Yoshio Sakamoto

is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer. He is a Senior officer at Nintendo EPD.

He has worked at Nintendo since 1982. He has directed several games in the Metroid series and worked on series such as Rhythm Heaven, Tomodachi Life and WarioWare. He is one of the most prominent members of Nintendo's former Research and Development 1 division, along with Gunpei Yokoi and Toru Osawa.

Career Sakamoto is a key member in the development of the Metroid series. Sakamoto grew up with Nintendo toys, which he felt were inventive. The company hired him in 1982, when he graduated from art college. His first projects at Nintendo were the design of pixel art for the Game & Watch handheld Donkey Kong, and the arcade game Donkey Kong Jr. He turned to the Nintendo Entertainment System afterward, for which he designed the games Wrecking Crew, Balloon Fight and Gumshoe. Sakamoto also was the lead scenario writer and creator of Famicom Detective Club with its first two entries, some of the most influential visual novels in Japan in the 80s. He also directed Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid: Other M, and was the producer for Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread. Sakamoto's design work is also found in Nintendo games including Balloon Kid (1990), Game & Watch Gallery (1997), Wario Land 4 (2001), and the WarioWare series.

Philosophy Sakamoto has stated that he wants to live up to public expectations of Nintendo to deliver products similarly unique to those of his youth, describing WarioWare, Inc. as an example. Regarding his professional relationship with Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto, he believes his mission is not to compete with but to "always come up with something very different from what Mr. Miyamoto is likely to do". Vs. Wrecking Crew Rowspan="2" |Game designer, graphic artist Vs. Balloon Fight

Gumshoe Director, graphic artist Metroid Graphic artist Kid Icarus Game designer

Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School Director, game designer, scenario

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir

Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind

Balloon Kid

X The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls Scenario

Super Metroid

Teleroboxer

Game & Watch Gallery Advisor BS Tantei Club: Yuki ni Kieta Kako Producer

Game Boy Camera Additional staff

Trade & Battle: Card Hero Director, game designer, scenario

Wario Land 4 Supervisor

Metroid Fusion Chief director, scenario, story

Wario World Advisor WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! Supervisor

Metroid: Zero Mission Director WarioWare: Twisted! Producer WarioWare: Touched!

Rhythm Tengoku WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Picross DS Supervisor Kousoku Card Battle: Card Hero Producer

Rhythm Heaven General producer

WarioWare D.I.Y.

Tomodachi Collection

Metroid: Other M Director, producer, story

Rhythm Heaven Fever General producer

Kiki Trick Supervisor

Game & Wario Producer, game designer Tomodachi Life Producer

Rhythm Heaven Megamix General producer

Miitomo Producer Metroid Prime: Federation Force Special advisor

Metroid: Samus Returns Producer

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir

Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind Metroid Dread Producer

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club Producer, game designer, scenario 2026 Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Producer