Hidetaka Miyazaki is One of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2023 - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 13 April 2023 / 3,881 Views
Time magazine has named Hidetaka Miyazaki one of the 100 most influential people of 2023.
Miyazaki is only the second ever video game developer to be featured on the list. Shigeru Miyamoto was featured in 2007.
Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann wrote a note about Miyazaki on Time's official site saying, "The first time I played one of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s games, I was miserable. I kept dying on the first enemy over and over again. But when I slowed down my approach, paying attention to the details, it all of a sudden clicked.
"I managed to defeat the enemy and advance further into the game. I earned my progress and felt a sort of rush! And as I moved forward in the game, I was much more deliberate, careful in how I explored this world. And in return the world rewarded me with tension, beauty, and surprises.
"That’s why Elden Ring—his massively popular 2022 hit—is a great ambassador for video games and the unique feelings they can effect in the player, feelings that a passive medium like TV can never re-create. Miyazaki’s games make the player feel accomplished and smart—and it’s all thanks to his and his team’s uncompromising approach. He refuses to overexplain the mechanics or the lore, but rather puts his trust in the player to figure it out on their own."
Elden Ring has sold over 20 million units since it released in February 2022 for the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Hidetaka Miyazaki came from nowhere with a ugly little game called "Demon's Souls". Few would have imagined that he would revolutionize the industry and create a whole new genre, “Souls”, and that his work would become one of the biggest influences of the current electronic games industry, whether for the gameplay, or for the challenge that marks his games, the way of telling a story and presenting a mythology, among several other striking elements.. Not only that, under his leadership Fromsoftware, which used to be a studio of little relevance, has become one of the most renowned and awarded studios in the Industry.
If there is a developer that deserves to be on the time's list, without a doubt, that is Mr.Miyazaki. Truly a legend and the greatest developer in the last 10 years.
I have to admit, I didn't find Souls too compelling at first - to me, it looked like an action RPG version of Severance: Blade of Darkness, a little known Spanish game from 2001, just with slower and weaker combat and "you died - respawn without XP" mechanism. But on second try I got to love it, due to brilliant level design and atmosphere its world building brings with it, to the point where Souls became one of my Top 10 beloved gaming IPs.
Truly deserving to be included in most influential VG developers.
Just of 2023? I quit the "HD twins" during the PS3/X360 because of games that play themselves and the constant stream of hot AAA garbage. Demon Souls brought me back. This man busted industry myths and played the most influential role in the gaming industry for over a decade. Him being from Japan is the cherry on top :P
Well deserved from our humble Lord of Lords Hidetaka Miyazaki-san!
A bad ass mder fcker.
A legend and soon icon!
Paved a way to even further divide cazuls from elite hahaha
good to actually see Times choose the right person for once, since most of the people they put on the "most influential list" aren't influential at all
