If you’re anything like us, then chances are you already have a pretty good idea of what the different roles in game development entail. Sometimes, however, it can be good to freshen up a bit.
Let’s take directors and producers for example. It is not entirely uncommon for the two roles to be confused at times, especially when individuals such as Eiji Aonuma and Yoshio Sakamoto are often considered ‘faces’ Zelda and Metroidrespectively.
However, as Sakurai explains, the director is in charge of individual projects and has the final say on almost every major aspect of development. A producer, meanwhile, can oversee multiple projects at once and will be in charge of financing, management, hiring and marketing.
With this in mind, you can understand why it’s often Eiji Aonuma who leads the gameplay presentations for titles like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, rather than the game director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi.
As Sakurai explains, however, the two roles can often intersect: Some producers may want to dive into the creative side of things, while directors (including Sakurai) like to be involved in marketing.
He also says that because the manufacturer acts on behalf of the wider interests of the company, it can sometimes lead to “butting heads”. However, Sakurai speaks fondly of his own relationship with Nintendo, saying, “I’d say we don’t have any problems getting along. They have a lot of trust in me, so there’s almost never any tension over differences of opinion”.
