Satoru Iwata to assume role as CEO of Nintendo of America

Nintendo has issued a press release announcing the promotion of Tatsumi Kimishima, current chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nintendo of America, who will become the company's managing director following the planned retirement of two executives. Kimishima will be transferred from Redmond, Washington, to the company's headquarters in Kyoto, Japan.

Global President Satoru Iwata, who will continue to serve in his present capacity, will assume the additional role of Nintendo of America Chief Executive Officer in a move that "will support the company's unified global strategy, allow streamlined decision making and enhance Nintendo's organizational agility in the current competitive environment." NOA President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime will retain his current role and will be reporting directly to Iwata.

The announcement comes on the heels of Nintendo's latest financial report which revealed the Wii U has shifted 3.45 million units worldwide, missing the company's goal of 4 million.

Source: Nintendo via Joystiq

Nintendo president Iwata rules out price drop for Wii U

The Wii U isn't selling quite as well as Nintendo had hoped, but company president Satoru Iwata has ruled out a price drop, saying "we are not planning to perform a markdown. I would like to make this point absolutely clear." Here is an excerpt from yesterday's financial report.

    With Wii U, we have taken a rather resolute stance in pricing it below its manufacturing cost, so we are not planning to perform a markdown. I would like to make this point absolutely clear. We are putting our lessons from Nintendo 3DS to good use, as I have already publicly stated. However, given that it has now become clear that we have not yet fully communicated the value of our product, we will try to do so before the software lineup is enhanced and at the same time work to enrich the software lineup which could make consumers understand the appeal of Wii U.

-Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo

Iwata also acknowledged that consumers have expressed disappointment with long loading times, saying that the company is working on firmware updates which are meant to speed up the OS of the console.

Also, we are receiving many comments and requests from consumers about issues such as the time to start up the system and switch between software, and the duration of the initial system update. I acknowledge that we will need to further increase the appeal of the platform through the system updates we have planned for this spring as well as this summer.

-Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo

Source: Nintendo

Nintendo president Iwata: Wii U sales "not bad"

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently spoke about Wii U sales in the U.S., saying that even though it wasn't completely sold out like its predecessor, sales are "not bad."

“At the end of the Christmas season, it wasn’t as though stores in the U.S. had no Wii U left in stock, as it was when Wii was first sold in that popular boom. But sales are not bad, and I feel it’s selling steadily.”

Iwata also highlighted the fact that this is the first time Nintendo has simultaneously released two models of a console, and said that it was somewhat of a balancing act.

“It was the first time Nintendo released two models of the game console at the same time … and I believe there was a challenge with balancing this. Specifically, inventory levels for the premium, deluxe package was unbalanced as many people wanted that version and couldn’t find it.”

Although the system may not be "printing money" like the Wii did in its 1st quarter, Iwata seems confident and satisfied with Wii U sales.

Source: Reuters

Iwata "very sorry" Wii U requires update, comments on 3D Zelda and Mario

In an interview with IGN, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said he was "very sorry" that Wii U owners must download a rather large update in order to gain access to many of the console's features, including Miiverse and the eShop.

“Personally I think that users should be able to use all the functions of a console video game machine as soon as they open the box. So I feel very sorry for the fact that purchasers of Wii U have to experience a network update which takes such a long time, and that there are the services which were not available at the hardware’s launch.”

Iwata also commented on the development of new 3D Zelda and Mario games for the system, saying Nintendo is not yet ready to announce anything.

“[One of the unique advantages of controlling both hardware and software development is that] as we develop a new hardware platform, we ask ourselves such questions as, ‘what kind of new Zelda and Mario games do the software creators hope to make on this?’ We will announce the launch schedules for new 3D Zelda and Mario games in the future, but this is not the right opportunity for me to indicate when we will make such announcements.”

Iwata also downplayed the skeptical views that many people have toward's Nintendo's new console, pointing out that many observers had also been skeptical about the Wii and DS before they launched as well.

“The majority of observers had skeptical views toward the potential of the Wii as a game machine. Exactly the same thing could be said about Nintendo DS. These are typical examples of hindsight bias where, only after noticing that these machines had sold beyond their expectations, their memories have been rewritten.”

