Mario, Legend of Zelda Creator Is Japan's "Person Of Cultural Merit"

Like Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki and "founding mother" of shojo manga Moto Hagio before him, legendary video game producer Shigeru Miyamoto has received one of Japan's highest honors for a creator.

The "Person of Cultural Merit" award is given to those who have made great cultural contributions to the country and is officially handed out by the Japanese government. A total of 54 people, including Miyamoto, have been handed the award. A ceremony recognizing Miyamoto's achievements will be held on November 5 in a Tokyo hotel.

Miyamoto said at an announcement that he wants to continue to bring smiles to people's faces around the world and has no plans to retire from Nintendo and/or video games anytime soon, according to Crunchyroll.

Miyamoto is widely recognized as the creative force behind the Mario and Legend of Zelda franchises, serving as designer, director, and producer on a handful of titles in both buckets. He is also the creator of many other acclaimed Nintendo properties, including Donkey Kong, F-Zero, and Star Fox.

Miyamoto's last production credit was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which has seen widespread critical and commercial praise since its 2017 launch on Nintendo Switch and Wii U. In our review, we awarded it a 10/10, saying, "Breath of the Wild is a defining moment for The Legend of Zelda series, and the most impressive game Nintendo has ever created."

During E3 2019, Nintendo confirmed that Breath of the Wild will get a sequel. Not long after, it was reported that game producer Eiji Aonuma will return for the sequel, while Miyamoto's involvement remains unclear. Still, Nintendo has a lot of ideas for Link and Zelda's next adventure in Hyrule.