obsolete, but movies last forever”

In a recent interview with Nintendo Dream Web, the creator of Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Pikmin, Shigeru Miyamoto, gave his two cents on Nintendo’s newfound focus on film production, which is a strong pivot that has garnered significant attention following the company’s reluctance to adapt its iconic franchises into movies.

This shift comes after the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film, starring Bob Hoskins, which was negatively received by fans and critics alike. This led to Nintendo largely avoiding live-action adaptations, except for anime projects, like the Japan-exclusive Animal Crossing film and various Pokémon movies throughout the years.

However, the landscape has taken a turn for the better in recent years, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in 2023, grossing over $1.36 billion worldwide. This makes it one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time. 

With the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo has gathered some newfound confidence to greenlight a sequel set for release on April 3, 2026, and a live-action The Legend of Zelda film slated for 2027. Furthermore, rumors are spinning about a potential Donkey Kong and Luigi’s Mansion movie.

Miyamoto’s comment, which was initially misquoted by Kyodo News as “Games eventually stop running when newer versions come out, but films remain forever,” spurred discussions on social media. However, Bluesky user Erasu made a correction, clarifying that the quote was actually two separate statements from Miyamoto’s Nintendo Dream Web interview about the newly opened Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan.

In the official quotes, Miyamoto expressed his feelings about the impermanence of video games, stating:

Ultimately, what people remember are the IPs. Games become obsolete when new versions come out. But that’s incredibly sad.” He further explained that this sense of loss is what partly motivated Nintendo’s venture into video production, stating, “We started video production partly because of that sadness – seeing our creations become playable only on Virtual Console.

Miyamoto stated that while making games playable in a museum setting, like the Nintendo Museum, comes with its limitations, films, on the other hand, offer an outlet to immortalize beloved IPs.

There’s a limit to what you can do if you make them playable in a museum, but videos will remain forever. I always say that my theme is ‘creating reasons for people to choose Nintendo’.