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.

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

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

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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.

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AEW: Fight Forever delivers N64 nostalgia at a cost

A Wrestler knees his opponent in the face.

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AEW: Fight Forever | Showcase Trailer 2022
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None of that would matter if the core wrestling was spot on, but I’m not entirely sold on the game’s N64-throwback style. During my match, it felt like I was mostly just throwing strikes as I mashed the attack buttons. The right trigger is a dedicated Irish whip button, hilariously, but I otherwise found it difficult to stumble into a big spot. If I ever got onto the top rope, it was an accident. And if I ever managed to jump off it, I could not tell you how to reproduce that.
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My match didn’t look nearly as fluid or clean as the one THQ Nordic showed off at Gamescom.

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A player nears the finish line in Wave Race 64.

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Wave Race™ 64 - Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online