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Takashi Tezuka (手塚 卓志, Tezuka Takashi, born November 17, 1960) is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer. He is a senior officer in Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development division and is an Executive Officer at Nintendo itself.
YearTitleRole2024Senior supervisor2023Supervisor2023Producer2023ProducerJun 28, 2019 · The Verge interviews the veteran Nintendo designer who worked on nearly every Super Mario game, from the original to the latest Switch release. He reflects on the evolution of Mario, the creation tool, and the community of fans.
Sep 4, 2023 · Learn about the Nintendo legend's role in creating the new 2D Mario game for Switch. He talks about nostalgia, gameplay, and mentorship in this exclusive interview.
- Kat Bailey
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Apr 30, 2024 · Learn how the legendary game designer joined Nintendo in 1984 and helped create Super Mario Bros., Zelda, and more. Discover his contributions, influences, and anecdotes from his four decades at the company.
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- The normally secretive Nintendo opens up as it readies the next flagship 2D Mario entry.
- Which 2D Super Mario Bros. game is your favorite?
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder Screenshots
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder - August 2023 Screenshots
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By Ryan McCaffrey
Updated: Aug 31, 2023 6:05 pm
Posted: Aug 31, 2023 6:00 pm
I’ve had the privilege of interviewing hundreds of game developers in my career, but never before had I had the chance to sit down with two leads on an internally developed mainline Mario game. Nintendo, as a company, doesn’t often put them forward, usually preferring to let the games speak for themselves. But such was the privilege I had in New York City, where I sat down with Super Mario Bros. Wonder game director Shiro Mouri and producer Takashi Tezuka.
Mouri has been with Nintendo since 1997. He directed New Super Mario Bros. U for the Switch and served as a programmer on two Zelda games for the DS — Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks — as well as The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS.
Tezuka, meanwhile, started at Nintendo in 1984 and has the legendary resume to go with it, working as a game designer on the original Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past before eventually moving solely into production. He has a producer credit on hallmark Nintendo classics from the original Animal Crossing to both Super Mario Maker games.
Super Mario Bros. 1
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario World
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Have you ever wondered how Nintendo starts a new mainline Mario game? I have, and so I asked both developers where the idea for the game came from. What is the origin story for Wonder?
“When we were thinking about creating this new 2D Mario, there were two concepts that we held,” Mouri began. “The first concept is the freedom to choose. And the second concept is the idea that it’s packed with secrets and mysteries. And this idea of secrets and mysteries, I think the original Super Mario Bros. was exactly that.
“But as we continued to create Mario games, this idea of secrets and mysteries started to become a standard, or something expected, and that was a challenge that we saw. And so in order to overcome that challenge, there’s something we tried: what we did was, in Mario games, you know when Mario goes down a pipe you can go to the underground area or if he climbs the vines you can go to the sky area? Well, we thought, ‘What can we do to create an updated version of that?’ So one idea that came up was, when you use an item you are taken to a different area. And so when we created a prototype and showed Mr. Tezuka this, he said, ‘Well, even if you’re just taking the item, if you’re transported to somewhere else, that’s the same. Can’t you just change the place as it is right now?’
“I said, ‘Let’s just go all the way. Let’s just change the entire screen. So that’s where we ended up testing out ideas like the warp pipes squiggling around, or the entire screen tilting or slanting, or even having to travel on top of a horde of enemies. And that really was the starting point of Wonder.”
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“When I heard that,” Mouri continued, “I said, ‘Let’s just go all the way. Let’s just change the entire screen. So that’s where we ended up testing out ideas like the warp pipes squiggling around, or the entire screen tilting or slanting, or even having to travel on top of a horde of enemies. And that really was the starting point of Wonder.”
The exchange continued. Tezuka said, “And so what I did was then suggest, ‘Well if we’re going to do it, we should just go ahead and have these Wonder effects that impact these courses on every one of the main courses.’ I think he was probably questioning inside whether or not I was serious,” he said with a laugh.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking: Is he serious?” Mouri-san said with a smile. “And to really bring this to fruition, I thought, ‘I can’t be the only one coming up with ideas.’ So I started to solicit ideas from the entire team. And if I were to give it a number of ideas that came up, I’d put it at 1000 or even 2000 ideas that came up. And from within those ideas we whittled it down to ones that had potential, created prototypes, and then took a look, and then from there we would think, ‘Oh no we should’ve just done it this way or that way’ – and that’s how these Wonders came about.”
“I started to solicit ideas from the entire team. And if I were to give it a number of ideas that came up, I’d put it at 1000 or even 2000 ideas that came up.”
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“I wasn’t forcing them to do anything impossible,” Tezuka responded with a laugh. “And at that time we didn’t have a deadline for the end of development, so let’s do what we can do. And I purposely didn’t want anyone to have any sort of negative reaction and say, ‘We don’t have time to do that.’ So we did not set a timeline.”
Wonder certainly has a timeline now: it’ll be released for Nintendo Switch on October 20. Don’t miss the Wonder-focused Nintendo Direct from earlier today if you haven’t seen it yet, and read about how Mario creator and Nintendo design guru Shigeru Miyamoto didn’t like the original design for Wonder’s Elephant Mario.
Learn how the game director and producer of the new 2D Mario game talk about its origin, gameplay, and secrets. Find out how they balance nostalgia and innovation in the latest entry of the iconic series.
Mar 29, 2024 · Takashi Tezuka is a producer who has worked on the Super Mario franchise since the original game. He talks about the process behind one of the strangest Mario adventures yet, with wonder effects, prototypes, and reimagined elements.
Learn about the life and career of Takashi Tezuka, a legendary game designer who worked on Super Mario and Zelda at Nintendo. Discover his design philosophy, innovations, and legacy in the video game industry.
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