FromSoftware president cites Iwata, says he won’t allow studio layoffs

While former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata may have left us all the way back in 2015, the man’s commitment to games and game development continues to inspire today’s generation of creators, executives and more.

PC Gamer had the chance to chat with Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of FromSoftware. During the conversation, the topic of industry layoffs came up, as countless companies have let staffers go or shuttered completely. Miyazaki has no intention of letting that happen at FromSoftware, and he’s using none other than Satoru Iwata as his inspiration.

“I think it was the old ex-president of Nintendo, Iwata-san, who said that ‘people who are afraid of losing their jobs are afraid of making good things.’ I’m paraphrasing that, but I totally share this view. I think it’s true. And I think the people at Kadokawa, our parent company, understand that I hold this view very strongly. While we can’t say 100%—we can’t say with complete certainty what the future’s going to hold for From and Kadokawa—at least as long as this company is my responsibility, that’s something I would not let happen. So hopefully our players and our fans can take a little bit of assurance from that.”

[FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki]

You might remember that when Nintendo was facing hard times, Iwata took a serious paycut to ensure Nintendo’s employees could stay with the team and continue working without worry of being let go. Hopefully Miyazaki will never have to be in a place where he follows Iwata’s footsteps, but it’s good to know that should the dire situation arise, Miyazaki is ready to do the right thing.