Iwata to become Nintendo of America CEO, NoA CEO promoted to NCL Managing Director

Status
Not open for further replies.
Can anyone explain why Nintendo would be rewarding Kimishima with a promotion? NoA have been under performing significantly in recent years. Seems to me he has been doing a shit house job as NoA CEO.

More boys club for Nintendo by the sounds Of it. Its no wonder Nintendo are stuck in the past and stagnant. Their board and senior managment is stacked with the same old Japan-centric and western ignorant dinosaurs. Traditional Japanese culture will be the death of Nintendo. They're a global company that act like a small Japanese family business.
 
I think people are reading into this situation a little bit too much. It just seems like some temporary movement to accommodate the two vacancies on the board.

But, you know if people are really that confused, we can always ask Pachter to come in and explain it for everyone.

(laughs)
 
Wii U doesn't just have a marketing problem, it has a gamer problem. Gamers refuse to take the system on because Nintendo decided to move all sorts of key titles out of the release period / window entirely. Why they did that we will never know, but it has been a grave error -- whoever grabs the gamers first in a generation will get massive 3rd party support.

This error actually appears to parallel the error that Microsoft is about to make, if rumors are true.
 
Regardless of any change in direction, I would expect more titles to be localized simply because a) the exchange rate makes it favourable to do so now and b) digital releases actually open up the possibility of risk hedging. I think it's difficult to disentangle the factors.
 
Father_Brain said:
Given that Iwata seems to have been largely responsible (per Shikimaru Ninja) for ending NOA/NOE's autonomy in the first place, I would not be optimistic about this happening.
Click to expand...

This isn't autonomy, though. This is the head of the company personally stepping in and sorting shit out, rather than having NoA as an impotent puppet.
 
EloquentM said:
If you're just looking at the Wii u you're being short sighted and ignoring that the 3DS is killing it right now. Obviously there are missteps with the Wii at the moment but if they can turn it around like the 3DS iwata and Nintendo will be just fine. Anti-consumer mistakes aside Nintendo will be fine and that's all this conversation is about.
Click to expand...

The 3ds got off to a slow start that it's still recovering from (missed sales expectations, see that other thread?) and the Wii u is off to a historically bad launch that it likely won't recover from, at least not in the way Nintendo was probably hoping this time last year. Those failings fall at iwata's feet. Just saying "they're Nintendo they'll tiurn it around somehow" only compounds the mistakes.
 
EloquentM said:
If you're just looking at the Wii u you're being short sighted and ignoring that the 3DS is killing it right now.
Click to expand...

The 3DS is killing what exactly? This is from the Notice of Full-Year Financial Forecast Differences with its Results:

Reason for variances
The operating loss increased primarily due to the sales of "Nintendo 3DS" and "Wii U" being weaker than expected. While foreign exchange gains in Non-operating income increased, ordinary income and net income became smaller than the forecast.
 
Hopefully this gets rid of some of the disconnect between Japan & NOA.

I guess three things really need to happen (besides the obvious relaunch of Wii U):

- Nintendo needs to build up their Western development teams in NA and EU to create software that appeals to the core gamer that they supposedly want to get back.

- Nintendo needs to make a few deals with Western 3rd parties of various levels to fill out their software lineup.

- We need to get games in a timely manner that are released in Japan. Most stuff should get a retail release and if it's something super-niche that isn't going to justify a wide retail release, subtitle it (outsource the translation) and put it up on Eshop only.
 
Iwata has no understanding of the Western game market, has no good relationships with Western developers, so this should be *AMAZING*

Ironically amazing if you're a Nintendo fan, just plain amazing if you're not.

I really think Iwata thinks the only problem with the WiiU's state in North America is NOA incompetence. I hope that's not the case.

Edit: And correct me if I'm wrong but Iwata has basically taken on MORE responsibilities right? He's doing everything he was doing before but now also micro managing NoA?
 
GregLombardi said:
Wii U doesn't just have a marketing problem, it has a gamer problem. Gamers refuse to take the system on because Nintendo decided to move all sorts of key titles out of the release period / window entirely. Why they did that we will never know, but it has been a grave error -- whoever grabs the gamers first in a generation will get massive 3rd party support.

This error actually appears to parallel the error that Microsoft is about to make, if rumors are true.
Click to expand...

True. There are other problems but the marketing is a big one and has been a problem for years. The success of the Wii just masked it, at least for the first several years. There are a lack of games but the right marketing and information being presented could sell more of the system on potential. Convince people to buy now rather then later. That isn't even being done and I doubt NoA as they are now is actually capable of it.
 
Azih said:
Iwata has no understanding of the Western game market, has no good relationships with Western developers, so this should be *AMAZING*

Ironically amazing if you're a Nintendo fan, just plain amazing if you're not.

I really think Iwata thinks the only problem with the WiiU's state in North America is NOA incompetence. I hope that's not the case.

Edit: And correct me if I'm wrong but Iwata has basically taken on MORE responsibilities right? He's doing everything he was doing before but now also micro managing NoA?
Click to expand...

