News: Satoru Iwata to Become Nintendo of America CEO Page 1

Mandown 24.04.2013#1

A more direct pollution of the little good that NoA does. His global strategy as far as gamers concerned have been utter shite. The sooner Iwata steps down the better.

JoshSL 24.04.2013#2

Linkyshinks said:
A more direct pollution of the little good that NoA does. His global strategy as far as gamers concerned have been utter shite. The sooner Iwata steps down the better.

This is such a misinformed post geez.

Iwata is the one pushing third party support and online so strongly where the rest of Nintendo slowly hold him back, it remains to be seen how effective this will be, but I expect western third party support will improve a little since it seems like NoA haven't been nearly direct enough. Iwata working from that side too will improve company integration and help streamline things.

I have absolutely no clue where people get the idea that Iwata is a problem, he's the one dragging Nintendo into the modern era kicking and screaming, if anything. Iwata and Sakurai are of the same ilk, they get shit done.

EDIT: Say what you will about Sterling but he has industry knowledge, here's what he thinks;

Certainly an interesting move. Iwata is well known to Nintendo fans, far more so than Kimishima, and a changing of the guard may do well for a highly criticized wing of Nintendo's operations. I think "languishing" is a word that best describes NoA in the past few years -- here's hoping a Hot Iwata Injection can perk it up.

It was also allegedly mentioned in the report;

The move will support the company's unified global strategy, allow streamlined decision making and enhance Nintendo's organizational agility in the current competitive environment.

Which is exactly what I assumed.

This is (for the time being) good news.

( Edited 24.04.2013 13:38 by SuperLink )

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

CrystalMushroom 24.04.2013#3

Ughh... I'm kind of sick and tired of all this "Iwata hate talk". Everywhere I go is OMG IWATA IS DA WORST!!!1! I'm gonna make a topic so all of you can complain about what he has done.

( Edited 24.04.2013 13:50 by CrystalMushroom )

JoshSL 24.04.2013#4

CrystalMushroom said:
Ughh... I'm kind of sick and tired of all thsi "Iwata hate talk". Everywhere I go is OMG IWATA IS DA WORST!!!1! I'm gonna make a topic so all of you can complain about what he has done.

There's a scapegoat for everything Smilie

pick the easiest person to blame, and blame them!

For a little cultural context at how good Iwata is at his job;

Nintendo isn't really struggling in Japan as it is in the west, it has marketing, it may not have the games but it still has the sales due to this
Nintendo's releases in Japan almost directly correlate with that culture's tastes, the Wii and WiiU are getting idol and karaoke games, the 3DS has the fun looking Tomodachi Collection, as well as Fantasy Life. Nintendo of Japan knows what its consumers want.

Nintendo of America don't seem to take the initiative in those aspects, we don't get releases tailored to western regions, they're more like afterthoughts. Iwata's goals to improve the amount of games from Japan we get, and I'm assuming, being in closer contact with western audiences as well as using Miiverse for a marketing device will help Nintendo reach out to their western audiences far more than they have been.

Localising Earthbound was Iwata's decision too, after Nintendo of America had repeatedly expressed what's practically dislike towards the series.

Iwata is one of the good guys, guys. People always forget that he's from a younger generation who has been developing games and coming up with new ideas for them since he was young, he's dedicated to gaming.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

Marcus J. Hopkins 24.04.2013#5

I think this is a fantastic move! Perhaps they can finally bring NoA into the 21st Century. Now, if they could just address digital ownership rights in a realistic and consumer-friendly way, things would finally start to come into the new millennium.

Mandown 24.04.2013#6

SuperLink said:
Linkyshinks said:
A more direct pollution of the little good that NoA does. His global strategy as far as gamers concerned have been utter shite. The sooner Iwata steps down the better.

