Nintendo's Tanabe discusses how he came into his current position, Retro pats him on the back

“We prototype intensely in the beginning, until we find that core mechanic that really seals the deal.” - Kensuke Tanabe

“Tanabe-san is very patient, even at times when he doesn’t need to be. He’s a good mentor for junior staff, and he really takes his time and is sincere about teaching Americans, Westerners, the Nintendo philosophy. It’s really a passion of his. It’s much more important to get an employee that’s open-minded, that is fundamentally open to change. I would much rather have an employee like that … as opposed to someone who is exceptionally creative [and] very focused on their particular point of view. If you try to outside-influence that, you are met with problems.” - Michael Kelbaugh, president and CEO of Retro Studios

Just how did Tanabe come into this position with Nintendo? It turns out his slacker attitude pushed him into the position.

“To be honest, I wasn’t going to work very often. It had kind of worn me out. And I was drinking too much. When it was time to take this Japanese-language data and implement it into the game, I went to Rare with it and was part of the editing process. For someone who wasn’t going to work all the time, when I did have to deal with people outside the company, I seemed to shape up, so they kept sending me out to do these jobs.”

Nice to see that Tanabe got things turned around! He’s no doubt an important wheel in the Nintendo machine. Thanks to Occono for the heads up!

Link