Nintendo Co. said Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the Mario and Zelda series, will reduce his involvement in making video games to spend more time training younger developers.

Miyamoto will keep overseeing major titles, Ken Toyoda, a spokesman for Nintendo, said by phone today. The 59-year-old developer will maintain his position as senior managing director, Toyoda said. Wired magazine reported on its website that Miyamoto will step down from his “current position.”
Miyamoto joined Nintendo in 1977 and helped the Kyoto, Japan-based maker of playing cards transform itself into a video-game maker in the early 1980s with the “Super Mario Bros.” game for the Famicom console.

“The move won’t affect Nintendo,” said Takashi Oka, an analyst at TIW Inc., who has a “neutral” rating on the stock. “The role should be more or less the same as now, as he oversees development as a chief producer.”

Nintendo fell 2 percent to 11,040 yen at the 3 p.m. close of trading in Osaka.