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Iwata implies he may resign over poor business performance

I don't for a moment believe that Nintendo felt the Wii U was a blue ocean product. Really, they would have to fundamentally misunderstand the concept of blue ocean to assume it was. I think they created the Wii U as a bridge to something else in the future and wanted to monetize it early, rather than wait for technology to reach a point where they could put all this together into a hybrid and not charge people an arm and a leg for it. In addition, I feel this strategy was an alternative to blue ocean... mostly because they couldn't find a new one. It's not that Nintendo didn't want another blue ocean product. They just had no idea what that product would be and they weren't sure if bringing out a sustaining innovation to the Wii [as in the 'Wii 2' I mentioned earlier] would really work. So they went with long-term initiatives, such as the alleged hybrid console/handheld.

That's my guess anyway.
That's the best explanation I have heard for the WiiU's existence.
 
If Nintendo believes (as many of us do) that the Wii userbase dropped that platform for a tablet, I guess Nintendo thought that combining features of a tablet with a console was a good idea.

The thing is, I don't see how it is. I haven't seen much evidence about the desire for tablet/TV mergings. AppleTV has been able to play content off your tablet/phone for years yet it doesn't burn up the charts. I own an AppleTV, and an iPad, and I've used AirPlay maybe 5 times.

I'm not some hater, and I know good games are coming that will spark some interest in the Wii U. But conceptually, I just don't think this is a good idea and I don't see it appealing to the market. People don't buy tablets because they can interface with the TV, they buy tablets because they are simple, convenient, and fairly flexible computing devices. The Wii U GamePad is none of those things.
 
Wii U would make sense if, say, the Wii U was a regular console with a unique gimmick or something to make it strand out, but also the 3DS could work with the box and exchange video with it. The appeal of a tablet that requires the console to function just seems absent to me. It seems like the worst of both worlds.

If the 3DS and Wii U had been designed to be tightly integrated, so Wii U could send video of its games to the system and likewise, while also giving the Wii U its own gimmick which justifies its existence, I think it'd be a more appealing product. The main appeal of the console (off tv play, a second screen) seems fairly minor to me. But as a value added extra with 3DS, the perception would be different. Problem is this would require planning and a shared infrastructure between devices.
 
So, two CEO of pretty big companies resigned (or got kicked out by the board of directors) in the last 2 weeks.

Should the Fiscal Year Report of Nintendo be grim this year (and there's good chance it will be), will Iwata follow?

(Didn't really think it needed a new thread, since this one is still here.)
 
He's already made it a mission statement and promised to make 100 billion for next year, and the company did see some profit increase this year didn't it?

If he's going out, it's next year. Nothing's really changed so far.
 
So, two CEO of pretty big companies resigned (or got kicked out by the board of directors) in the last 2 weeks.

Should the Fiscal Year Report of Nintendo be grim this year (and there's good chance it will be), will Iwata follow?

(Didn't really think it needed a new thread, since this one is still here.)
No, because after rain comes the sun at Nintendo. The sun being upcoming lineup for both 3DS and Wii U.
 
So, two CEO of pretty big companies resigned (or got kicked out by the board of directors) in the last 2 weeks.

Should the Fiscal Year Report of Nintendo be grim this year (and there's good chance it will be), will Iwata follow?

(Didn't really think it needed a new thread, since this one is still here.)

A few mistakes won't force him to leave, tons of mistakes might be but I don't think there is any reason for Iwata to resign or get fired.

I do kinda know why some people want him to leave but that's a bad reason.
 
If it happened, I don't think it would be this year. They have a pretty stellar lineup for the 3DS coming up and they potentially have some heavy sales-hitters for WiiU (Windwaker HD, Wii Sports U, Mario HD, Mario Kart HD, SSB4) that hopefully will be hitting sometime soon.

But yes, if things continue on this downward trend for Nintendo, Iwata being forced to resign is probably inevitable.
 
I would argue both EA and Square Enix's CEOs had made waaaay many more snafus than Iwata.

