Nintendo is a "haven for geniuses" but "hell for an average person", former worker says
Stresses it was "a great company".
A former Nintendo of Japan employee has publically spoken about his time working at the company, calling it a "haven for superhumans and geniuses", but "hell for an ordinary person" like himself.
Koichi Miura worked at Nintendo from 2019 to 2023 in game production and is now a freelance CG designer and YouTuber. On Twitter, he wrote about his experience at the company. It's rare to see former employees openly talking in an industry which is known for a culture of keeping quiet.
"Nintendo was a great company," Miura wrote (as translated by Eurogamer), "but I wouldn't recommend it lightly to others," he revealed, due to the sheer amount of talent within the company.
He described it as a "haven of superhumans and genuises" able to create successively amazing games, but felt it was "hell for an average person" such as himself. His time at Nintendo helped him realise it wasn't the right career for him, he said, and helped him find the confidence to take his career down a different path. "That's my biggest accomplishment from working at Nintendo," he added. "I have no regrets in deciding to work there, achieving that, and then leaving."
Miura reiterated he has no bad feelings towards Nintendo. "Let me repeat this so there are no misunderstandings," he continued, "I thought it was a really great company and the employees were wonderful people". In a statement to Encount, Miura said he hopes people don't see his experience as a negative one, but as a positive message.
Nintendo's two most recent releases, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario RPG bowled Donlan over in his reviews.