Video games don’t just come from nowhere. From solo projects to gigantic triple-A teams, it takes a lot of hard work to make a game, and the people who created the most memorable titles should be recognized for their effort. There are a few game designers who have truly left their mark, but the titles they’re known for now might not be how they started out.
We took a look at the journeys of some of the most important names in gaming, to see how their first game compares to their last, and where their journey has taken them. We’ve presented them in chronological order of the first game, so check them out below!
Mystery House (1980)
Colossal Cave (2023)
Roberta Williams created her first game,Mystery House, inspired by the text-basedColossal Cave Adventure. Mystery House launched her company, Sierra On-Line, which went on to become instrumental in bringing adventure games out of text and into colorful, graphically-depicted worlds.
Williams' adventure games, from the fairy-taleKing’s Questto horror tales likePhantasmogoria, came to define the genre, but following changes to Sierra after its acquisition by Comp-U-Card International ultimately led her to depart and take an extended break from game design.
However, Roberta Williams has recently come out of retirement,developing a remake of Colossal Cave Adventure- the very game that inspired her groundbreaking career.
Donkey Kong (1981)
Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2024)
Whatever your favorite Nintendo franchise may be, there’s a nearly one hundred percent chance that Shigeru Miyamoto had a hand in its creation somewhere along the line. He’s been at the core of the company’s video games since they started making them, to the point where he’s practically the soul of Nintendo.
Miyamoto was originally hired in 1977, as a designer for Nintendo’s toy division. He was eventually tasked with creating a new video game to convert unsold cabinets from a previous title. He ended up creatingDonkey Kong, launching his career and the Mario franchise all in one go.
He’s been at Nintendo ever since, mostly taking on roles as executive producer. His most recent credit is last year’sMario & Luigi: Brothership, and the list will continue to grow as long as he’s with the company.
Hellcat Ace (1982)
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 (2025)
Sid Meier was already a skilled programmer when he played an arcade flight simulator with Bill Stealey in Las Vegas. After an offhand comment by Meier that he could make a better game than what they were playing, Stealey challenged him to do so, and he’d sell it. Two months later, Stealey was successfully hand-sellingHellcat Aceunder the pair’s new company, MicroProse.
Sid Meier became a household name in PC gaming, especially for his history-spanningCivilizationseries of strategy games. He took the franchise with him when he left MicroProse and started Firaxis, releasing the seventh installment earlier this year.
Penguin Adventure (1986)
Death Stranding 2 (2025)
Today, Hideo Kojima has a global reputation as the eccentric genius auteur of video games, whose deep titles offer an experience that’s somehow familiar but different from anything else in gaming. Even before achieving his rockstar status, he was adding his own flourish to games… including his first title,Penguin Adventure.
You might not expect a cute platformer to have that Kojima flair, but consider this; Penguin Adventure tracks how many times you pause throughout the game. If youpauseexactly once,you save Princess Penguette at the end of the game, but if you don’t pause or pause more than once, she dies despite your efforts. That definitely sounds like it came from the guy who gave usPsycho MantisandThe End.
Of course, you don’t need us to tell you about Kojima’s latest venture.Death Stranding 2just came out; heck, you’re probably in the middle of playing it right now.
Capcom Quiz: Hatena no Daiboken (1990)
Hi-Fi Rush (2023)
Shinji Mikami clawed his way up the corporate ladder to create one of gaming’s most iconic horror franchises. Picked from a pool of new hires to work onCapcom Quizfor the Game Boy, Mikami was given steady work throughout the ’90s working onvideo game adaptations of Disney properties.
With the upcoming debut of the PlayStation, Capcom wanted to remake their Famicom horror title,Sweet Home. The original had been directed by Tokuro Fujiwara, a longtime Capcom developer who had also directedGhosts ‘n’ Goblinsand produced theMega Manseries. Fujiwara asked Mikami if he liked being scared, and gave him the project when Mikami said he didn’t.
“If he [Mikami] had answered that he never got scared, I couldn’t have trusted him with the project. People who aren’t afraid of anything don’t understand what’s frightening. In my view, you can’t make a horror game if you don’t have any fear.”
-Tokuro Fujiwara, 2009
Mikami’s tense, gory offering becameBiohazard, calledResident Eviloutside of Japan, and he stayed with the series throughResident Evil 4in 2005. He would go on to leave Capcom, founding PlatiumGames and later Tango Gameworks. BetweenThe Evil Within,Ghostwire Tokyo, and his latest project,Hi-Fi Rush, it’s easy to see that he’s still a master of horror as well as other genres.
Kirby’s Dream Land (1992)
Super Smash Bros Ultimate (2018)
Masahiro Sakurai directed his first game at nineteen, leading the development ofPopopo Of The Spring Breezefor HAL Laboratory. The round placeholder character for protagonist Popopo was so endearing to the team that they kept him in, and when the studio pitched the game to Nintendo for publishing,his name was changed to Kirby.Kirby’s Dream Land was a hit, and Nintendo and HAL would work closely together in the coming years.
Not only did he keep the Kirby franchise going, but he also led HAL’s 1999 hitSuper Smash Bros, launching an even bigger franchise. Although he now works as an independent contractor through his companySora Ltd., Sakurai continues to lead Kirby and Smash, as well asoccasionallyproviding the voice for King Dedede.
Sakurai was very publicly at the helm for Smash Ultimate, and his next venture - the recently announcedKirby Air Riders- is an exciting treat for fans of the 2003 racer.
Michael Jordan: Chaos In The Windy City (1994)
Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered (2024)
Amy Henning isone of the most influential women in gaming, with an extensive list of credits across several major companies. She started as an artist and animator, working on titles likeDesert Strike,until she landed a Lead Designer role on SNES side-scrollerMichael Jordan: Chaos In The Windy City, which sees the Bulls legend using basketballs to fight his way through bad guys to rescue his teammates before a charity game.
From there, Henning went on todirect, produce, and writefor Legacy Of Kainat Crystal Dynamics, before storming on to Naughty Dog toleadUncharted 2: Among Thieves.She’s proven time and again that she’s one of the best, whether it comes to pulpy two-fisted treasure hunting action, edgy dark fantasy, or, yes, strange sports adventures.
While her most recent credit is theLegacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver Remasters, she also worked to develop the story forForspoken, and you may expect to see Amy Henning’s name in the credits of plenty of major titles for years to come.
Portal (2008)
Ara: History Untold (2024)
Kim Swift was part of a team of DigiPen graduates whose game,Narbacular Drop, got them hired by Valve. Famously, they used Narbacular Drop’s teleportation mechanics to createPortal, one of the most beloved puzzle platformers of all time. Swift stayed on at Valve for a time, contributing toboth Left 4 Dead titles.
Swift’s portfolio post-Valve is varied and impressive; she wasLevel Design Director on Star Wars Battlefront 2, and most recently she was the Head of Creative for the ambitious strategy titleAra: History Untold.It will always be exciting to see what she’s up to next.
