is a Japanese video game designer working for Nintendo

Nintendo

is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

. He is a key member in the development of the Metroid series

Metroid series

is a series of science fiction action-adventure video games by Nintendo. It chronicles the missions of bounty hunter Samus Aran who protects the galaxy from the depredations of the Space Pirates and their attempts to harness the power of the eponymous Metroids. It is noted for having one of the...

, having worked as director, scenario designer, and script writer for many of the games. Sakamoto grew up with Nintendo toys, which he noted to be inventive and occasionally "strange". The company hired him in 1982, when he came out of art college. His first projects at Nintendo were the design of pixel art for the Game & Watch

Game & Watch

is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and an alarm ....

 handheld Donkey Kong, and the arcade game

Arcade game

An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

 Donkey Kong Jr. He turned to the Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo Entertainment System

The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...

 afterward, for which he designed the games Wrecking Crew

Wrecking Crew (video game)

is a action game developed and published by Nintendo. It was designed by Yoshio Sakamoto and released as a launch title for the Nintendo Entertainment System.-Gameplay:...

, Balloon Fight

Balloon Fight

is a 1984 video game developed by Nintendo. The arcade version was released in 1984 and the Nintendo Entertainment System version was released in 1986. The gameplay is similar to the arcade game Joust by Williams Electronics.-Gameplay:...

and Gumshoe

Gumshoe (video game)

Gumshoe is a video game developed and published by Nintendo for the NES and released on June 6, 1986 in North America, and on June 15, 1988 in Europe. Gumshoe is played using the NES Zapper. The game was designed by Yoshio Sakamoto.- Story :...

. Sakamoto created characters for Metroid, and helped with the game design for Kid Icarus

Kid Icarus

Kid Icarus, known as in Japan, is an action platform video game for the Famicom Disk System in Japan and the Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe and North America. The first entry in Nintendo's Kid Icarus series, it was published in Japan in December 1986, and in Europe and North America in...

. With the exception of Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus

Metroid II: Return of Samus

is an action-adventure video game, the second game in the Metroid series, and the only one developed for the Nintendo Game Boy. The sixth installment in the overall series story, the game was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 , and published by Nintendo in North America in November...

, he has directed all Metroid games produced internally by Nintendo, namely Super Metroid

Super Metroid

, also known as Metroid 3, is an action-adventure video game and the third game in the Metroid series. It was designed by Nintendo Research & Development 1, programmed by Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...

, Metroid Fusion

Metroid Fusion

, also known as Metroid 4, is an action-adventure video game published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2002, and in Japan in February 2003. The game is the fourth main installment in the Metroid series...

, Metroid: Zero Mission

Metroid: Zero Mission

is an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo R&D1 for the Game Boy Advance handheld console. It was published by Nintendo in North America in February 2004, in Australia in March 2004, in Europe in April 2004, and in Japan in May 2004. It is the sixth installment of the Metroid series,...

and Metroid: Other M

Metroid: Other M

is an action-adventure video game for the Wii developed by "Project M", a team which consists of staff members from Nintendo, Team Ninja, and D-Rockets. A part of the Metroid series, it features gameplay in both first- and third-person perspectives, and is the first installment of the franchise to...

. He also supervised the production of Retro Studios

Retro Studios

Retro Studios is an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in October 1998 by the video game veteran Jeff Spangenberg after leaving Acclaim Entertainment, as an independent studio making games exclusively for Nintendo Company, Ltd.On May 2, 2002, Nintendo...

's Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube, released in North America on November 17, 2002...

series.

Sakamoto's design work is found in various other Nintendo games, including Balloon Kid

Balloon Kid

Balloon Kid is a flying platform game developed by Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy on October 5, 1990 in North America and on January 31, 1991 in Europe. It is the sequel to Balloon Fight...

(1990), Kaeru No Tame Ni Kane Wa Naru

Kaeru No Tame Ni Kane Wa Naru

is an action role-playing video game developed by "Team Shikamaru" of Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division, in cooperation with the external company Intelligent Systems. It was published by Nintendo for the Game Boy and released in Japan on September 4, 1992. The title is a play on Ernest...

(1992, Japan only), Teleroboxer

Teleroboxer

is a game for Nintendo's Virtual Boy video game console. The game is a boxing simulator played in the first person view.-Gameplay and premise:Teleroboxer takes place in the 22nd century, when a technology called "Telerobotics" is used, allowing people to control robots to do tasks not normally...

(1995), Galactic Pinball

Galactic Pinball

Galactic Pinball is a video game for the Virtual Boy. It is pinball game featuring several different boards, including a cameo appearance by Samus Aran-Gameplay:...

(1995), Game & Watch Gallery (1997), Wario Land 4

Wario Land 4

Wario Land 4, known as in Japan, is a video game released for the Game Boy Advance system in 2001. In this game, Wario has to gather four treasures to unlock a pyramid and save Princess Shokora from The Golden Diva...

(2001), Super Smash Bros. Melee

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...

(2001), Wario World

Wario World

is a platform game developed by Treasure and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Europe on June 20, 2003, in North America on June 23, 2003, in Australia on July 10, 2003, and in Japan on May 27, 2004. It marks Wario's first starring appearance on a home games console...

(2003), WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! , known in PAL regions as WarioWare, Inc.: Minigame Mania and in Japan as , is a video game for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2003 and in North America on May 26, 2003...

(2003), WarioWare: Smooth Moves

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

WarioWare: Smooth Moves, known in Japan as , is a party video game developed by Nintendo SPD and Intelligent Systems. The game was published by Nintendo for its Wii video game system in Japan in December 2006, and in Europe, North America, and Australia in January 2007...

(2006) and Card Hero DS (2008). He is one of the most prominent members of Nintendo's former Research and Development 1

Nintendo Research & Development 1

was Nintendo's oldest development team. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video games industry, and the original R&D1 was headed by Gunpei Yokoi...

division. Sakamoto has stated that he wants to live up to public expectations of Nintendo to deliver products similarly unique to those of his youth, describing WarioWare, Inc. as a prime example of this effort. Regarding his professional relationship with Shigeru Miyamoto, he believes his own mission is not to compete with but to "always come up with something very different from what Mr. Miyamoto is likely to do".

External links