Kensuke Tanabe is retiring, here are all the Nintendo games he has worked on over the past 40 years

A recent interview in Japanese publication Nintendo Dream has revealed that long-time Nintendo employee Kensuke Tanabe is retiring from the company, with his work on recent release Metroid Prime 4: Beyond being his last.

The designer and producer began his tenure at Nintendo back in 1986, and across the past four decades he has contributed to a sizeable list of Nintendo releases. His list of work includes the 1988 classic Super Mario Bros. 3, N64 hit Pokemon Snap, Samus’ 3D debut Metroid Prime, Super Paper Mario, and many others — across a variety of roles.

Now, just ahead of his 63rd birthday, Tanabe is leaving the company — having wrapped on the somewhat troubled Switch and Switch 2 game Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Reporting at VGC notes how Tanabe, who served as both a Producer and Writer on the long-delayed Retro Studios release, had “wanted to make a game about Samus and Sylux” for some time, and the 2025 release was his opportunity to do so before leaving the company.

Throughout his forty years at Nintendo, Tanabe took on various design duties, scripting roles, served as a Creative Director for the Super Nintendo World theme park, along with producing and directing across numerous games. He leaves the company with over 100 credits to his name.

Kensuke Tanabe’s Work At A Glance:

• Total credits: 111 games
• First credited game: Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic (1987)
• Most common credit: Producer
• Notable series: Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Paper Mario, WarioWare, Chibi-Robo

Jump to: 1980s · 1990s · 2000s · 2010s · 2020s

1980s

• 1987 — Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic — Director; Course design
• 1988 — Super Mario Bros. 2 — Director; Course design
• 1988 — Super Mario Bros. 3 — Course design

1990s

• 1991 — The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past — Scenario writer
• 1993 — The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening — Scenario writer
• 1994 — Stunt Race FX — Map design
• 1994 — Kirby’s Dream Course — Map design
• 1994 — Donkey Kong Country — Additional support
• 1995 — Kirby’s Avalanche — Nintendo staff
• 1995 — Kirby’s Dream Land 2 — Map design
• 1995 — Kirby’s Block Ball — Supervisor
• 1996 — Super Mario RPG — Screenplay advisor
• 1996 — Kirby Super Star — Advisor
• 1996 — Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire — Japanese text translation
• 1996 — BS Super Mario USA Power Challenge — Original design
• 1998 — The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — Script support
• 1999 — Pokémon Snap — Supervisor

2000s

• 2000 — Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards — Assistant manager
• 2001 — Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! — Advisor
• 2001 — Super Mario Advance — Supervisor
• 2001 — Magical Vacation — Advisor
• 2002 — Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest — Supervisor
• 2002 — Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak — Advisor
• 2002 — Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem — Supervisor
• 2002 — Metroid Prime — Co-producer
• 2003 — GiFTPiA — Supervisor
• 2003 — Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue — Advisor
• 2004 — Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door — Supervisor
• 2004 — Metroid Prime 2: Echoes — Producer
• 2005 — Star Fox: Assault — Project management
• 2005 — Kirby: Canvas Curse — Producer
• 2005 — Chibi-Robo! — Producer
• 2005 — Geist — Producer
• 2005 — Battalion Wars — Producer
• 2005 — Metroid Prime Pinball — Producer
• 2005 — Super Mario Strikers — Producer
• 2005 — Tottoko Hamtaro Nazo Nazo Q Kumonoue no Jou — Producer
• 2006 — Mother 3 — Producer
• 2006 — Magical Starsign — Producer
• 2006 — Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland — Producer
• 2006 — Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis — Producer
• 2006 — Custom Robo Arena — Producer
• 2006 — Kirby: Squeak Squad — Producer
• 2006 — Excite Truck — Producer
• 2006 — Metroid Prime Hunters — Producer
• 2007 — Super Paper Mario — Producer
• 2007 — Mario Strikers Charged — Producer
• 2007 — Chibi-Robo!: Park Patrol — Producer
• 2007 — Theta — Producer
• 2007 — Battalion Wars 2 — Producer
• 2007 — Metroid Prime 3: Corruption — Producer
• 2008 — Super Smash Bros. Brawl — Producer
• 2008 — Captain Rainbow — Producer
• 2008 — Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir — Producer
• 2008 — Kirby Super Star Ultra — Producer
• 2009 — Picross 3D — Producer
• 2009 — Picturebook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit — Producer
• 2009 — Bonsai Barber — Producer
• 2009 — Punch-Out!! — Producer
• 2009 — Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! — Producer
• 2009 — Okaeri! Chibi Robo! Happy Richie Dai Souji — Producer
• 2009 — Irodzuki Tingle no Koi no Balloon Trip — Producer
• 2009 — Rock N’ Roll Climber — Producer
• 2009 — Metroid Prime: Trilogy — Producer
• 2009 — Art Academy — Producer
• 2009 — Picturebook Games: The Royal Bluff — Producer
• 2009 — Excitebike: World Rally — Producer
• 2009 — Eco Shooter: Plant 530 — Producer
• 2009 — A Kappa’s Trail — Producer
• 2009 — Excitebots: Trick Racing — Producer

2010s

• 2010 — Aura-Aura Climber — Associate producer
• 2010 — Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! — Producer
• 2010 — Donkey Kong Country Returns — Producer
• 2011 — Pilotwings Resort — Producer
• 2011 — Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident — Producer
• 2011 — Kirby Mass Attack — Senior producer
• 2011 — Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive! — Producer
• 2011 — Pushmo — Producer
• 2012 — Kirby’s Dream Collection — Producer
• 2012 — Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! — Producer
• 2012 — Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive! — Producer
• 2012 — Crashmo — Producer
• 2012 — Dillon’s Rolling Western — Producer
• 2012 — Paper Mario: Sticker Star — Producer
• 2012 — Sing Party — Producer
• 2013 — Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon — Special advisor
• 2013 — Game & Wario — Directing support; Game design
• 2013 — Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger — Producer
• 2013 — Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move — Producer
• 2013 — Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D — Producer
• 2013 — Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder — Producer
• 2014 — Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze — Producer
• 2015 — Kirby and the Rainbow Curse — Producer
• 2015 — Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars — Supervisor
• 2015 — Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash — Producer
• 2015 — Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam — Supervisor
• 2016 — Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge — Producer
• 2016 — Metroid Prime: Federation Force — Producer
• 2016 — Paper Mario: Color Splash — Producer
• 2018 — Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers — Producer
• 2018 — WarioWare Gold — Producer
• 2018 — Luigi’s Mansion — Producer
• 2019 — Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Producer

2020s

• 2020 — Paper Mario: The Origami King — Producer
• 2021 — WarioWare: Get It Together! — Producer
• 2022 — Mario Strikers: Battle League — Producer
• 2023 — Metroid Prime Remastered — Producer
• 2023 — WarioWare: Move It! — Producer
• 2024 — Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD — Producer
• 2025 — Donkey Kong Country Returns HD — Original game supervisor
• 2025 — Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — Producer; Scan text writer

Other Nintendo projects

• 2021 — Super Nintendo World — Creative director (non-game credit)

Source: Wikipedia