Source: IGN

Nintendo Shareholder: Have you considered using the Wii U to play DS/3DS games on a big screen TV?

In the past, Nintendo has offered gamers the chance to play handheld titles on a much bigger screen. When the SNES was king, the big N released the Super Game Boy attachment which allowed players to enjoy hits like Super Mario Land on a good-sized TV, rather than squinting at a diminutive, low res monochrome display. Years later, they released the Game Boy Player for the GameCube, which allowed Nintendo fans to play Game Boy Advance games on the purple lunch box. At a recent shareholders' meeting, one of the company's investors asked president Satoru Iwata if the Japanese gaming giant had considered the possibility of letting Wii U owners play DS and 3DS games on their shiny new console, and Iwata's response was interesting, to say the least.

Investor: As the Wii U will have (a controller with) a touch panel and will use two screens, I was wondering if you are going to make it compatible with the Nintendo DS. As you announced the Nintendo 3DS XL with larger screens, do you plan such an extra function for those who prefer as big screens as possible?


Iwata: "I am afraid I cannot say anything about your question today. Please let me receive it as your opinion that there is such consumer need and let us study it internally."


I'll take that as a "maybe." I hope that at some point, Mr. Iwata will return to this question with a big "Yes!" Think about it, between the new touchscreen and the gyroscopic motion sensors, the Wii U controller basically turns your TV into a giant version of Nintendo's ridiculously popular handhelds. The Wii U is even set to make use of the new Nintendo Network which powers 3DS online play. The possiblities are mind boggling. I don't know about you, but the chance to play games like Mario Kart 7 on a decent-sized screen is all too appealing. Here's hoping Iwata and company revisit the issue at a later date!

If you would like to read transcripts of the meeting in its entirety, you can do so here. Question number 14 on page 3 is the source of the aforementioned quote. These conferences touch on a number of different subjects and the media often fail to report some interesting exchanges.

Iwata on Wii U pricing and the competitions' stronger next gen consoles

Iwata, President of Nintendo

 In an interview with Gamasutra, Iwata reiterated that Nintendo has learned its lessons from the 3DS."The pricing of Wii U is going to be one of the most important elements when it is going to be launched." He went on to say "The environment is different. Wii U is going to be launching in a different environment than when the Wii was launched. Also, the involvement surrounding [mobile and social] businesses is different than several years ago."

By most accounts, the Wii U is pretty much on par with the Xbox 360 and PS3 in terms of horsepower, and the president of Nintendo doesn't care if the competitions' new consoles are more powerful. Iwata had this to say about the matter: "We just don't care what kind of "more beef" console Microsoft and Sony might produce in 2013." He then said that Nintendo is going to try to differentiate themselves from the other guys in terms of gameplay. The Wii was by far the weakest of the current gen consoles and yet the big N was able to outsell the Xbox 360 and PS3 by a huge margin. Iwata drew parallels to the current situation and the environment in 2006 when the small white marvel was going head to head with Sony and Microsoft's behemoths.

The Nintendo 64 and GameCube were both more powerful than their respective rivals, the PS1 and PS2, and yet Sony was the unquestionable winner of both console wars. Nintendo's philosophy of "gameplay over graphics" has served them well in the past, and it appears that they are sticking to their mantra  yet again.

Nintendo Not Interested In Making First-Person Shooters Themselves

By their own admission, Nintendo are trying to win back the "hardcore" gamers that have joined the PS3 and 360 crowd. They are determined to get Activision's next installment in the Call of Duty series on the Wii U, but apparently they are not interested in creating such titles themselves. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told The Independent “We (Nintendo)...have titles like Mario Kart that are heavily reliant on online and support online multiplayer. But you shouldn’t be expecting Call of Duty-like games to be offered from Nintendo.” He went on to say that third-party developers are very talented at making FPS games that specialize in online multiplayer, and the big N has no intention of trying to compete with them.

Last month, Iwata said he believes Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network are too far developed for Nintendo to catch up, and the company will will try to create new experiences with their new Nintendo Network and Miiverse. Nintendo went against the tide with their Wii and were outrageously successful, from a financial perspective at least, and it appears the big N is still determined to blaze their own trail.