Nintendo's Iwata: "I don't recall saying I'd resign."
- Thread starter axisofweevils
- Start date
I think Nintendo's problems are on a company scale as opposed to just one guy.
They were able to turn around the 3DS, sure, but it's clear it was at the expense of the Wii and the Wii U because they simply didn't have the manpower to support all 3 platforms and upgrade to HD development all at once. While 3DS recovered, the Wii perished and the Wii U suffered delays.
And since the company's internal culture effectively demands quality over quantity, the company's ability to support both at once will only improve slowly as they hire more people.
I don't see how swapping the CEO out would help things much, the company's culture would still remain for a while after.
They were able to turn around the 3DS, sure, but it's clear it was at the expense of the Wii and the Wii U because they simply didn't have the manpower to support all 3 platforms and upgrade to HD development all at once. While 3DS recovered, the Wii perished and the Wii U suffered delays.
And since the company's internal culture effectively demands quality over quantity, the company's ability to support both at once will only improve slowly as they hire more people.
I don't see how swapping the CEO out would help things much, the company's culture would still remain for a while after.
MisterNegative
Banned
This is what people fail to understand. One consloe not meeting its sales target within the first few years of its launch does not mean the company will suffer losses in the millions. As long as Nintendo are not incurring massive losses there will be no suggestions for Iwata to go. That's all the shareholders care about. Profit. They won't forget the billions he has made for them.
michaelius
Banned
Good that means they remain in dreamcast-gamecube territory for next gen.
phosphor112
Banned
But... the losses aren't Kaz's fault. At all. Those policies, PS3 price point, expensive design, shitty software support (devs and consumers) was all out of Kaz's hands. Sinking TV and phones business... all out of Kaz's hands.
It wasn't until this year they finally posted profits.
Thanks to Kaz.
Mysterious
Banned
Not as good as what Nintendo wants. Xbox 360, PS3 have slowed down considerably, seeing as how their successor has been announced. Wii, Wii U and Vita sales are dead anyways, so it was only inevitable that 3DS led last month's NPD.
Also IIRC, 3DS was relatively flat YOY for last month as well.
Poltergust
Member
chertipros
Member
Oh, guess I was wrong then
Just like any game could be done on a previous hardware with limitations. You'd rather have it on the new though, don't you?
Pop-O-Matic
Banned
Nintendo is doomed...
It's Reyn Time!
Member
Judging by the headlines (and thread titles...) generated by even the most innocuous comments made by western developers, I honestly don't think the language barrier has much to do with it.
Not really, it'd be best if all the manufacturers are competitive.
Fire Emblem and Donkey Kong Country have been too, and Animal Crossing!
Father_Brain
Banned
Sadly, you might well be right. Ideally, a new CEO would be a Westerner or someone with extensive recent experience in a Western market, but I don't expect either to happen.
But it's beyond clear at this point that Iwata and the rest of NCL's current management have no coherent vision for how to keep Nintendo relevant in an increasingly Internet-connected, increasingly smartphone/tablet-driven, decreasingly Japan-centric market, and there's next to no chance of their corporate culture changing without a major change in management.
Every decision that went into designing, (not) supporting, and launching Vita was made while Hirai was in charge at SCE.
Not to say that PS4 will have anything close to the same problems, but let's not pretend that Hirai's track record is unblemished.
peanutbutterlatte
Member
What? I just pointed out there's been a 3DS in the Top 10 UK chart since March. And it's slowing down in Japan because there haven't been any big titles for a while; we got Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing, they've had that for ages.
Pokemon my friend. Pokemon.
krypt0nian
Banned
Seriously bad news for Nintendo's stockholders then. Run that ship aground Iwata.
Yeah, the guys are so out of touch, they kept this company on profit for at least 30 years.
So out of touch...
Ridiculous generalization. I care very much about Nintendo's future. That's why I want Iwata fired ASAP. Nintendo needs someone with a clear vision of the industry and what is needed to compete going forward.
MisterNegative
Banned
But the Wii U isn't selling, so non of that matters and the company should just go 3rd party so I can play the next smash bros on my ps4.
The "slow down" in Japan is the usual summer lull. Summer is always like this. Plus, with Monster Hunter 4 in September and Pokémon X & Y in October, the 3DS install base will increase by at least 6 million by the end of the year worldwide
peanutbutterlatte
Member
Mario Men.
Exactly. If you take a look at Nintendo's board members you see that Iwata is pretty much 10 years younger than everyone else. If someone of that group of people takes over, I fail to see how that would change anything.
Personally, I belong to the group that thinks that Iwata is doing the best he can given the conservative culture of Nintendo's management. But, of course, there's no way outsiders like us could know anything for certain.
jts
...hate me...
Why is that when you can play the bastard sibling right now on the PS3!
#truthfact #hardcoregaming
Graphics Horse
Member
No it should be a game where Kirby inhales the whole of Ninetendo and fights mecha Iwata.
phosphor112
Banned
Cerny designed the Vita. It's the support Kaz lacked in. So that is his fault. They aren't losing money on it. It has been consistently selling better (and more games per unit) than the Wii U has.
Jinfash
needs 2 extra inches
Is "Something better" acceptable?