This is such a misinformed post geez.
Iwata is the one pushing third party support and online so strongly where the rest of Nintendo slowly hold him back, it remains to be seen how effective this will be, but I expect western third party support will improve a little since it seems like NoA haven't been nearly direct enough. Iwata working from that side too will improve company integration and help streamline things.
I have absolutely no clue where people get the idea that Iwata is a problem, he's the one dragging Nintendo into the modern era kicking and screaming, if anything. Iwata and Sakurai are of the same ilk, they get shit done.
EDIT: Say what you will about Sterling but he has industry knowledge, here's what he thinks;
Certainly an interesting move. Iwata is well known to Nintendo fans, far more so than Kimishima, and a changing of the guard may do well for a highly criticized wing of Nintendo's operations. I think "languishing" is a word that best describes NoA in the past few years -- here's hoping a Hot Iwata Injection can perk it up.
It was also allegedly mentioned in the report;

The move will support the company's unified global strategy, allow streamlined decision making and enhance Nintendo's organizational agility in the current competitive environment.

Which is exactly what I assumed.
This is (for the time being) good news.

Misinformed that he moved the company towards a casual gaming expanding the audience focus, at the cost of the very gamers that made Nintendo the company it is today... Yea right. Your post reeks of fanboyism.

His handling of the company has been shit throughout, NoA have always had their hands tied by his lame decision making.

( Edited 24.04.2013 13:59 by Linkyshinks )

Edit this post:

[quote][b]SuperLink said:[/b] [quote][b]Linkyshinks said:[/b] A more direct pollution of the little good that NoA does. His global strategy as far as gamers concerned have been utter shite. The sooner Iwata steps down the better.[/quote]
This is such a misinformed post geez.

Iwata is the one pushing third party support and online so strongly where the rest of Nintendo slowly hold him back, it remains to be seen how effective this will be, but I expect western third party support will improve a little since it seems like NoA haven't been nearly direct enough. Iwata working from that side too will improve company integration and help streamline things.

I have absolutely no clue where people get the idea that Iwata is a problem, he's the one dragging Nintendo into the modern era kicking and screaming, if anything. Iwata and Sakurai are of the same ilk, they get shit done.

EDIT: Say what you will about Sterling but he has industry knowledge, here's what he thinks;

[quote]Certainly an interesting move. Iwata is well known to Nintendo fans, far more so than Kimishima, and a changing of the guard may do well for a highly criticized wing of Nintendo's operations. I think "languishing" is a word that best describes NoA in the past few years -- here's hoping a Hot Iwata Injection can perk it up.[/quote]

It was also allegedly mentioned in the report;
[quote]The move will support the company's unified global strategy, allow streamlined decision making and enhance Nintendo's organizational agility in the current competitive environment.[/quote]
Which is exactly what I assumed.

This is (for the time being) good news.[/quote]

Misinformed  that he moved the company towards a casual gaming expanding the audience focus, at the cost of the very gamers that made Nintendo the company it is today... Yea right. Your post reeks of fanboyism.

His handling of the company has been shit throughout, NoA have always had their hands tied by his lame decision making.

Save Changes Cancel Full Edit

JoshSL 24.04.2013#7

Linkyshinks said:
Misinformed that he moved the company towards a casual gaming expanding the audience focus, at the cost of the very gamers that made Nintendo the company today... Yea right.
His handling of the company has been shit throughout. NoA have always had their hands tied by his decision making.

How did that harm the company in any way? The core gamers are still there, waiting for Nintendo to release the games they want, which is what Nintendo is in the process of. On the other hand, that ~casual gaming~ movement is the sole reason Nintendo became a household name again and a respectful industry member after being a nobody since the mid-90s. This is a discussion on business, and you're claiming the best business decision Nintendo have made in two decades (one that made them the richest company in Japan) was a bad one? "Yea right" indeed.

His handling of the company has been fantastic and flexible, dragging the overly traditional bunch into the modern era of gaming after the previous president left in an era without gaming innovation or any real pushes from Nintendo (especially in the west).

What decisions has Iwata made (and I don't mean Nintendo, I mean Iwata himself, there is a big difference unless you want to lazily scapegoat) that have hugely negatively impacted the company? Would be great if you would also provide sources.