Who cares about relationships with developers if your system isn't selling? Developers don't matter in that case [for Nintendo at least].
 
jcm said:
The 3DS is killing what exactly? This is from the Notice of Full-Year Financial Forecast Differences with its Results:

Reason for variances
The operating loss increased primarily due to the sales of "Nintendo 3DS" and "Wii U" being weaker than expected. While foreign exchange gains in Non-operating income increased, ordinary income and net income became smaller than the forecast.
Click to expand...

I think most of the shortfall is on the NoA side though. In Japan and Europe the 3DS is doing well as I understand it.
 
Aquamarine said:
Iwata is CEO of two companies now (NCL and NOA).

He's not going to move to Redmond, though. Being the CEO + Global President of Nintendo is still his top priority.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. The title made it sound like he was moved to NoA with an active role in NCL as a MD.
 
thefro said:
- We need to get games in a timely manner that are released in Japan. Most stuff should get a retail release and if it's something super-niche that isn't going to justify a wide retail release, subtitle it (outsource the translation) and put it up on Eshop only.
Click to expand...

They've been getting better. Stuff like Paper Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda are even getting Western releases before Japan. Still not perfect, but this year most of the new stuff with be out in the US within 1 month of the Japanese release.
 
Azih said:
Iwata has no understanding of the Western game market, has no good relationships with Western developers, so this should be *AMAZING*

Ironically amazing if you're a Nintendo fan, just plain amazing if you're not.
Click to expand...


I love this idea, by the way, that if you are a "Nintendo detractor" that supposedly thinks Iwata is a failure and want to see Nintendo crumbles, that somehow him getting a promotion is supposed to make you "salty".

This would be like news breaking that Disney hired Uwe Boll to direct the next Avengers movie and Marvel fans being like "haha in your face haters! Salt salt salt!"
 
Aquamarine said:
Iwata is CEO of two companies now (NCL and NOA).

He's not going to move to Redmond, though. Being the CEO + Global President of Nintendo Co., Ltd. is still his top priority.
Click to expand...

I do at least hope this means he'll be racking up a ton of frequent flyer miles. He needs to spend more time in North America in general if he's to turn NoA around.
 
Stumpokapow said:
Regardless of any change in direction, I would expect more titles to be localized simply because a) the exchange rate makes it favourable to do so now and b) digital releases actually open up the possibility of risk hedging. I think it's difficult to disentangle the factors.
Click to expand...

Finally. It's back to what it was in Mid-2009. I wonder if they will ever reach to $1/110 yens like before.
 
Lol this will change ....nothing ?

Iwata is there but as long as i don't see so change of direction it doesn't matter on who is flying the damn plane.
 
Kunan said:
Did they? Not to beat this thread's dead horse but the resigning statement was for this coming fiscal year. Iwata wasn't claiming they were going to make 100 bill yen in revenue in 2 months.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wouldn't call this "moving the goalposts".

"Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" is more accurate.
 
chaosblade said:
I don't really think Reggie will be on the hot seat so much as the VP of sales and marketing - Scott Moffitt (the guy who replaced Cammie).
Click to expand...

In retrospect, despite the fact that she was kryptonite to many of us, I think it's fair to suggest that Cammie was *very* good at her actual day-to-day job.
 
lol, I can't wait to see what the Kaz twitter says today.

xU4uCwZ.png


https://twitter.com/IwataCEO/status/327058435977908226
 
After the meltdown of this morning news, I see the thing more clearly and I agree with Aquamarine's quote earlier in this thread.

This is probably in preparation of Iwata stepping back from the global president position, between this summer and 2014. Maybe if this fiscal year is doing good he will not retire after all too, but just in case Kimishima will be in Kyoto to take over and Iwata remain in NoA.

The important things are, IMO, that both mens can speak english, and this is important for the global president and NoA CEO positions.
 
Nirolak said:
I updated the title a bit.

The guy who was NoA's CEO was promoted to the Japanese position most likely to get Iwata's job were Iwata to leave, and Iwata subsumed his old job.
Click to expand...
Interesting. So it seems that this guy,Tatsumi Kimishima, is being groomed as Iwata's ultimate successor?

ZgaA1KJ.jpg


Edit: Maybe not?
Lunar15 said:
Speculation that Kimishima is being groomed to replace iwata is 100% baseless conjecture.
Click to expand...
I don't claim to know anything about this, I'm just trying to take in what has been discussed in the thread.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Poll
Your new CEO of Nintendo. What would you do to fix Nintendo? (If anything)
2
72
2K
AJUMP23 replied
CEO of Discord steps down, appoints ex Chief Strategy Officer of Activision as new CEO
20
415
xrnzaaas replied
MindsEye Developer CEO Says People Were Paid To Be Negative Towards The Game
23
213
Nydius replied
Sony Shake Up: Hiroki Totoki Named Corporate CEO, Hideaki Nishino Elevated to SIE Solo-CEO, Herman Hulst Reports To Nishino Now
4 5 6 7 8
389
23K
nial replied
Ted Price (CEO) is leaving Insomniac
2 3 4
163
8K
saintjules replied
Top Bottom