The man behind the N64 controller is retiring from Nintendo this year

By Brad Jones April 27, 2017

genyo takeda nintendo retirement n64 analog stick — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The man behind Nintendo’s enormously influential analog stick has confirmed that he will retire in June. The 68-year-old Genyo Takeda has been involved with some of the company’s most memorable games of the past twenty years, and has made massive contributions to various pieces of hardware.

Takeda was hired in 1971 by Gunpei Yokoi, the man who would go on to spearhead the design of the Game Boy, according to a report from Kotaku. He’s credited as being Nintendo’s very first video game designer, and his technical mastery helped shape the company’s earliest forays into arcade cabinets.

Takeda created two memorable franchises during the NES era; the cult classic action-adventure StarTropics and the ever-popular Punch-Out!! In later years, he served as producer on titles including Pilotwings 64, Dr. Mario 64, and Pokemon Puzzle League.

However, Takeda’s greatest contributions came in the form of hardware innovations. His team figured out how to implement battery saves on NES cartridges, allowing gamers to preserve their progress in large-scale adventures like The Legend of Zelda, a major factor in the system’s ability to edge ahead of its biggest rivals.

Then, in the 1990s, he invented the analog controller that would be introduced alongside the Nintendo 64. Today, the analog stick has become so ubiquitous that it’s difficult to imagine a time before it was introduced, demonstrating the lasting impact of his work.

Takeda was also a huge influence during the development of the Wii. He warned against pursuing higher graphical fidelity, suggesting that Nintendo would run the risk of diminishing returns without continuing to push for innovative gaming experiences.

Platform Technology Development Division head Ko Shiota will take on Takeda’s role as Technology Fellow when his 46-year tenure with Nintendo comes to an end in June. Given his predecessor’s various contributions to the company, those are very big shoes to fill.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

Gaming

The best Nintendo Switch exclusives of 2022: 9 standouts from the console’s banner year

Bayonetta jumps in front of text that says The Best Nintendo Switch Exclusives of 2022.

The Nintendo Switch turned five this year … and with that birthday came a wave of discourse. Fans are anxious for Nintendo to launch a new piece of hardware, whether that be a Switch Pro or a new console altogether. It’s an understandable request; the once magical Switch now seems a little less impressive in the age of the Steam Deck. However, this year once again proved why Nintendo can get away with aging hardware: its games are just that good.

Even without The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to cap it off, 2022 was a landmark year for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo delivered its best lineup of exclusive games since the console first launched in 2017 -- though it's no coincidence that some of this year’s best games were sequels to its first-year titles. We've put together a list of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives of 2022 below, but what's jaw-dropping is that this doesn't even include everything worth talking about. That's a testament to Nintendo's strong first-party support, which remains its unshakable secret weapon.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Gaming

A single-player Iron Man game is coming from the studio behind Dead Space

EA Motive's Iron Man game

Electronic Arts announced that it has partnered with Marvel to create a new Iron-Man game. It is being developed by EA Motive in Montreal and it will be a single-player, third-person, and action-adventure game.

Executive producer Olivier Proulx will be leading the development team on this new title, and he has worked on other past Marvel titles such as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Other notable names include Ian Frazier (Mass Effect: Andromeda, Star Wars Squadrons), Maëlenn Limineau (Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit), and JF Poirier (Child of Light, Star Wars Battlefront II).

Gaming

Want to predict the next big Nintendo Switch game? Just rewind 5 years

nintendo switch five year cycle fire emblem engage characters

When it comes to the video game industry, we're currently living in an age of speculation. Players are no longer satisfied just getting news on upcoming games by patiently waiting for announcements. Insiders and leakers have become a fundamental part of the game hype cycle in the social media age, fueling a need for unofficial scoops. When a gaming livestream gets announced, it's usually surrounded by tons of rumors, leaks, and predictions that set some high expectations. It's easy to get disappointed by something like Nintendo's September Direct when leaks from high-profile insiders wind up being a bust.

But what if I told you that you can become your own insider, especially when it comes to Nintendo Switch? Yes, you can create your own realistic predictions with ease rather than getting let down by enticing Reddit threads. All you have to do is follow Nintendo's development cycle patterns, which have become crystal clear following today's Direct showcase.
Five-year plan
The deeper we get into the Nintendo Switch's life cycle, the more clear patterns in Nintendo's release cadence are starting to show. If you look at the company's first-party 2022 release calendar, you might notice that it looks a little familiar. That's because a good half of it has been comprised of sequels to games that hit the console in 2017.