Updated
Updated · GoNintendo · Aug 23
Shigeru Miyamoto Called Rubik's Cube His Eternal Rival in 1996
Updated
Updated · GoNintendo · Aug 23

Shigeru Miyamoto Called Rubik's Cube His Eternal Rival in 1996

3 articles · Updated · GoNintendo · Aug 23

Summary

  • A 1996 interview resurfaced showing Shigeru Miyamoto describing the Rubik's Cube as his "eternal rival," framing competition for games as extending beyond other videogames.
  • Miyamoto tied that view to his industrial design background, saying he admired products that make non-gamers think, "Wow, computer games can do that...?"
  • The comments cast his design goal as creating broadly surprising, accessible experiences rather than only serving dedicated players.
  • Nearly 30 years later, the interview offers a window into the thinking that helped shape Nintendo's approach and Miyamoto's wider influence on game design.

Insights

Can a digital console ever truly replicate the tactile shock of a Rubik's Cube without alienating hardcore gamers?
How did a decades-old obsession with a plastic puzzle secretly blueprint Nintendo's multi-billion-dollar movie and theme park empire?