Nintendo's Iwata: "I don't recall saying I'd resign."
- Thread starter axisofweevils
- Start date
Chie Satonaka
Member
The reactions to this thread didn't disappoint.
While past successes aren't going to "save" him, nobody here knows if he was ever in any "danger" to begin with. It's all been speculative (wishful) fanfiction because Iwata is somehow personally responsible for everything that people dislike about Nintendo right now.
Iwata is in charge, but Nintendo is more than one person. Additionally, the shareholders, you know, the people you want to fire Iwata? Those guys have input into Nintendo's direction too, amazingly enough. It's not as simple as people seem to think.
While past successes aren't going to "save" him, nobody here knows if he was ever in any "danger" to begin with. It's all been speculative (wishful) fanfiction because Iwata is somehow personally responsible for everything that people dislike about Nintendo right now.
Iwata is in charge, but Nintendo is more than one person. Additionally, the shareholders, you know, the people you want to fire Iwata? Those guys have input into Nintendo's direction too, amazingly enough. It's not as simple as people seem to think.
trickyhero
Member
Nintendo is doing great on the 3ds side of things, sorry luigi, but 2013 is basicly the year od the 3ds, and almost all of the best games for the system have came out this year.Zelda and pokemon are going to destroy the ps4's and xbox 180's sales numbers, just you wait.
Carpe Libertatem
Member
I am not saying Nintendo does not need a proper account system they do. I am pointing out that even with out a proper account system Nintendo is doing better then Sony or MS are at making sure I retain my digital purchases. I am not a huge fan of Digital for this reason. after PS4 was said to not support my PSN games I stopped buying them. I have a 60gig that Will die and I was holding out on the PS4 to fix that. I will be buying a new PS3 and PS2 long before a PS4 for this reason.
Oh and I do consider needing PS+ to upload my save to the cloud to redownload them on a new system jumping through hoops. Combined with the fact that I dont even know if that will work with my PS2 saves with the newer non BC models Which is the advice my Sony rep gave me.
Yes and Nintendo has a long history of not bringing nearly half the colors Japan get anywhere else. Someone that would refuse to buy a system due to its color despite having compelling software that interests them is petty. That said it is strange that there is no black model as for white those just get filthy as a handheld.
Except that Nintendo sees Mobile as a major competitor to the 3DS. That would be like them supporting the Vita with VC games. Also just how many VC games would one person have to buy to make up the cost of them not buying a 3DS or WiiU? Offering there titles elsewhere would weaken there brand and they know it. I already have customers that ask where Mario, Donkey Kong or Pokemon are on PS3/360.
I find that both Dillon, Pushmo (for a puzzle game), HarmoKnight, Xenoblade and especially 101 have plenty of charm to them. I have not played the 2nd Dillon game yes that seems to have added more characters and such to the game. And there is no real way to make a new Mario or Zelda. They are literal legends. You cant manufacture that, devs have tried all gen to do that with Call of Duty Clones. It just does not work.
And the Wii gen did have new IPs, the Core ones were ignored while the casual ones took off. Wii Fit and Wii Sports were incredibly successful. Excite Tucks/Bots were not despite IMO being better then MK Wii.
Not to mention that we already have people (myself included) clamoring that Nintendo needs to give some of there current IP's more attention like F-zero and Starfox. Just how many companies put out the output Nintendo has been doing the past few years on the 3DS and WiiU? If I am counting right Nintendo is putting out over 20 games this year.
Diablo 3 and WoW lauch were a disaster but Blizzard made it so I think Nintendo will also made it.
TreasureHunterG
Banned
He may say he won't leave but if he doesn't change the company's direction he'll be inevitably forced to leave. Nintendo lost money for two years in a row, WiiU and 3DS had terrible launch sales and both of them made the company bleed money, this never happened before in all it's history and this situation has a lot do with Iwata's previous decisions and how he manage the company. He didn't properly managed to adapt fo HD development, hence the struggling from Nintendo studios. Anyone defending him because of his profits from Wii/DS is delusional, yet, a very profit-centric point though.
If Nintendo loose money for a third year in a row and WiiU fails to sell good numbers, he'll step down, for sure. He should have already left by the end of his last fiscal year. What's keep him from being booted are the shares he holds on the company, otherwise it would be very unlikely for him to keep his position.
If Nintendo loose money for a third year in a row and WiiU fails to sell good numbers, he'll step down, for sure. He should have already left by the end of his last fiscal year. What's keep him from being booted are the shares he holds on the company, otherwise it would be very unlikely for him to keep his position.
I think by naming himself head of NoA he's readying for one final fight. If the Wii U is not selling this holidays I'm sure he'll be asked to step down. From Hokkaido, he was never really part of the inner Nintendo Kyoto-based circle. You'll see a power struggle coming up if Wii U continue to falter.
