Shigeru Miyamoto–the creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, and other characters and games over his 40-plus years at Nintendo–is 71 years old and has no plans to retire. Speaking to The Guardian, Miyamoto said he is thinking about a succession plan, but he plans to work for some time more.
“More so than retiring, I’m thinking about the day I fall over,” he said with a smile. “In this day and age you have to think about things in a five-year timespan, so I do think about who I can pass things on to, in case something does happen.”
Miyamoto went on to comment on his legacy, saying he is thankful there is “so much energy” around the things he has created. “They’ve been cultivated by others, other people have been raising them, helping them grow, so in that sense I don’t feel too much ownership over them any more,” Miyamoto said.