Chris Meledandri, the CEO of Illumination, the animation studio behind Despicable Me, Minions, and the forthcoming Super Mario movie, has been nominated as a new outside (non-executive) director of Nintendo.
The news was announced as part of Nintendo’s latest financial results which were released in early May. The appointment will be confirmed, with shareholder approval, at the company’s AGM on 29 June.
The new Super Mario animated movie is currently in production at Illumination, with Meledandri acting as producer, alongside Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto.
The appointment reinforces a statement from Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, who recently indicated that the company is interested in exploring other animated content. Given Nintendo’s incredible portfolio of intellectual property, and much-loved franchises, this could open up an entirely new business opportunity for the gaming giant within the screen sector.
Brian has been working in the games industry since the mid-1990s, when he joined the legendary studio DMA Design, as a writer on the original Grand Theft Auto. Since then he's worked with major publishers, founded his own digital agency, and the Scottish Games Network. At various times he's worked as a journalist, editor, narrative designer, lecturer, executive producer, and director.