TreasureHunterG
Banned
royalan is right. WiiU does have an image problem right now. The gaming press highlighted WiiU for months as a "current-gen" machine, underpowered, no games for it. Third-parties dropped support for it, EA being the apex. THIS IS BAD. Nobody will buy a machine with such reputation.
By the way, care to explain what is the "market Nintendo wants doesn't give two shits about the WiiU's hardcore "image""? Who is this market? Elabore, please.
There's plenty of reason to speculate he's in trouble outside of wishful fanfiction. They're losing money, they bungled the refresh of both their product lines, and the stock has gotten hammered. It would be weird if he weren't in trouble. He's the CEO of a publicly traded company. Nintendo's recent failures are his responsibility.
He's a CEO of a publicly traded company of which controlling interest lies basically in the hand of one man in Kyoto.
People should take step back and tone it down a notch, no one is getting fired for just one year of loss, and the loss that year wasn't even that huge, it's like what? Half what they made the year before or something? Even with Wii U struggling, he also got Japan locked down with 3DS.
That1BlackGuy
Member
In fairness he never explicitly stated it and even then if he implied it before still not really surprising, I think he's there to stay for a good while.
Anticitizen One
Banned
Iwata is Nintendo's Michael Eisner
Here are the things I didn't mention in my post: a mysterious shareholder, cash reserves, nintendo going tits up. Do you have anything to say about the things i actually did mention?
10% isn't a controlling interest. And I didn't say he was getting fired for one year of loss. I said "They're losing money, they bungled the refresh of both their product lines, and the stock has gotten hammered. It would be weird if he weren't in trouble." Do you seriously disagree with that statement?
Anticitizen One
Banned
Be careful "nintendo true fans" will attack you like they attack me in every thread. They insist there is no problem baghdad bob style
You are often "attacked" because you say outlandish and hyperbolic things. People on the board are not out to get you, relax.
Any horde will attack the one that stands outside the consensus; but that said, you, like me, often say inflammatory things (which is not the same as trolling: speaking only for myself, I always put the time and effort into elaborating on my positions) and we have to take some responsibility when people react. Of course people should always be addressing purely the POINTS being made and not the person making them, which is what can be really problematic at times in some topics. Have to be very vigilant to point this out to those who can't defend their points of view so resort to attacking the individual instead.
InsaneZero
Member
Nintendo doesn't necessarily need to "take risks" as they need someone that actually plays and understands contemporary video games with some actual authority in their management structure. That could probably go a long way in resolving Nintendo's current demographic problems.
a 10% interest in a company the size of nintendo is HUGE. i didn't even realize it was that big, i thought it was like 5%. i don't know how it works over there in japan but if it's similar to over here then the chance of anyone mobilizing without him would be near impossible. nintendo would sink before that happened if he was adamant about keeping things the way they were
i liked your old avatar more it fit your clumsy posting style. now i don't know if you want me to take you serious or not
Chie Satonaka
Member
Outside of the account system (which I've said is a huge blunder on Nintendo's part), what would you say they need to do differently? I don't understand this "demographic problem" you're suggesting.
10% is a lot of weight to throw around. It is not a controlling interest, which is what the other guy said.
I'm pretty sure it means 1 out of every 10 shares. Do you know what controlling interest means?
Liquidsnake
Banned
Amazing. Nintendo had a two year start on next gen and they gave us the Wii U.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Even with a price drop that wouldn't happen.
Nintendo's image has always been and will always be "for everyone" (i.e. all age group safe).
Some people on a hardcore gaming forum sometimes want more blood and tits and shit.
Catchpenny
Member
Surprised that we haven't seen any account bets yet. Or are those not allowed anymore?
I know I'd be willing to put my account up to bet Iwata will still be CEO in a year (barring medical issues).
I know I'd be willing to put my account up to bet Iwata will still be CEO in a year (barring medical issues).
Freezie KO
Banned
Dog suit 2016.
This assumes that Wii U is doing all the leverage for that target.
3DS on the other hand had and still has some of it's biggest and most anticipated titles lined up this year, with a bunch of new hardware versions/bundles to go with them. I may be wrong about this, but I vaguely recall that it's been said that 3DS was to be Nintendo's main focus for this year.
I doubt they'll meet the target but depending on how everything phases out and/or if there's still some legroom for Wii U to recover, it's possible to not be far removed from that goal.
Yes, that's true. But we can look at the Nintendo stock information page and easily see that 10% does not give a Nintendo shareholder a controlling interest. There's really nothing to argue here.
Japan's "locked down," but he's taken Nintendo's global presence and damn-near torpedoed it into toward irrelevancy.
Frankly, I don't know why people focus so much on the two years of loss Iwata's responsible for (although, when you consider that Nintendo has been profitable all this time, those two years of loss are pretty significant.). That's not the most damning thing. A decision to fire Iwata is not going to come from two years loss alone. Rather, it will be the board looking at that loss, and at how Iwata has set up the company to perform going into the future.
