A long time ago, it was said that Shigeru Miyamoto had an influence on almost every game developed at Nintendo. He was able to share his thoughts about anything and could come in and "upend the tea table" at any time ("Chabudai Gaeshi"). In recent years, his role has turned to a more executive one, although he still keeps an eye on some of the more important projects at the publisher. But what is his actual role at the company now?
Miyamoto was very clear about his creative duties when speaking to Famitsu (as translated by Nintendo Everything). He is still involved during the concept stage of a game's development, but after that, it's up to the team. The man from Nintendo explained thus:
"My main focus is in the first 30 minutes when dealing with which target audience the game is intended for. After we nail down the game-feel and it moves on to the level design processes, my job is already done. When I'm directly involved as the producer I do get involved in those steps and check things out, fix stuff and such. But after that it's, "Bye-bye, now. Good luck!" [Laughs]"
His opinion is still the most important one at the company, but he is no longer taking down entire projects as he was in the good ol' days of Nintendo.
"I might say something in the early stages of development like, "What if we didn't do this?" Or "If you're going to do that, then what about this?" But I no longer come in mid-development to completely rework things. I don't "upend the tea table" just as a hobby or something, I only do so if I can see how the whole game will pan out.
"By changing the structure of things when a game isn't turning out right, I "upend the tea table" when I can see how things like the visuals and the merits of the game can change. If I can't see a clear vision for the game, then that doesn't mean something should be changed. After all, you can't see all the key components unless you're the director."
Keep in mind that this applies to Miyamoto's role in terms of game development, but he is also a top executive and on the Board of Directors, as well as being closely involved in the management of IPs and diversifying the company into industries such as film and amusement parks.