Mario Kart producer Hideki Konno reportedly retires from Nintendo after almost 40 years

Nintendo veteran Hideki Konno has reportedly quietly retired from the company after nearly four decades, with fans only recently discovering that he seemingly departed from the company in the summer of 2025.

The details:

• As reported by Game*Spark, fans on the Famiboards forum spotted that Konno’s personal Facebook page had been updated to state that he left Nintendo in July 2025, with neither the company nor Konno issuing any form of public announcement regarding the departure.
• Konno joined Nintendo in 1986 and has served in key design and director roles on several iconic games over the years, including Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3, Yoshi’s Island, Luigi’s Mansion, and the original Super Mario Kart. After serving as the director of Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, the veteran would later serve as a producer on every future entry until Mario Kart World, where he received a special thanks in the game’s credits.
• Konno also played a major role in the development of Nintendo's hardware over the years, serving as lead producer of the Nintendo 3DS, where he helped spearhead features such as StreetPass and SpotPass. He would later oversee the company’s mobile business with titles including Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and Mario Kart Tour alongside contributing to the global success of Pokémon Go.