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- He/Him
Many Nintendo fans have come to know the name and face of Hisashi Nogami through his role as the Squid Researcher for the Splatoon series, which he of course produces. However, he has had a long and impactful career at Nintendo, joining as an artist for Yoshi's Island in 1994. Indeed, the true extent of his career unravels like an onion to those who choose to peel as I have, and my findings lead me to believe that he is the single most important Nintendo employee of the 21st century,* defining the company's recent past, prosperous present, and exciting future.
*for the purposes of this thread I am excluding Satoru Iwata from contention, as he was president of the company until his untimely death and I therefore deem the comparison unfair
So, let us walk backwards through Nogami's career to this point, beginning with the recent bombshell IP that sent him into the public image: Splatoon.
The above quote is from the fantastic installment of Iwata Asks about the first Splatoon game, which is very illuminating as to both Splatoon's development and Nogami's creative approach. The motivations of the project are admirable, and it is clear in hindsight how important Nogami's goals were to the future of Nintendo:
I will abstain from summarizing the entire interview, but I highly recommend that you read it in full. For the purposes of my argument, it can be characterized as Nogami spearheading the pursuit of something entirely new from Nintendo, which has proven a huge success. Splatoon has been so monumental, in fact, that when the Nintendo Store in Tokyo opened, it was one of four series primarily represented.
Mario leads the way, followed by an Inkling, then characters from Animal Crossing, and then Link. These are asserted as the four most important series developed internally at Nintendo, and Nogami created one of them.
I'm sorry, did I say one? Arguably, I should've said two.
Yes, in. addition to now serving as the producer of the series, Hisashi Nogami co-directed the first game, and directed the two that followed. Just as Splatoon originated from the pursuit of something structurally fresh, Animal Crossing began its life unlike anything else, and Nogami was a key part of realizing the series and growing it into the surprise juggernaut it is today.
So, Nogami is partially responsible for Splatoon and Animal Crossing, two series that have become exceptionally important to Nintendo and I believe also represent a large part of the future of the company. I began this post, however, with mention of the past. What significant thing did Nogami lead development on that solidifies the consistency of his importance across the 21st century? Let us again consult Iwata Asks:
That's right, Hisashi Nogami was a director of the Mii Channel, as detailed in this Iwata Asks. Many of his credits from this period involve Mii integration, making it clear that he was integral to both the core execution and the pervasiveness of the Mii. Like the Splatoon interview, this Iwata Asks is very informative and humorous, and I recommend that you read it in full. In short, however, Nogami was significant to the extent of the feature, which contributed greatly to the charm and aesthetic of the Wii as a system.
So concludes my argument for why Hisashi Nogami is the most important Nintendo employee of the past twenty odd years, barring of course Mr. Iwata. Now, what do you think? Do you agree with my position? Is there anyone else who you believe deserves the title? Do you feel that the over-emphasis on management among enthusiasts detracts from our critical thinking about the realities of video game development? Do you hate Splatoon? Feel free to share any of these opinions and more in the replies below. I look forward to any and all discussion.
*for the purposes of this thread I am excluding Satoru Iwata from contention, as he was president of the company until his untimely death and I therefore deem the comparison unfair
So, let us walk backwards through Nogami's career to this point, beginning with the recent bombshell IP that sent him into the public image: Splatoon.
The above quote is from the fantastic installment of Iwata Asks about the first Splatoon game, which is very illuminating as to both Splatoon's development and Nogami's creative approach. The motivations of the project are admirable, and it is clear in hindsight how important Nogami's goals were to the future of Nintendo:
I will abstain from summarizing the entire interview, but I highly recommend that you read it in full. For the purposes of my argument, it can be characterized as Nogami spearheading the pursuit of something entirely new from Nintendo, which has proven a huge success. Splatoon has been so monumental, in fact, that when the Nintendo Store in Tokyo opened, it was one of four series primarily represented.
Mario leads the way, followed by an Inkling, then characters from Animal Crossing, and then Link. These are asserted as the four most important series developed internally at Nintendo, and Nogami created one of them.
I'm sorry, did I say one? Arguably, I should've said two.
Yes, in. addition to now serving as the producer of the series, Hisashi Nogami co-directed the first game, and directed the two that followed. Just as Splatoon originated from the pursuit of something structurally fresh, Animal Crossing began its life unlike anything else, and Nogami was a key part of realizing the series and growing it into the surprise juggernaut it is today.
So, Nogami is partially responsible for Splatoon and Animal Crossing, two series that have become exceptionally important to Nintendo and I believe also represent a large part of the future of the company. I began this post, however, with mention of the past. What significant thing did Nogami lead development on that solidifies the consistency of his importance across the 21st century? Let us again consult Iwata Asks:
That's right, Hisashi Nogami was a director of the Mii Channel, as detailed in this Iwata Asks. Many of his credits from this period involve Mii integration, making it clear that he was integral to both the core execution and the pervasiveness of the Mii. Like the Splatoon interview, this Iwata Asks is very informative and humorous, and I recommend that you read it in full. In short, however, Nogami was significant to the extent of the feature, which contributed greatly to the charm and aesthetic of the Wii as a system.
So concludes my argument for why Hisashi Nogami is the most important Nintendo employee of the past twenty odd years, barring of course Mr. Iwata. Now, what do you think? Do you agree with my position? Is there anyone else who you believe deserves the title? Do you feel that the over-emphasis on management among enthusiasts detracts from our critical thinking about the realities of video game development? Do you hate Splatoon? Feel free to share any of these opinions and more in the replies below. I look forward to any and all discussion.
