Didn't know, that's pretty cool! I do think Nintendo generally has a good sense of what they want from their games, so perhaps future generations will stay true to the current 'generation' of game leads.

Nintendo seems to be the outlier in the video games industry in that they are very much willing to foster talent over a long term. People who started doing sprite work 35 years ago are still there today and directing games. It's almost like the secret to long-term success is developing a roster of highly-skilled professionals, rather than treating your staff as disposable.