( Edited 24.04.2013 14:06 by SuperLink )

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

CrystalMushroom 24.04.2013#8

"Your post reeks of fanboyism."

Is it really right to call someone a fanboy on a Nintendo website?

JoshSL 24.04.2013#9

Internetting 101, namecalling fanboy does not win you any arguments or brownie points, contrary to popular belief. It's also a nasty term that is thrown around for the user's convenience despite its vague meaning. I'd prefer if it wasn't used on anyone on this site. (It's against C3 rules to use the word regardless; so please don't.)

Speaking of meaning, is it "fanboying" to objectively want a company you like the consumer products of to have a slightly more prosperous future? Iwata understands Western markets a lot better than a lot of Japan does (Japanese businesses generally do not understand Western markets, look at Square-Enix and Capcom for examples, Nintendo are typically more successful than both). Asking for his removal is opening Nintendo up to the possibility of reverting them to their old unsuccessful selves.

( Edited 24.04.2013 14:31 by SuperLink )

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

Mandown 24.04.2013#10

SuperLink said:
Linkyshinks said:
Misinformed that he moved the company towards a casual gaming expanding the audience focus, at the cost of the very gamers that made Nintendo the company today... Yea right.
His handling of the company has been shit throughout. NoA have always had their hands tied by his decision making.

How did that harm the company in any way? The core gamers are still there, waiting for Nintendo to release the games they want, which is what Nintendo is in the process of. On the other hand, that ~casual gaming~ movement is the sole reason Nintendo became a household name again and a respectful industry member after being a nobody since the mid-90s. This is a discussion on business, and you're claiming the best business decision Nintendo have made in two decades (one that made them the richest company in Japan) was a bad one? "Yea right" indeed.
His handling of the company has been fantastic and flexible, dragging the overly traditional bunch into the modern era of gaming after the previous president left in an era without gaming innovation or any real pushes from Nintendo (especially in the west).
What decisions has Iwata made (and I don't mean Nintendo, I mean Iwata himself, there is a big difference unless you want to lazily scapegoat) that have hugely negatively impacted the company? Would be great if you would also provide sources.

Gamers buy consoles for more than just first party software, and third-party software support is a vital prerequisite of any successful console.

Iwata supposedly reaching out to third-party developers, certainly isn't worthy of the fanboy gushing over you give him. If his and Nintendo's overall strategy was working, it would third-party developers approaching Nintendo, not the other way around, as seen with other platform holders with frequency.

Sony have built up the strongest casual gaming audience in the UK, without harming either their core franchises and the perception of the audience at large. Families and Gamers know exactly what they are going to be served with as far as software. There is never any doubt.

Nintendo have done the complete opposite. Nintendo's focus and their strategy has managed to ruin both the opinion of well known franchises (with casual BS, at the cost of core gamer opinion), as well as ruining the strong brand image they had since the early 90's.

Good business, is the long game. The children of yesteryears have all grown up and are want PS4's and XBOX's, and who can blame them given the slew of shit Nintendo wii gave them, and when they saw granny playing at the old peoples home. Nintendo got these kids into gaming, only to relinquish them all to the other platform holders!, lol. Yea, great business strategy there... Nintendo don't even have forced-loyalty, aka, an accounts system, It's laughably shambolic.

There will be very little loyalty on show next gen if the third-party support is not on parity with Microsft and Sony's hardware. Kids will go where the great games are. Wii U in this very brief time, has already missed out on truly great games.

( Edited 24.04.2013 14:59 by Linkyshinks )

Edit this post:

[quote][b]SuperLink said:[/b] [quote][b]Linkyshinks said:[/b] Misinformed that he moved the company towards a casual gaming expanding the audience focus, at the cost of the very gamers that made Nintendo the company today... Yea right.

