Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing co-composer reveals that he left Nintendo a while ago

A composer who worked on some of Nintendo‘s biggest modern titles has revealed that he left the company a while ago.

Yasuaki Iwata co-composed the soundtrack for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Arms, as well as the retro tracks in Mario Kart 8.

However, Iwata took to X on Tuesday to reveal that he he was no longer working at Nintendo, and hadn’t been for a while.

“I have a bit of a belated announcement to share,” he wrote. “In July of last year, I took a step in a new direction by leaving my position at Nintendo.

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported me over the years, to those who enjoyed my work, and to everyone who listened to the music through the projects I was a part of.”

Iwata also revealed that he had been composing new music following his decision to leave.

少し遅くなりましたが、ご報告です。

実は昨年7月、任天堂を退職し、新しい挑戦に向けて一歩を踏み出しました。
長い間支えてくださった関係者の皆さま、作品を遊んでくださり、また作品を通して音楽を聴いてくださった皆さまに、心よりお礼申し上げます。…

— Yasuaki Iwata / 岩田恭明(いわた やすあき) (@yasui_wata) November 5, 2024

“I’ve been working on new projects since my departure, and I hope to have the opportunity to share some of these with you in the near future,” he explained.

“If there are those who would like to continue following my journey, I’d be truly grateful, and I hope you look forward to what’s to come. Thank you very much for your continued support.”

Iwata’s work on Breath of the Wild mostly involved composing music for the towns and dungeons, as well as Kass and the Champions. He also composed the main theme for Animal Crossing: New Horizons.