Goro Abe, the longtime creative force behind the WarioWare series, left Nintendo earlier this year to accept a teaching position at Osaka Electro-Communication University.
Abe, who directed 2023's WarioWare: Move It! for the Nintendo Switch and contributed to every WarioWare entry since the Game Boy Advance original, recently spoke with VGC about his transition away from full-time development and how it has changed his view of the games industry.
Abe told VGC that the decision to leave Nintendo was driven in part by the realities of a long development career.
He explained that making games requires substantial time and that, at this stage in his life and career, he wanted to pursue new professional challenges.
Teaching offered a chance to do work he had not done before while remaining connected to games.
Since joining the university, Abe said the role has allowed him to be "closer to the players" and to see the industry from different angles.
He noted that stepping outside Nintendo has helped him better understand how other studios — including independent developers — approach design, production and player feedback.
That broader perspective, he said, has been valuable for his continued creative thinking.
Abe also described a change in creative constraints.
While at Nintendo he often worked within commercial priorities and with unique hardware considerations, such as motion controls used in WarioWare: Move It!.
Now, removed from the need to prioritise profitability or specialised devices, Abe said he feels free to explore alternative approaches to interactive entertainment.
He emphasized that he still values the discipline of working inside constraints but is interested in pursuing projects that are less conventional.
Despite the career shift, Abe has not ruled out returning to game development in some capacity.
He told VGC he is already considering collaborations with industry contacts and developers he met during his time at Nintendo.
Abe expressed a desire to create experiences that move audiences, whether through games or other forms of entertainment.
WarioWare: Move It! launched in 2023 on Nintendo Switch and was widely noted for returning the series' motion-controlled microgame format; Nintendo Life gave the game an 8/10 in its review.
Abe's move to academia is likely to influence how future talent approaches rapid, experimental design — and fans will be watching to see if his next projects bring the same inventive spirit he brought to WarioWare.
Abe, who directed 2023's WarioWare: Move It! for the Nintendo Switch and contributed to every WarioWare entry since the Game Boy Advance original, recently spoke with VGC about his transition away from full-time development and how it has changed his view of the games industry.
Abe told VGC that the decision to leave Nintendo was driven in part by the realities of a long development career.
He explained that making games requires substantial time and that, at this stage in his life and career, he wanted to pursue new professional challenges.
Teaching offered a chance to do work he had not done before while remaining connected to games.
Since joining the university, Abe said the role has allowed him to be "closer to the players" and to see the industry from different angles.
He noted that stepping outside Nintendo has helped him better understand how other studios — including independent developers — approach design, production and player feedback.
That broader perspective, he said, has been valuable for his continued creative thinking.
Abe also described a change in creative constraints.
While at Nintendo he often worked within commercial priorities and with unique hardware considerations, such as motion controls used in WarioWare: Move It!.
Now, removed from the need to prioritise profitability or specialised devices, Abe said he feels free to explore alternative approaches to interactive entertainment.
He emphasized that he still values the discipline of working inside constraints but is interested in pursuing projects that are less conventional.
Despite the career shift, Abe has not ruled out returning to game development in some capacity.
He told VGC he is already considering collaborations with industry contacts and developers he met during his time at Nintendo.
Abe expressed a desire to create experiences that move audiences, whether through games or other forms of entertainment.
WarioWare: Move It! launched in 2023 on Nintendo Switch and was widely noted for returning the series' motion-controlled microgame format; Nintendo Life gave the game an 8/10 in its review.
Abe's move to academia is likely to influence how future talent approaches rapid, experimental design — and fans will be watching to see if his next projects bring the same inventive spirit he brought to WarioWare.
