Kanye West originally pitched a game to Shigeru Miyamoto at E3.
As regaled by current Twitch and former IGN producer Zachary Ryan in the tweet thread just below, the legendary Nintendo designer recounted a story of being approached by Kanye back at E3 2015. It turns out Kanye rocked up at Nintendo’s E3 booth out of nowhere, and asked for an audience with Miyamoto specifically.
here’s a little story about one of the funniest moments i had in games media: in early 2016, i flew to NY to shoot an interview with Miyamoto for Star Fox Zero. it was a totally normal interview and then as we were packing up our gear, someone mentioned Kanye’s new record.May 5, 2022
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Miyamoto granted the superstar the audience, and as it turns out, Kanye showed him the prototype for a game he’d been working on. This game turned out to star Kanye’s late mother, ascending to heaven, backed by a score composed entirely by the rapper himself.
Ryan doesn’t actually say what Miyamoto thought of the game, but notes that he was sort of in disbelief at being shown the video game by Kanye. Which is absolutely fair, mind you. Who wouldn’t be shocked at being told that Kanye West wants an audience with you to show you – and only you – a game he’s been working on?
Well, as Ryan recollects, Only One was announced merely a few weeks later. If you’re unfamiliar with the venture, then you’re not alone. Announced in 2015, Only One was the official title for the game Kanye had shown Miyamoto, but according to a report from Business Insider (opens in new tab) years later in 2017, the game had been in limbo since 2016. What eventually happened to the game, and how Kanye regards it now, only Kanye knows.
Check out our new games 2022 guide for a complete look over all the games launching this year on all systems.