Nintendo Veteran Takashi Tezuka To Step Down From Executive Officer Role In June
Nintendo is preparing for a major leadership change, and this one hits different if you grew up with Mario, Zelda, or basically any part of Nintendo’s golden era.
Takashi Tezuka, one of the most important creative figures in Nintendo history, will retire from his role as Executive Officer on 26 June 2026.
For newer fans, Tezuka’s name may not be as instantly recognisable as Shigeru Miyamoto, but his fingerprints are all over the games that shaped console gaming. He worked as a designer on the original Super Mario Bros., directed Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, and Super Mario World, then later served as producer on many more Nintendo titles.
That is not just a strong CV. That is basically the blueprint for how millions of people understand platformers, adventure games, world maps, secrets, boss fights, and that very Nintendo feeling of “one more try”.
At the time of writing, his most recent credited work is Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup In Bellabel Park.
For Malaysian and SEA players, Tezuka’s legacy is very real even if we did not always know his name. A lot of us experienced Nintendo through shared family consoles, handhelds, retro collections, emulation memories, or later Switch-era games. Mario and Zelda are not just “old classics” — they are the design language that influenced so many games we play today, from indie platformers to modern action-adventure titles.
Nintendo has also confirmed that Takuya Yoshimura, Katsuhiro Umeyama, and Keiko Akashi will retire from their roles as well.
On the board side, Nintendo has named Yutaka Takenaga, senior director of the Auditing Department, as a director candidate. Chika Saka has also been selected as an Outside Director candidate. Both appointments are subject to shareholder approval.
One important note: Nintendo’s announcement specifically says Tezuka is retiring from his Executive Officer position. It is not completely clear from the available information whether this means he is leaving Nintendo entirely, although that appears to be the likely reading for now.
Either way, this is a big moment. Nintendo is entering a new hardware generation, and seeing one of its old-guard creative legends step back naturally raises questions about how the company balances legacy with fresh leadership.
But honestly, if your childhood had even one memory of jumping on Goombas, finding secrets in Hyrule, or getting bodied by a platforming level until you finally cleared it, Tezuka’s work probably touched your gaming life somewhere.
Thank you, Tezuka-san. Memang legend.
Source: Nintendo Life