Maybe now at last they get the memo that people are losing interest in them and start releasing the games we do care about like Bravely Default


---------Petition to bring Bravely Default in US/EU--------------

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitio...ring-bravely-default-flying-fairy-to-the-west


---------Info thread with everything about Bravely Default-------

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=510483

I hope you're referring to Wada... I mean, if not, you must realise that to a certain extent Nintendo can't do anything about a third party's refusal to bring a game over?
 
So, two CEO of pretty big companies resigned (or got kicked out by the board of directors) in the last 2 weeks.

Should the Fiscal Year Report of Nintendo be grim this year (and there's good chance it will be), will Iwata follow?

(Didn't really think it needed a new thread, since this one is still here.)

He already set himself a requirement for the next fiscal year. He'll only go when it becomes impossible to meet that requirement and not a moment sooner.
 
No. Things were pretty bad but they're on the profit track again, and 2013 is full of major Nintendo games, so Iwata will keep his job.
 
I would argue both EA and Square Enix's CEOs had made waaaay many more snafus than Iwata.



I hope you're referring to Wada... I mean, if not, you must realise that to a certain extent Nintendo can't do anything about a third party's refusal to bring a game over?

I could say that 2 failed launches of systems is almost equivalent.
Things were pretty bad but they're on the profit track again

Depends on how badly the inevitable pricce drop is.
 
He's already made it a mission statement and promised to make 100 billion for next year, and the company did see some profit increase this year didn't it?

If he's going out, it's next year. Nothing's really changed so far.

This. His promise to investors was for the coming financial year. As of the next ND, he's gotta get things rising to heaven or he's probably gonna find himself looking for a successor.

I actually kinda think he's going to do it. 3DS is gonna hit a stride IMO and Wii-U can't possibly do worse once more games come out. E3 may tell all.
 
This. His promise to investors was for the coming financial year. As of the next ND, he's gotta get things rising to heaven or he's probably gonna find himself looking for a successor.

I actually kinda think he's going to do it. 3DS is gonna hit a stride IMO and Wii-U can't possibly do worse once more games come out. E3 may tell all.

At this point there's like a 95% chance that if Iwata doesn't make his FY 2014 goal, he's gone. It's all or nothing for this next year.
 
A few mistakes won't force him to leave, tons of mistakes might be but I don't think there is any reason for Iwata to resign or get fired.

I do kinda know why some people want him to leave but that's a bad reason.

Iwata is a CEO with some good ideas but very hit-and-miss execution.

Wii and DS were strokes of genius under his supervision and became perhaps the most profitable consoles they ever made, but it arguably shattered an entire dedicated video game base and developers saw it as a gimmick.

He had to cut down his salary for the sake of supporting the 3DS being sold at a loss when it needed to recover. Wii U can be seen as him wanting to have his cake and eat it. It's trying to strike a compromise but so far it doesn't seem like it's a compromise anyone is willing to go with.

So far the shareholders seem largely forgiving though. Might have to do with Yamauchi still being the highest shareholder, Nintendo's huge war chest and the amount of R&D put into the Wii U and projects everyone's been working on. It's possible that 3DS can shoulder a lot of Wii U's shortcomings by now, but it's a big bar Iwata is raising.
 
He won't resign now. Only if the 100 billions yen profit forecast for the next fiscal year isn't reached / real profits aren't even near to that (i.e. 85 billions) he'll resign. So, next April...or next January, after Holiday sales.
 
So, two CEO of pretty big companies resigned (or got kicked out by the board of directors) in the last 2 weeks.

Should the Fiscal Year Report of Nintendo be grim this year (and there's good chance it will be), will Iwata follow?

(Didn't really think it needed a new thread, since this one is still here.)
No. Because most shareholders have no say in the matter. As long as Yamauchi believes in him, he'll stay. And Iwata already made clear that he thinks he can turn things around this year - that's unusual and quite a gamble, and I think the shareholders, especially those with voting rights, will give him those 12 months.
 
He won't resign now. Only if the 100 billions yen profit forecast for the next fiscal year isn't reached / real profits aren't even near to that (i.e. 85 billions) he'll resign. So, next April...or next January, after Holiday sales.

I think we'll know by January.

