It’s been nearly three years since Street Fighter 6 was released on June 2, 2023. We’re now nearing the end of the third season of post-launch content as Sagat, C. Viper and Alex have already been released. We’re now just waiting on Ingrid, who is set to be released in late spring.
Since the beginning of Street Fighter 6, Takayuki Nakayama has acted as its director with Shuhei Matsumoto as its producer. As it turns out, Nakayama credits his experience as a developer from his time working on The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, originally released for the Game Boy Advance in November 2004 for Japan and January 2005 for North America.
Of course, it’s interesting to note that The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was developed by Capcom. This is how Takayuki Nakayama was involved with the game despite having never worked for Nintendo directly.
“I gained invaluable experience while working on The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. The advice I received from Shigeru Miyamoto-san left a lasting impression on me…” — Takayuki Nakayama
Notably, Hidemaro Fujibayashi acted as the director for The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap while Keiji Inafune was the producer. Nakayama wasn’t quite so high up the Capcom ladder as he is today.
Regardless, Nakayama acknowledges how The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap has been an integral part of his career. In celebration of The Legend of Zelda’s 40th anniversary, GameInformer reached out to important members of the video game industry for their comments regarding the franchise so far.
Ultimately, Nakayama made mention of his time working on The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap as well as his respect for Shigeru Miyamoto.
“I gained invaluable experience while working on The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. The advice I received from Shigeru Miyamoto-san left a lasting impression on me, which has greatly shaped the way I approach game development even today,” said Nakayama.
“He is, and will always be, a North Star guiding all game creators. Congratulations on the incredible milestone of Zelda’s 40th anniversary!”
It’s certainly interesting to highlight how Street Fighter characters Ryu and Ken are able to interact with The Minish Cap’s Toon Link in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Based on what Nakayama has said, it would seem that Shigeru Miyamoto has, in some form, influenced the state of the Street Fighter series today considering Nakayama’s involvement with Street Fighter 5 and Street Fighter 6.
Ultimately, this isn’t too surprising considering the impact Shigeru Miyamoto has had on the video game industry in general.