No matter how you try to spin it the Vita has been a massive flop. That is not even debatable.
Spieler Eins
Member
Yet I don't think some soccermom would want to spend 400$ on the next Wii Fit just because it has a slightly clearer image quality. Or on Donkey Kong and 3D Land 2 for their kids, when identical looking games are offered on their much cheaper 3DS that has a much more diverse lineup outside of that. The Wii didn't have the leap in power, but all it's games and the whole concept of the console felt fresh nevertheless. Problem isn't that ,,any game could be done on previous hardware with limitations'', but that something like 3D World looks identical to a 3DS game on first sight. Same goes for everything else this year, it's just a clueless strategy of throwing random things at the console that were once successful, hoping that just one of them might just work again, while there's absolutely nothing on the console that might give it it's own identity. Not only are they graphically underwhelming (DK Returns was the first game I've played with WiiU BC and the DK Freeze trailer on eshop looks almost worse), but the whole hook of the system, which is the redundant controller, is also dropped entirely. And it all comes from Iwata mishandling his teams in the ,,panic mode'' people asked for, for some reason and the complete lack of future proof during the Wii era - Nintendo just now looking to expand their teams and planning new buildings in Kyoto is about 5 years too late. They seriously need a shakeup among the higher ups so this kind of shit doesn't happen again. (Because looking at the last years, the people that are in charge now apparently learn nothing from their mistakes)
That's not even true.
phosphor112
Banned
I didn't say it was. Still manages to sell better than the "flop" Wii U is. Sony doesn't even seem to be supporting the poor thing! Lol!
shinra-bansho
Member
I've said it before, but if Nintendo really have no potential candidates to head the company in the event of Iwata's departure then that in itself is a pretty major issue.
Exchange rates. How do they work?
metalslimer
Member
Vita isonly selling better than Wii U in Japan and that;s by less than 10k. It's dead everywhere else.
Exactly it would just be another sign of horrendous management. You always have options because anything could happen to Iwata and if he's the only candidate then you send your company spiraling for being ill prepared. If Nintendo posts a decent profit this year, he should be fine though. But if they miss that 9 million by a lot and lose money he will be gone.
Father_Brain
Banned
Last thing I'll say about Vita here, so as not to derail this thread:
I don't agree at all with the implication that there were no bad decisions made regarding the Vita hardware; it's an overengineered Spruce Goose of a product designed for a market that doesn't exist in anything close to the numbers needed to sustain an entire platform (male Western gamers ages ~17-35 who want to play graphically intensive, console-style 3D games on a portable). Whose job was it to approve the hardware design decisions Cerny made? Hirai's.
As for the bolded: that may or may not be true (I lean towards not), but it hasn't been confirmed anywhere that I know of.
m.i.s.
Banned
Hardware sales my friend. Hardware. Sales reported in NPD have been flat for the most part of this year. When you consider how Sony's handheld maket has virtually collapsed, why hasn't Nintendo been able to grow it's own handheld market at Vita's expense?
Yes, I'm well aware of X / Y [ I have it on pre-order ].
But in the UK, it'll be interesting to see if Nintendo can maintain those software chart numbers after the buy 3 get 1 download free promotion.
1. Announce an industry standard account system in line with all of their competitors.
2. Any VC title purchased on any system will work on any other system. No additional fees or nonsense.
3. Announce an all black and all white 3DS XL for North America immediately.
4. Announce VC for iOS and Android. Any VC title purchased with your Nintendo account will be available on mobile.
5. Wii U price cut.
6. New IP! Focus on a wider range of properties and genres.
This is just for starters, of course.
Jinfash
needs 2 extra inches
Well in all seriousness, and if we're going to take Kotaku's word for it...
So the "reading between the lines" wasn't something the "haters" thought of on NeoGAF. I wonder whether he was aware of such interpretation prior to this interview or not. He could have easily picked this time to shoot that interpretation down now that it's becoming clearer he's way off the mark.
Now *that's* and interpretation, unoriginal as it is, is something I'll take full responsibility for.
So the "reading between the lines" wasn't something the "haters" thought of on NeoGAF. I wonder whether he was aware of such interpretation prior to this interview or not. He could have easily picked this time to shoot that interpretation down now that it's becoming clearer he's way off the mark.
Now *that's* and interpretation, unoriginal as it is, is something I'll take full responsibility for.
Some serious backtracking going on here.
Yes, Iwata, you did mean "I'll resign if things go wrong" when you talked about commitment. You just said it in that roundabout way only the Japanese know.
Anyway I don't think he has a say in this. If the company doesn't perform well enough, shareholders and the board of directors will have his head. Heck, it would be awesome if Yamauchi himself turned against him... And I wouldn't even be surprised if he did.
Yes, Iwata, you did mean "I'll resign if things go wrong" when you talked about commitment. You just said it in that roundabout way only the Japanese know.
Anyway I don't think he has a say in this. If the company doesn't perform well enough, shareholders and the board of directors will have his head. Heck, it would be awesome if Yamauchi himself turned against him... And I wouldn't even be surprised if he did.
KillerTravis
Banned
That is only if you are seeing Japan numbers. Both are doing terrible everywhere.
So you can say you are an expert in Japanese culture?