His handling of the company has been shit throughout. NoA have always had their hands tied by his decision making.[/quote]
How did that harm the company in any way? The core gamers are still there, waiting for Nintendo to release the games they want, which is what Nintendo is in the process of. On the other hand, that ~casual gaming~ movement is the sole reason Nintendo became a household name again and a respectful industry member after being a nobody since the mid-90s. This is a discussion on business, and you're claiming the [i]best[/i] business decision Nintendo have made in two decades (one that made them the richest company in Japan) was a bad one? "Yea right" indeed.

His handling of the company has been fantastic and flexible, dragging the overly traditional bunch into the modern era of gaming after the previous president left in an era without gaming innovation or any real pushes from Nintendo (especially in the west).

What decisions has Iwata made (and I don't mean Nintendo, I mean [i]Iwata himself[/i], there is a big difference unless you want to lazily scapegoat) that have hugely negatively impacted the company? Would be great if you would also provide sources.[/quote]

Gamers buy consoles for more than just first party software, and third-party software support is a vital prerequisite of any successful console.

Iwata supposedly reaching out to third-party developers, certainly isn't worthy of the fanboy gushing over you give him. If his and Nintendo's overall strategy was working, it would third-party developers approaching Nintendo, not the other way around, as seen with other platform holders with frequency.

Sony have built up the strongest casual gaming audience in the UK, without harming either their core franchises and the perception of the audience at large. Families and Gamers know exactly what they are going to be served with as far as software. There is never any doubt.

Nintendo have done the complete opposite. Nintendo's focus and their strategy has managed to ruin both the opinion of well known franchises (with casual BS, at the cost of core gamer opinion), as well as ruining the strong brand image they had since the early 90's.

Good business, is the long game. The children of yesteryears have all grown up and are want PS4's and XBOX's, and who can blame them given the slew of shit Nintendo wii gave them, and when they saw granny playing at the old peoples home. Nintendo got these kids into gaming, only to relinquish them all to the other platform holders!, lol. Yea, great business strategy there... Nintendo don't even have forced-loyalty, aka, an accounts system, It's laughably shambolic.

There will be very little loyalty on show next gen if the third-party support is not on parity with Microsft and Sony's hardware. Kids will go where the great games are. Wii U in this very brief time, has already missed out on truly great games.

Save Changes Cancel Full Edit

CrystalMushroom 24.04.2013#11

SuperLink said:
Internetting 101, namecalling fanboy does not win you any arguments or brownie points, contrary to popular belief. It's also a nasty term that is thrown around for the user's convenience despite its vague meaning. I'd prefer if it wasn't used on anyone on this site. (It's against C3 rules to use the word regardless; so please don't.)
Speaking of meaning, is it "fanboying" to objectively want a company you like the consumer products of to have a slightly more prosperous future? Iwata understands Western markets a lot better than a lot of Japan does (Japanese businesses generally do not understand Western markets, look at Square-Enix and Capcom for examples, Nintendo are typically more successful than both). Asking for his removal is opening Nintendo up to the possibility of reverting them to their old unsuccessful selves.

Before Iwata stepped in, I hate to say it, Nintendo was a greedy, selfish company. They stabbed Sony in the back by going with Philips instead of them. They refused to use CDs and instead used cartridges. They screwed over anybody to make themselves look better and make more money. All this changed when Iwata stepped in. Sure, they still make mistakes (Still waiting for my Nintendo console thats plays DVDs Nintendo!) But do people really want Nintendo to go back to their greedy ways?

( Edited 24.04.2013 14:42 by CrystalMushroom )

JoshSL 24.04.2013#12

Linkyshinks said:
Gamers buy consoles for more than just first party software, and third-party software support is a vital prerequisite of any successful console.
Iwata supposedly reaching out to third-party developers, certainly isn't worthy of the fanboy gushing over you give him. If his and Nintendo's overall strategy was working, it would third-party developers approaching Nintendo, not the other way around, as seen with other platform holders with frequently.

Once again, using the term "fanboy" is against site rules, as a Moderator I have to ask you to stop.

