Note: the following is an exclusive excerpt from Scott Steinberg's new book Get Rich Playing Games. If you missed it, our first exclusive excerpt featured some interesting comments from Trip Hawkins, Ted Price and Scott Miller. You can read that here.

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SHIGERU MIYAMOTO
Creator, Mario / Donkey Kong / The Legend of Zelda

Most of the smash hit franchises you're known for aren't just huge moneymakers – they're also 20 years old and still generating massive returns to this day. How do you continue to pump out the blockbusters?

Well, if you look back at [franchises like] the Mario and Zelda series, we don't really update those games until we have some type of new capability or technology to apply to them. We don't take the same engine and just create a sequel. Every time we create a follow-up to a title, we rebuild the game, recreate its systems and create an entirely new game. I think that's one of the biggest reasons we continue to innovate and do so well.

What do competitors like Microsoft and Sony miss about salesmanship that Nintendo seems to comprehend?

What they really haven't done is attempt to expand beyond their core user base. Nintendo is looking at a much broader market. Our motto for some time has been to target people from ages 5 to 95 and everyone in-between – people will all types of interests. If we can really go after this mass market, and manage to create a meaningful impression, it's better for the industry as a whole. Microsoft and Sony are doing the same things. We're doing different things. And because of that, it's not even a competition.

Any advice you'd be willing to share with aspiring designers hoping they can come anywhere close to filling your storied shoes?

My design philosophy is that you have to take the overall game environment, including the player him or herself, and use that to really capture people's attention. Because of that, in my game designs, I have to try to think up ways to not only make the game design itself interesting [but also] to encourage people to enter that interactive space. I also have to think up ways to make the image of people playing games interesting, because it's something that entices other people to play the game.

TODD HOLLENSHEAD
Co-Owner and CEO, id Software

Should you go into this industry planning to achieve overnight success?

Well, I don't think that there's any proven formula that says that if you do these X number of things that you're going to have a massive success. And everybody who has had success, there are a lot of different factors you can credit that success to, as well as different approaches. At id, our track record speaks for itself: Not everything we've done has been a great success. We've had projects we've had to cancel, game design directions that we experimented with that didn't work out, months of the company's effort that was wasted, huge negative returns on investment from an economic standpoint. You always have these competing philosophies about how long you should take, what your technology window is... Those definitely have to be taken into account, but for us, game quality has always been paramount, and the way we've always approached every project.

Is there some background or insight you'd like to share with developers, financiers or publishers looking to achieve a similar track record?

Generally, most publishers that have been successful in the business know that there are competing priorities, and sometimes those priorities have to be different depending on what the project is. Timing may be far more important on one title than for another. I think most publishers understand that, but, because of a shareholder-driven focus on quarterly returns, priorities in retrospect tend to get out of whack. At the end of the day, shipping May 15th vs. March 31st isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things, even if it causes a publisher to miss a quarterly number.

And I think that for financiers, they need to remember that anything great requires a great deal of time to come to fruition – and sometimes, seeing it through to the end requires more patience. Sometimes it also requires a greater investment to reap a more meaningful long-term reward. You can look at a lot of examples in the industry, such as [legendary designer] Will Wright: The Sims was like a sandbox experiment, and it's the biggest game franchise of all time now. But if he wasn't given the time and freedom to make the game, and develop it to its fullest potential, look at what the opportunity cost could have been...

Any famous last words for people hoping to break in and master the business, then barnstorm the charts?

Breaking in is tougher than it used to be, just because the financial requirements to get a full-blown PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or PC title done are a lot more than they were back in the Doom, Wolfenstein or even Quake days. It's not easy to get a game out. But I think that the studios that keep their ego in check and are willing to learn as they work can be successful. To me, it's better to show someone something that's great that you've been working on when it's ready, rather than talk about what it is you don't have yet, and then have to figure out how you're going to have to put it together.

RAY MUZYKA
CEO and Co-Founder, BioWare

Credit for your string of hits ranging from Jade Empire to Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic lies where?

BioWare's success is based entirely on the fact that we have a lot of very humble, hard-working and smart people at our company who are allowed to take creative risks. We put quality as our number one studio priority, because we believe it leads to long-term success, and as a result we don't release a game until we've achieved and exceeded our high quality targets.

The most common misconception about those who succeed?

The most common misconception in business (and it seems to keep coming back once every generation) is the myth of the superhero. As an entrepreneur, never forget how important the people you work with are to your organization's long-term success. Rather than being a solo mission, entrepreneurial success really is founded on finding the best people to embark with you on your journey, and continually focusing on taking care of the people you surround yourself with.

The one single rule for succeeding in the games business that should never be forgotten?

Stay humble. If you truly understand what it takes to make something successful, you find that it is never just one person or department who makes something successful. Rather, it is the culmination of teamwork from a variety of different people that drives the success of your organization and brand, long-term. Humility is one of the core values that my co-founder Greg [Zeschuk] and I try to instill in everyone around us.