Shigeru Miyamoto

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Shigeru Miyamoto served as a producer for Super Mario Sunshine, working alongside co-producer Takashi Tezuka. The game was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Usui, with Miyamoto providing oversight as the series' creator. This marked a transitional period for Nintendo, though Super Mario Sunshine was not the first first-party game released after Satoru Iwata became president; that distinction is sometimes mistakenly attributed to Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, but that title is a second-party game, not a first-party one. An unverified rumor claims that developing a Mario game for the GameCube was the last request Hiroshi Yamauchi gave the team before resigning, but this is not supported by confirmed sources. Miyamoto's design philosophy for this 3D entry focused on appealing to a 'very wide range of ages,' as he felt previous designs had been 'a little too much to a strictly younger age.'

In Their Own Story

During development of Super Mario Sunshine, Miyamoto initially expressed concern that the tropical world concept was 'too daringly out of character with Mario.' However, he ultimately supported director Yoshiaki Koizumi's vision, which drew inspiration from childhood memories of heroes jumping between rooftops and playing in water. Miyamoto and Tezuka reviewed ten candidate water nozzle designs for F.L.U.D.D., ultimately selecting the one that best fit the game's setting, even though it was not among their initial favorites. The game took nearly 18 months to complete, beginning development in late 2000 after the critical and commercial success of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Reader's Guide

Miyamoto's role as producer on Super Mario Sunshine involved overseeing the game's development alongside Takashi Tezuka. The game was first shown at Nintendo Space World 2001 and later at E3 2002. It was developed by Nintendo EAD. The soundtrack was composed by Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka, with Kondo creating the main motifs for Isle Delfino, Bianco Hills, Ricco Harbor, and Gelato Beach, as well as the ending credits. The game features voice acting from Charles Martinet as Mario and Jen Taylor. Super Mario Sunshine sold over five million copies worldwide by 2006, making it one of the best-selling GameCube games. It was re-released as part of the Player's Choice brand in 2003, in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection for Nintendo Switch in 2020, and for Nintendo Switch 2 as part of the Nintendo Classics service on Nintendo Switch Online on August 13, 2026.

Did You Know?

• Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka served as producers on Super Mario Sunshine, but it was not the first Nintendo first-party game after Satoru Iwata became president; Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a second-party title.
• An unverified rumor claims that developing a Mario game for the GameCube was the last request Hiroshi Yamauchi gave the team before resigning as Nintendo president, but this is not supported by verified sources.
• The F.L.U.D.D. nozzle selected for the game was not among Miyamoto and Tezuka's initial favorites, but was chosen because it fit the game's setting.
• Miyamoto stated at E3 2001 that he wanted Super Mario Sunshine to appeal to a 'very wide range of ages.'