As for your point, the fact that this isn't working is the whole reason Iwata is becoming NoA's CEO as well. Japanese relations with third parties is fine, even pretty good; why? Because Nintendo is focused there and so is Iwata, but it's not (or wasn't) Iwata's jurisdiction to deal with Western third parties, he could make every push but it was ultimately up to Nintendo of America to maintain those relationships, and those relationships were not maintained. Many industry commentators have said that Kimishima basically did jack all in keeping third party relations, which was part of his job. With Iwata now in that position, I expect this situation will improve because he is the one making those relations in Japan.

Sony have built up the strongest casual gaming audience in the UK, without harming either their core franchises and the perception of the audience at large. Nintendo have done the complete opposite. Nintendo's focus and strategy has managed to ruin both the opinion of well known franchises, as well as ruining the strong brand image they had since the early 90's.
Good business, is the long game.

Here I'll admit Nintendo have faltered, but their "casual" game was theirs, an idea that inspired competitors. It is a competitive industry after all, they learn from each other and in this aspect Sony learnt from the strengths and weaknesses of Nintendo's approach. (Incidentally, their approach to the handheld market hasn't really learnt much) I wouldn't say that Sony has the strongest casual-base though. That's certainly Microsoft.

Nintendo has not had a strong brand image between the mid-90s and mid-00s, constantly bottoming charts and being called old-fashioned and childish despite what they did with their franchises, they ruined their relations with many third parties during this period too (Sony's PlayStation looked more appealing in a lot of ways) and are only now attempting to recover.

And this, too, is the fault of relations between Western and Japanese divisions, the primary reason SEGA failed in western 3rd party relations and still fail in a lot of things today is its awful regional relations. Nintendo face similar problems with western 3rd parties, one that can only be solved if Nintendo of America attains far more authority than it has, and this move is something that can help achieve that. Surely you can see that?

The children of yesteryears have grown up and are want PS4's and XBOX's. Nintendo got them into gaming, only to relinquish them all to the other platform holders!, lol. yea, great business accument. Nintendo don't even have forced-loyalty, aka, an accounts system. It's laughably shambolic going into this age of consoles.

Sorry, but this was the case when I was a kid too. Kids grow up and leave Nintendo for being kiddy, that's always happened since the 90s and that's a long-term Nintendo issue, it's nothing new at all man. (and I'm not saying it's not an issue, but it's not an Iwata one, it's a Nintendo one and it always has been, I seriously hope it changes someday but it unfortunately comes with Nintendo's territory as family friendly.)

I can't count on two hands the number of people I know who dropped Nintendo with the 64 or GC calling it too kiddy.

The accounts system is also awful, with Iwata becoming more involved with the more online-centric audience I really hope advances can be made in that area at least.

( Edited 24.04.2013 14:54 by SuperLink )

Edit this post:

[quote][b]Linkyshinks said:[/b] Gamers buy consoles for more than just first party software, and third-party software support is a vital prerequisite of any successful console.

Iwata supposedly reaching out to third-party developers, certainly isn't worthy of the fanboy gushing over you give him. If his and Nintendo's overall strategy was working, it would third-party developers approaching Nintendo, not the other way around, as seen with other platform holders with frequently.[/quote]
Once again, using the term "fanboy" is against site rules, as a Moderator I have to ask you to stop.

As for your point, the fact that this isn't working is the whole reason Iwata is becoming NoA's CEO as well. Japanese relations with third parties is fine, even pretty good; why? Because Nintendo is focused there and so is Iwata, but it's not (or wasn't) Iwata's jurisdiction to deal with Western third parties, he could make every push but it was ultimately up to Nintendo of America to maintain those relationships, and those relationships were not maintained. Many industry commentators have said that Kimishima basically did jack all in keeping third party relations, which was part of [i]his job[/i]. With Iwata now in that position, I expect this situation will improve because he is the one making those relations in Japan.

[quote]Sony have built up the strongest casual gaming audience in the UK, without harming either their core franchises and the perception of the audience at large. Nintendo have done the complete opposite. Nintendo's focus and strategy has managed to ruin both the opinion of well known franchises, as well as ruining the strong brand image they had since the early 90's.

