Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has discussed how his role has changed after stepping back from leading development on Nintendo’s most famous video game series.

In a new interview, Miyamoto revealed he had now entrusted most of the work on new Mario games to others, though said he still played through the first half hour of new projects himself to ensure it felt “like Mario” to him.

Speaking in celebration of Super Mario Bros’ 40th anniverary, the veteran designer, now 72, also said he hoped “to stay healthy until Mario’s 50th anniversary” in a decade’s time.

“Nowadays, I have teammates who help maintain the world of Mario, so I entrust much of it to them,” Miyamoto told Japanese magazine Casa Brutus (thanks, VGC). “Even so, I always personally play through about the first 30 minutes of the game and check the interface thoroughly — to make sure it really feels like Mario.”

Recent years have seen other Nintendo faces appear more prominently during Nintendo Direct broadcasts, with Miyamoto often only appearing to introduce new Nintendo concepts such as the company’s expansion into theme parks and movies.

And, notably, while Miyamoto did appear during the Super Mario 40th anniversary segment in the most recent Nintendo Direct, he also handed over to long-term Mario designer and director Yoshiaki Koizumi, who fans believe is likely deep in development of a new 3D Mario game.

“With the help of many passionate people outside our company, Mario has expanded into theme parks and movies, and I’m really looking forward to how things will develop from here,” Miyamoto continued, discussing his current work.

“Up through Super Mario Odyssey, I feel we’ve done just about everything we could on the Switch. In the past, whenever a new console came out, we always released a new Mario game, so I do wonder how the current team will take on that challenge,” he teased. “But maybe I’ll say, ‘I won’t look anymore!,” he laughed. “I just hope to stay healthy until Mario’s 50th anniversary!”

Next up for Mario will be the Nintendo mascot’s second big screen adventure — The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — which fans believe will introduce Princess Rosalina and Bowser Jr., judging by some recently-leaked artwork found on a box of cookie dough.

“The setting for the next movie is, just as the title says, the galaxy — that’s all I can really say,” Miyamoto concluded when asked about the film. “We’re in the final stages of production now, but I think it’s going to be fun. I usually just say, ‘I’ll keep working on it until it becomes fun,’ so that alone should tell you how confident I am (laughs).”

Image credit: Kayla Oaddams/WireImage.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social