I want to bring us back to the Willy Wonka comparison. In “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Wonka sets a competition with the secret aim of finding someone who has what it takes to replace him. I’m not suggesting that you’re looking for a replacement. But Nintendo existed long before you or I were born and will, I’m sure, exist long after both you and I are gone. What quality do you think Nintendo needs to protect in order to keep being Nintendo?
As the company has gained new competitors over the years, it’s given us an opportunity to think deeply about what makes Nintendo Nintendo. [President] Shuntaro Furukawa is currently in his forties, and [general manager] Shinya Takahashi is in his fifties; we are moving toward a position that will insure the spirit of Nintendo is passed down successfully. I am not concerned about that anymore. Now I’m focussing on the need to continue to find new experiences. This has always been what interested and excited me about the medium: not perfecting the old but discovering the new.
Source: Shigeru Miyamoto Wants to Create a Kinder World | The New Yorker