Time has recognized Hidetaka Miyazaki, a veteran filmmaker and the brains behind games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, as one of its “Most Important Persons” for 2023. Every year, Time publishes its most recent list of the individuals it thinks are most influential on the global community. And while there are seldom any video game developers among this group, Miyazaki is now the second such creator to have ever received this honor.
Miyazaki was among the noteworthy creatives, businesspeople, and athletes listed in the “Innovator” section of Time’s Most Influential People. Together with Miyazaki, Time also included Disney CEO Bob Iger, soccer player Kylian Mbappe, and actress Natasha Lyonne in this category. Miyazaki is the first video game creator to be chosen as one of Time’s Most Influential since 2007. Shigeru Miyamoto, the longtime leader and director of Nintendo, was the previous game designer to earn this distinction.
The reason for why Miyazaki was selected to be on this list for 2023 was written by Naughty Dog co-president and director Neil Druckmann, who is most known for his work on The Last of Us. Druckmann summarized his statement by saying that Miyazaki’s games aim to test the player in a way that creates “tension, beauty, and surprises.” Elden Ring, which debuted in early 2022 to broad critical and commercial acclaim, is the game design feat Miyazaki has been most proud of during the past year.
