Iwata made every Nintendo Europe employee play Animal Crossing every day.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work at Nintendo? Apparently, during the late Satoru Iwata's tenure as director, it included mandatory playtime. A former PR insider revealed that every Nintendo Europe employee was tasked with playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf daily for months before its release.

That's right. From marketing to accounting, the entire company had to dive into their 3DS and manage a virtual village. Sounds like a dream job, right? But there was a serious method to Iwata's madness.

According to the former PR rep, it wasn't just for fun; it was a strategic move. Iwata believed that to truly understand the game's charm, everyone had to experience it firsthand. By having the entire staff play daily, he ensured that the whole team—from PR to support, even to execution planning—could speak about the game with authenticity.

The instruction was simple: play every day, no exceptions. It was a unique approach to product immersion and shows Iwata's out-of-the-box thinking when it came to fostering company-wide enthusiasm. It also created a shared experience across all departments, breaking down silos and building a unified vision.

For those of us who love Animal Crossing, this story adds a warm layer to the game's legacy. To Iwata, it wasn't just a product; it was a lifestyle he wanted his entire team to live and breathe. And since New Leaf was a massive hit, selling millions worldwide, it clearly worked.

So next time you play Animal Crossing, remember that you share that experience with the entire past and present staff of Nintendo Europe. Would you have loved a job where you had to play a game every day? Or would it have gotten old after a week? Let us know in the comments!