Good business, is the long game.
[/quote]
Here I'll admit Nintendo have faltered, but their "casual" game was theirs, an idea that inspired competitors. It is a competitive industry after all, they learn from each other and in this aspect Sony learnt from the strengths and weaknesses of Nintendo's approach. (Incidentally, their approach to the handheld market hasn't really learnt much) I wouldn't say that Sony has the strongest casual-base though. That's certainly Microsoft.

Nintendo has not had a strong brand image between the mid-90s and mid-00s, constantly bottoming charts and being called old-fashioned and childish despite what they did with their franchises, they ruined their relations with many third parties during this period too (Sony's PlayStation looked more appealing in a lot of ways) and are only now attempting to recover.

And this, too, is the fault of relations between Western and Japanese divisions, the primary reason SEGA failed in western 3rd party relations and still fail in a lot of things today is its awful regional relations. Nintendo face similar problems with western 3rd parties, one that can only be solved if Nintendo of America attains far more authority than it has, and this move is something that can help achieve that. Surely you can see that?

[quote]The children of yesteryears have grown up and are want PS4's and XBOX's. Nintendo got them into gaming, only to relinquish them all to the other platform holders!, lol. yea, great business accument. Nintendo don't even have forced-loyalty, aka, an accounts system. It's laughably shambolic going into this age of consoles.[/quote]
Sorry, but this was the case when I was a kid too. Kids grow up and leave Nintendo for being kiddy, that's always happened since the 90s and that's a long-term Nintendo issue, it's nothing new at all man. (and I'm not saying it's not an issue, but it's not an Iwata one, it's a Nintendo one and it always has been, I seriously hope it changes someday but it unfortunately comes with Nintendo's territory as family friendly.)

I can't count on two hands the number of people I know who dropped Nintendo with the 64 or GC calling it too kiddy.

The accounts system is also awful, with Iwata becoming more involved with the more online-centric audience I really hope advances can be made in that area at least.

Save Changes Cancel Full Edit

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

CrystalMushroom 24.04.2013#13

I hate to break in, but....

Please take your argument to the thread on the right. kthnxbye

~~Vorash Kadan 24.04.2013~~#14

Good GOD this is a mistake, Nintendo started going downhill shortly after this guy took office.....Nintendo is doomed now.

SuperLink I keep hearing you praise Iwata for the same reasons but I have YET TO SEE a single quotable source backing up your statements. Please prove to us Iwata isn't a company destroying madman...

It is not wise to speak on subjects you do not know all facts about, nor is it smart to judge a game based on looks alone. PSN: Nintendo_Gamer 3DS: 4296-3029-7422

JoshSL 24.04.2013#15

Vorash Kadan said:
Good GOD this is a mistake, Nintendo started going downhill shortly after this guy took office.....Nintendo is doomed now.

Once again, nope. Look at Nintendo's income in the N64 and GC eras compared to the Wii/DS era, 3DS' success is also going to be astronomical compared to "old Nintendo". N64 and GC really didn't do very well at all and I don't know why people consider them a Nintendo gold era when they were anything but.

SuperLink I keep hearing you praise Iwata for the same reasons but I have YET TO SEE a single quotable source backing up your statements. Please prove to us Iwata isn't a company destroying madman...

Mkay

That's promising for people worried about online accounts and such.

Also, it's worth mentioning that Nintendo Direct and Miiverse were Iwata's ideas, both have gone very well and have encouraged major social networking, and Iwata even did an unboxing on one Nintendo Direct, which is an extremely western fad. Iwata getting more in direct touch with fans and such, something Nintendo has never really done before (correct me if I'm wrong).

I would also recommend checking out some Iwata Asks, his own idea where he interviews developers and offers interesting insights into company workings, usually with devs who are otherwise hard to get information out of. They can be pretty fun, and from reading them it's easy to see that Iwata has a large history of development and good ideas himself.