. And Iwata already made clear that he thinks he can turn things around this year -

If he didn't do you think he would come out and say it now
 
Depends on how badly the inevitable pricce drop is.

I think that it will depend on PS4/Durango launch prices and, btw, without releasing games it will have zero impact imho.
I absolutetly think that the major problem with the Wii U are the (missing) games. They could also hide a price drop under bundles or cutting the Basic model.
I don't see the Wii U situation comparable (both in the good and in the bad meaning) to the 3DS one


If he didn't do you think he would come out and say it now


Yes, it could have "simply" already resigned
 
He'll still stay on at Nintendo. His roots are in game development, and if not an excellent maker of business decisions, he's maintained a positive and approachable public persona with the Iwata Asks/Nintendo Direct.

EDIT: Oh Brera, again?
 
He'll still stay on at Nintendo. His roots are in game development, and if not an excellent maker of business decisions, he's maintained a positive and approachable public persona with the Iwata Asks/Nintendo Direct.

EDIT: Oh Brera, again?

If he gets fired, he'll just go back to HAL Laboratory and work on Kirby games, presumably as a programmer....just like the good ol' days.

He's a developer at heart.
 
I doubt he'd go from millionaire CEO to programmer. He'd just retire

Why retire when he can sit back and work on things he enjoys? I'm sure the people At Nintendo are like family to him at this point. He can just chill with them.

People seem to underestimate the bond between Iwata and Nintendo. He's as much a part of Nintendo as Miyamoto.
 
If he didn't do you think he would come out and say it now

100 billion is a ridiculous estimation all the same considering Wii U's situation and him acknowledging it needing to do better.

Something has to be cooking at Nintendo for him to make that estimation, and not just Wii leftovers.
 
Honestly out of EA, Square Enix and Nintendo, Nintendo is most likely to turn things around quickly. So no, I don't think he will resign or get fired. He's done a good job with the 3DS and I have faith he'll be able to turn the Wii U around. They kind of have to and they know it.
 
He took a massive pay cut due to the 3DS debacle. Also, he's about 7 years younger than Miyamato. I guess he'd carry on working there for the thrill of it, he clearly has an affinity for Nintendo as opposed to just seeing it as a job.
 
100 billion is a ridiculous estimation all the same considering Wii U's situation and him acknowledging it needing to do better.

Something has to be cooking at Nintendo for him to make that estimation, and not just Wii leftovers.

Sony predicted 10 million vitas with nothing to show for it. And nintendo has missed every single target for 2 years now.
 
Iwata is a CEO with some good ideas but very hit-and-miss execution.

Wii and DS were strokes of genius under his supervision and became perhaps the most profitable consoles they ever made, but it arguably shattered an entire dedicated video game base and developers saw it as a gimmick.

He had to cut down his salary for the sake of supporting the 3DS being sold at a loss when it needed to recover. Wii U can be seen as him wanting to have his cake and eat it. It's trying to strike a compromise but so far it doesn't seem like it's a compromise anyone is willing to go with.

So far the shareholders seem largely forgiving though. Might have to do with Yamauchi still being the highest shareholder, Nintendo's huge war chest and the amount of R&D put into the Wii U and projects everyone's been working on. It's possible that 3DS can shoulder a lot of Wii U's shortcomings by now, but it's a big bar Iwata is raising.

iata is basically the same as Kutaragi was...they had a really good idea that made tons of profits..but when the time came that the trick didn't work anymore and they had to adapt..all their limits came to light
 
I like Iwata a lot more than Yamaguchi. Iwata has that friendly demeanor and he actually knows what he's talking about, instead of being an emotionless face of a game company. He shows passion in the games he presents. Hell, the guy speaks really good English and I enjoy listening to all of his conferences, speeches and Nintendo Directs. Definitely one of my favorite industry leads in years. He's also very random and light hearted.

If he leaves, then, well...

=(
 
He took a massive pay cut due to the 3DS debacle. Also, he's about 7 years younger than Miyamato. I guess he'd carry on working there for the thrill of it, he clearly has an affinity for Nintendo as opposed to just seeing it as a job.

