How Midlife Crisis Helped Nintendo Game Director to Make a Title That Sold Over 20 Million Copies

Published 10/08/2022, 11:00 AM EDT

There are times when even the most celebrated and iconic personalities need an inspiration in life. Like popular Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who once came up with the idea to focus on fitness after quitting an unhealthy habit.

For those who are not aware, Nintendo’s rich catalog of games has got one iconic offering in Wii Fit. Although it arrived more than a decade ago, there’s a deep story behind its origin and how it eventually ended up creating a positive influence.

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Quitting smoking helped Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto in making Wii Fit for a great cause

A popular YouTuber from the channel called Beyond Gaming recently uploaded an interesting video while sharing a stunning fact. The YouTuber revealed a rare detail regarding one of the classic Nintendo games ever released. The title’s name was Wii Fit, and it was originally launched for the Wii console in 2007.

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The actual reason for making this game, for Shigeru Miyamoto, was something bigger. Apparently, back when the game designer turned 40, he was having a serious midlife crisis. After going through it, he quit his habit of smoking and realized that he really wanted to get in shape.

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As revealed in the video above, Miyamoto started taking more care of his health by doing regular activities. But he wanted to do something not just for himself but for others as well. Eventually, the Nintendo designer came up with Wii Fit, to benefit everyone. It consisted of various mini-games like yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balance.

Upon its debut, the Wii Fit generally received positive reactions across the globe. Eventually, it ended up selling over 22 million copies worldwide. With that, it also became the third-best-selling console game, which was not initially packaged with a console.

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Nintendo also released an enhanced version of the title, called Wii Fit Plus. Coming with additional activities and features, it was launched in October 2009. What are your thoughts on this amazing and inspiring throwback story? Did you already know about this rare fact? Let us know in the comments down below.

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Written by:

Mintu Tomar is an eSports author at EssentiallySports. After completing his bachelor's in Philosophy, he has followed his passion for covering news as a budding journalist. He lives and breathes video games and is a die-hard Call of Duty fan.

Edited by:

Jito Tenson

How Midlife Crisis Helped Nintendo Game Director to Make a Title That Sold Over 20 Million Copies

Quitting smoking helped Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto in making Wii Fit for a great cause

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