I know you're a big Nintendo fan Vorash so I woulda thought you've seen some Iwata Asks segments yourself, what do you think of them?

( Edited 24.04.2013 15:26 by SuperLink )

Edit this post:

[quote][b]Vorash Kadan said:[/b] Good GOD this is a mistake, Nintendo started going downhill shortly after this guy took office.....Nintendo is doomed now.[/quote]
Once again, nope. Look at Nintendo's income in the N64 and GC eras compared to the Wii/DS era, 3DS' success is also going to be astronomical compared to "old Nintendo". N64 and GC really didn't do very well [i]at all[/i] and I don't know why people consider them a Nintendo gold era when they were anything but.

[quote]SuperLink I keep hearing you praise Iwata for the same reasons but I have YET TO SEE a single quotable source backing up your statements. Please prove to us Iwata isn't a company destroying madman...[/quote]
Mkay
[list]
[*][url=http://venturebeat.com/2013/04/17/earthbound-coming-to-the-virtual-console/]Iwata happy to localise Earthbound, he worked on the original game too[/url]
[*][url=http://www.siliconera.com/2013/01/16/once-miiverse-hits-3ds-it-will-be-huge-says-nintendo-president-iwata/]Iwata keen on 3DS Miiverse and console integration[/url]
[*][url=http://www.siliconera.com/2013/01/30/developing-consoles-games-is-expensive-heres-what-nintendo-plan-to-do-about-it/]Iwata consciously making efforts to make development easier on third parties[/url]
[*][url=http://www.siliconera.com/2013/01/30/future-nintendo-consoles-and-portables-will-share-architecture-and-os/]Console integration is going to be a focus, part of the reason behind the company's restructuring[/url]
[/list]
That's promising for people worried about online accounts and such.

Also, it's worth mentioning that Nintendo Direct and Miiverse were Iwata's ideas, both have gone very well and have encouraged major social networking, and Iwata even did an unboxing on one Nintendo Direct, which is an extremely western fad. Iwata getting more in direct touch with fans and such, something Nintendo has never really done before (correct me if I'm wrong).

I would also recommend checking out some Iwata Asks, his own idea where he interviews developers and offers interesting insights into company workings, usually with devs who are otherwise hard to get information out of. They can be pretty fun, and from reading them it's easy to see that Iwata has a large history of development and good ideas himself.

I know you're a big Nintendo fan Vorash so I woulda thought you've seen some Iwata Asks segments yourself, what do you think of them?

Save Changes Cancel Full Edit

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

irfy 24.04.2013#16

How can this be a bad move? Iwata stepping out of Japan and seeing what the games industry is like from a different perspective. He's not in touch with gamers from the west and it is something he is trying to get a hold of. I think he realizes that Nintendo's life in Japan is only a small share, America, Europe is where they really need to focus on.

JoshSL 24.04.2013#17

irfy said:
How can this be a bad move? Iwata stepping out of Japan and seeing what the games industry is like from a different perspective. He's not in touch with gamers from the west and it is something he is trying to get a hold of. I think he realizes that Nintendo's life in Japan is only a small share, America, Europe is where they really need to focus on.

Precisely, he's putting his pride aside and admitting that they don't understand the Western market enough, this is a physical effort to change that. Nintendo as a global corporation will become more global now.

PS. I'm currently writing a blog discussing the perceived "Gold era" of Nintendo, using objective facts. Look forward to that.
EDIT: Oh here it is.

( Edited 24.04.2013 16:20 by SuperLink )

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

jres80 24.04.2013#18

Iwata is a brilliant businessman AND a real industry guy, with decades of experience all the way back to Nintendo's first NES games. He's the best thing to happen to Nintendo since Iwata, slowly turning around a very traditional company that was almost run into the ground under Yamauchi.

Under Iwata Nintendo has released the DS and the Wii, both incredibly successful, as well as revitalized their software lineup with games like Mario Galaxy, the highest rated title of last generation. Under Iwata they've also released the 3DS, which is outpacing the DS in terms of sales and library. Any fatalism regarding the Wii U is incredibly premature.