A guy who had no interest in staying at Nintendo wouldn't wear a silly Luigi hat on camera. :')

Iwata is quite possibly my favorite CEO, not because of his business strategies, but because he's such a lovable guy!

I couldn't possibly see him anywhere else but Nintendo. It's his livelihood...his passion...his hobby. It's obvious it's much more than a job for him.
 
The difference is, looking at what Nintendo have shown so far including a new mainline Pokemon and upcoming Mario kart and 3D Mario among others...they actually have a much better chance.

Sure, but iwata already said they would not drop the price and we all know there will be some kind of pricedrop, so its still hard to see them reaching that goal
 
If Iwata can't turn things around with Pokemon/Monster Hunter 4 and all the big Wii U titles set for later this year, he's gone.
 
If he gets fired, he'll just go back to HAL Laboratory and work on Kirby games, presumably as a programmer....just like the good ol' days.

He's a developer at heart.
That's what Nintendo's leadership needs. Things will only get worse if it was some guy just looking at the bottom line and didn't understand what makes their games/hardware appealing.

I don't think anyone at Nintendo has the experience in both business and design that Iwata has. That alone should be reason to not follow through with the resignation BS.
 
A few mistakes won't force him to leave, tons of mistakes might be but I don't think there is any reason for Iwata to resign or get fired.

I do kinda know why some people want him to leave but that's a bad reason.

You don't need to make a ton of mistakes if the few you do make are as major as the ones Iwata has made. Iwata's mistakes have put Nintendo on the Gamecube path, where they're going to have to be in "panic mode" for the entirety if next gen just to keep the Wii U hardware viable. Coming from where they were with the Wii, that is undeniably one of the BIGGEST fuck-ups in the gaming industry. The Wii U launch has so far made the PS3 launch look smart. You don't get much more fuck-uppity than that.

What's worse is the TYPES of mistakes he's making. Persistent lack of foresight, outright refusal to meet developers halfway and strengthen relationships. Refusal to get with the times on even PROVEN technologies (there is absolutely ZERO excuse for the Wii U's shitty OS). These are the types if mistakes that force shareholders to seriously question whether or not the man in charge has a vision for Nintendo and its place in this rapidly changing industry. And when you get to the point where you have to ask THOSE questions, you kind of don't want to give the man MORE time to fuck things up further. Iwata needs to go.

I mean, just look at Sony. Ken Kutaragi was the man who presided over the PS2, the most successful gaming console of all time, but the second that man started fucking up like Iwata Sony shareholders collected his head. And, judging by the miraculous turnaround Sony managed with the PS3 and the wave of great decisions going into the PS4, getting rid of Ken has been one of the smartest things they've done all year. And yet, if Sony had followed the logic of an Iwata fan, Ken would still be in charge, and leading SCEI into deeper ruin.
 
I'll ask him to resign if they'll skip the March Wii U Nintendo Direct as I now really fear.

I'm not sure they'll skip it...but I can see it being kept until the first week of April (new financial year + most of the big dated games will have launched by the end of this week),
 
That's what Nintendo's leadership needs. Things will only get worse if it was some guy just looking at the bottom line and didn't understand what makes their games/hardware appealing.

I don't think anyone at Nintendo has the experience in both business and design that Iwata has. That alone should be reason to not follow through with the resignation BS.

Well iwata cant be ceo for eternity. If they truly have no contingencies thats bad to begin with.

The Wii U launch has so far made the PS3 launch look smar

The WiiU will never lose 4 billion dollars so no
 
A guy who had no interest in staying at Nintendo wouldn't wear a silly Luigi hat on camera. :')

Iwata is quite possibly my favorite CEO, not because of his business strategies, but because he's such a lovable guy!

I couldn't possibly see him anywhere else but Nintendo. It's his livelihood...his passion...his hobby. It's obvious it's much more than a job for him.

Say what you want about the man, part of the reason I'd miss him if he were gone is because his charisma is unlike any other. He's genuine and humble. I'd miss him holding Directs, goofing with Miyamoto and Reggie and so on. It's just part of what makes Nintendo what it is, I guess.

If they do get a new CEO, it'd be great if they have that same investment in the company.
 
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