Video game composer Ryo Nagamatsu announced that he left Nintendo after 17 years of continuous work for the company and producing numerous iconic scores for franchises like Splatoon, Mario Kart, Super Mario, and Smash Bros.
Speaking in a special message on Twitter, he said he left Nintendo to spread his creative wings a little further across the industry.
“I have made a decision to leave the company on April 30, 2023. I will work a little wider and more directly to help those who need my help and to help the industry. Thank you all for your kind support! I look forward to serve you in the future! (an amicable settlement)”.
Nagamatsu joined Nintendo back in 2006 and in these 17 years, he composed the soundtrack for many of their biggest releases thus far, including Wii releases Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Wii Sports Resort. 3DS titles The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Mario Kart 8, and Mario Party: Star Rush. More recently, he also oversaw music composition and voice recordings for Switch titles Splatoon 3, Mario Party Superstars, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.