Despite the complaints regarding levels of tech in their products, getting rid of Iwata would be a mistake. He identifies weaknesses and adapts quickly to market trends. Before long he'll find the right balance in terms of cost-value for system hardware. His approach to software needs no balancing. It's impeccable.

Satoru Iwata (guest) 24.04.2013#19

(Laughs)

Mandown 24.04.2013#20

SuperLink said:
Linkyshinks said:
Gamers buy consoles for more than just first party software, and third-party software support is a vital prerequisite of any successful console.
Iwata supposedly reaching out to third-party developers, certainly isn't worthy of the fanboy gushing over you give him. If his and Nintendo's overall strategy was working, it would third-party developers approaching Nintendo, not the other way around, as seen with other platform holders with frequently.

Once again, using the term "fanboy" is against site rules, as a Moderator I have to ask you to stop.
As for your point, the fact that this isn't working is the whole reason Iwata is becoming NoA's CEO as well. Japanese relations with third parties is fine, even pretty good; why? Because Nintendo is focused there and so is Iwata, but it's not (or wasn't) Iwata's jurisdiction to deal with Western third parties, he could make every push but it was ultimately up to Nintendo of America to maintain those relationships, and those relationships were not maintained. Many industry commentators have said that Kimishima basically did jack all in keeping third party relations, which was part of his job. With Iwata now in that position, I expect this situation will improve because he is the one making those relations in Japan.
Sony have built up the strongest casual gaming audience in the UK, without harming either their core franchises and the perception of the audience at large. Nintendo have done the complete opposite. Nintendo's focus and strategy has managed to ruin both the opinion of well known franchises, as well as ruining the strong brand image they had since the early 90's.
Good business, is the long game.

Here I'll admit Nintendo have faltered, but their "casual" game was theirs, an idea that inspired competitors. It is a competitive industry after all, they learn from each other and in this aspect Sony learnt from the strengths and weaknesses of Nintendo's approach. (Incidentally, their approach to the handheld market hasn't really learnt much) I wouldn't say that Sony has the strongest casual-base though. That's certainly Microsoft.
Nintendo has not had a strong brand image between the mid-90s and mid-00s, constantly bottoming charts and being called old-fashioned and childish despite what they did with their franchises, they ruined their relations with many third parties during this period too (Sony's PlayStation looked more appealing in a lot of ways) and are only now attempting to recover.
And this, too, is the fault of relations between Western and Japanese divisions, the primary reason SEGA failed in western 3rd party relations and still fail in a lot of things today is its awful regional relations. Nintendo face similar problems with western 3rd parties, one that can only be solved if Nintendo of America attains far more authority than it has, and this move is something that can help achieve that. Surely you can see that?
The children of yesteryears have grown up and are want PS4's and XBOX's. Nintendo got them into gaming, only to relinquish them all to the other platform holders!, lol. yea, great business accument. Nintendo don't even have forced-loyalty, aka, an accounts system. It's laughably shambolic going into this age of consoles.

Sorry, but this was the case when I was a kid too. Kids grow up and leave Nintendo for being kiddy, that's always happened since the 90s and that's a long-term Nintendo issue, it's nothing new at all man. (and I'm not saying it's not an issue, but it's not an Iwata one, it's a Nintendo one and it always has been, I seriously hope it changes someday but it unfortunately comes with Nintendo's territory as family friendly.)
I can't count on two hands the number of people I know who dropped Nintendo with the 64 or GC calling it too kiddy.
The accounts system is also awful, with Iwata becoming more involved with the more online-centric audience I really hope advances can be made in that area at least.

....You are the worst type of Nintendo fan.

Edit this post:

[quote][b]SuperLink said:[/b] [quote][b]Linkyshinks said:[/b] Gamers buy consoles for more than just first party software, and third-party software support is a vital prerequisite of any successful console.