Miyamoto wasn't the kind of person to hesitate once he'd made up his mind — the very next day, he handed in his resignation.
Ordinarily, the resignation of an ordinary employee like him wouldn't reach Hiroshi Yamauchi's attention; HR would simply process it. However, Miyamoto had entered Nintendo thanks to his father's connections — old Miyamoto was a long-time friend of Yamauchi's. So when his son told the family of his intention to resign, the elder Miyamoto immediately informed Yamauchi and apologized in advance.
Having heard the news, Yamauchi summoned Miyamoto to his office.
It wasn't that Yamauchi desperately wanted him to stay. In his view, aside from himself, no one at Nintendo was truly irreplaceable. He only wanted to understand why Miyamoto wanted to leave — whether something about Nintendo had made him dissatisfied.
Miyamoto didn't hide anything. He explained honestly that he wanted more opportunities, and faster.
Upon hearing this, Yamauchi shook his head. He didn't take that small Hong Kong game company seriously at all. In his eyes, the young man was simply being impatient. Miyamoto could have stayed at Nintendo for a few more years, honing his craft and learning from others. Sooner or later, his chance would come — instead, he was giving up a promising long-term future for short-term gain.
To Yamauchi, this was a clear case of youthful arrogance.He had once thought Miyamoto was a bit talented and worth cultivating, but now it seemed his vision was far too limited. Perhaps he had some creativity, but his judgment was poor — and that would cap his future.
There were plenty of young men like him in Japan every year. One more or less made no difference. So Yamauchi didn't bother to persuade him further and directly approved the resignation.
After all, Miyamoto had only been at Nintendo for about a year and hadn't achieved anything notable. He was still just an ordinary employee.If it had been Gunpei Yokoi, that would've been a completely different matter — Yokoi's proven ability in hardware development had already earned Yamauchi's trust. If Yokoi had tried to leave, Yamauchi would have personally intervened to make him stay.
As for the company that had recruited Miyamoto — Galaxy Games — Yamauchi didn't even give it a second thought. In his eyes, it was merely a lucky upstart that happened to make one successful game and earn some quick money. It lacked depth, and would likely fade away soon enough.
Having completed his resignation, Miyamoto immediately went to report for duty under Lin Baicheng.
When Galaxy Games had signed its contract with Taito Corporation, Lin had already instructed Yamada Hideyoshi to find a larger office in Japan — one that could accommodate 20 to 30 employees. Thanks to that, Galaxy Games' Japanese branch was starting to look like a proper company.
"President, I've officially left Nintendo," Miyamoto reported.
"Good. Galaxy Games won't let you down," Lin said warmly, patting him on the shoulder.
Because of the language barrier, Yamada stood by to translate.
"Miyamoto, here's your contract," Lin said, handing him a folder."Take your time reading it. If everything looks fine, sign it — and you'll officially be part of Galaxy Games."
"Yes, sir!"
Miyamoto accepted the contract and read through it carefully.
The terms matched everything Lin had promised: double his Nintendo salary, an annual raise of no less than 10%, and most importantly, a 1%–5% share of the profits from any game he led in development.
However, there was one condition — the contract was for ten years. Unless Galaxy Games went bankrupt or shut down due to poor management, if Miyamoto chose to resign early, he would have to pay a penalty three times the total amount he had earned from the company.
In other words, if he left during the contract period, not only would he lose all his earnings — he'd owe double that amount back.
This clause made Miyamoto hesitate for a moment. At Nintendo, he could leave anytime he wanted. But the generous pay and creative freedom Galaxy Games offered were too tempting. After thinking it through, he decided to sign. Once he made a decision, he wouldn't retreat.
"Miyamoto, welcome to the team. From now on, we're family."
Seeing the signed contract, Lin let out a silent breath of relief — and smiled with genuine satisfaction.
"President, I'll do my best," Miyamoto said earnestly.
Putting away the contract, Lin continued:
"Miyamoto, my trip to Japan isn't just about recruiting you — I also want to find more talented developers to bring to Hong Kong. I'll leave that task to you. These people will become your subordinates — for now, they'll assist me in development, but later on, they'll assist you. So choose carefully."
"Since they'll be relocating to Hong Kong, their compensation will naturally be higher than what they'd get here. As long as they're truly talented, I don't mind paying top rates."
"Understood, President," Miyamoto replied. "I don't know many people personally, but I know where to find the right ones."
"Good." Lin nodded. "For now, recruit about five people. But keep an eye out for more — once our next game becomes another big hit, we'll definitely expand further."
"Yes, President!"
"After you've assembled the team, Yamada will accompany you all to Hong Kong. That's when we'll begin development on our second game."
Lin pointed to his head.
"The whole game is already here — all that's missing is the manpower to bring it to life."
The new project would be more complex than Hong Kong Blocks, and if Lin had to develop it alone, it would take far too long.
And for Lin, time was money.If every game required him to do everything himself, he'd never produce many titles — and more ambitious games required specialized teams.
Hearing this, Miyamoto couldn't hide his excitement — he'd be joining development right away.
"Oh, by the way," Lin suddenly added."Because of our partnership with Taito, they've invited me to visit their headquarters tomorrow. Miyamoto, come with me — it'll be a good chance for you to see Japan's largest game company firsthand."
"It would be an honor."
Miyamoto certainly wouldn't refuse. Visiting Taito, Japan's top gaming company, was a rare opportunity.
After chatting for a while longer, Lin told him to go home and rest — and to report in the next morning, ready for a new beginning.