And, honestly, that's where the picture gets WORSE for Iwata (and why I think he needs to go ASAP). He hasn't just lost Nintendo short-term money, I'm afraid he's positioned Nintendo in an industry gray area where they'll never again be a competitive, dominant force outside of their own increasingly shrinking bubble.
Iwata has just run Nintendo so conservatively. Too conservatively. Nintendo's missed the opportunity to get in on the ground floor with so many dominant technologies and trends (online and robust content ecosystems, HD development, western gaming culture, etc.). Iwata neutered NoA and consolidated Nintendo's development presence to Japan JUST as the gaming nexus was shifting to the West, and now Nintendo has next to ZERO clout with the western development houses that make the most in-demand games, resulting in 3rd party support being the WORST it has ever been for a Nintendo console. This is made worse by the fact that Nintendo has few-to-no answers for these types of in-demand western gaming experiences in its own first party lineup-- and this is thanks to Iwata's completely insular, Japan-centric thinking. People attempt to gloss over Iwata's failures by pointing out their progressive policies with indie developers, but you can't count on fucking indie games to save a platform, and in just a few short weeks both Sony and MS have amended their policies to match and completely stolen their thunder on that front, too.
So, if I'm an investor, I'm not focusing on the two years of loss. I'm focusing on the future, and wondering just where the hell Nintendo as a company can go under a man as conservative, insular, and lacking of vision as Iwata after the success of the Wii/DS.
The answer, as we're discovering, is nowhere but down.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Sorry I meant the 9.5 million WiiU's thing.
When's the last time Nintendo's met their 3DS expectations? Haven't they always reduced them as the year went on?
Replace a few words and we can make this post into 2003. Or 1998. Almost word for word.
SenatorBot
Member
You know, I agree with that. Along with Iwata and gang's recent interviews it just shows that they don't care what other people think and are running Nintendo like an old boy's club.
I'm alright with Nintendo heading into the direction they're in but they're slowly marching towards a future where Nintendo doesn't equal gaming anymore and I'm afraid that Nintendo's legacy would be lost.
Ah, the old "we're not going to fail in the future because we've succeeded in the past!" excuse.
You simply can't accurately project anything into the future, whether that's a resurgence upward or... what you're projecting (i.e. down into irrelevance).
Based on the facts as they are now, with two failed launches under his belt and a general ignorance when it comes to what makes games sell in the largest global markets that's AREN'T Japan, it's much more of a leap to predict some sort of future where Iwata completely justifies the Wii U AND himself as CEO than it is to predict that Nintendo is in trouble unless they make some drastic alterations going forward.
Freezie KO
Banned
How could you say the same things in 2003? You couldn't complain about the long-term direction of the company in 2003 when Iwata had just succeeded Yamauchi in 2002.
As for 1998, if you warned against the direction of the company then, maybe Gamecube wouldn't have done so poorly.
All situations are not created equal.
DjRoomba said:
Well, this raises the discourse.
Pie and Beans
Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Great post Royalan.
Glad someone gets it. I'm not against a label, after all, Yoshi's Island and Super Metroid are some of my all time favourite of the evers, with Mario Galaxy pretty darn far up there too.
Iwata and Miyamoto however are done. Time and time again now over the end of the Wii's life, the beginning of the 3DS, and now the WiiU, they've shown they have no cohesive plan whatsoever and no clue where the rest of the industry is going.
Iwata assigning himself as the American CEO was just another example of "not getting it", when it was clear that what Nintendo needed most was a new westerner given a position of carte blanche to start chasing the shit the Japanese arm is finding it difficult to comprehend. Instead its the same guy and the third party situation is at an ALL TIME low.
When I read interviews from a confused sounding Miyamoto admitting there are staff members that would like to be making new IP but nope, its frustrating. All the more when he echoes the "HD development is hard who knew" please understand's. Good Managing job there Mr Manager!
But then on the same side I KNOW theres incredible talent at EAD, from the people that worked on Mario Galaxy, and Sakurai who is an endless bundle of energy who I'd much rather got to work on more projects like Kid Icarus than get plonked on the Smash factory again.
Glad someone gets it. I'm not against a label, after all, Yoshi's Island and Super Metroid are some of my all time favourite of the evers, with Mario Galaxy pretty darn far up there too.
Iwata and Miyamoto however are done. Time and time again now over the end of the Wii's life, the beginning of the 3DS, and now the WiiU, they've shown they have no cohesive plan whatsoever and no clue where the rest of the industry is going.
Iwata assigning himself as the American CEO was just another example of "not getting it", when it was clear that what Nintendo needed most was a new westerner given a position of carte blanche to start chasing the shit the Japanese arm is finding it difficult to comprehend. Instead its the same guy and the third party situation is at an ALL TIME low.
When I read interviews from a confused sounding Miyamoto admitting there are staff members that would like to be making new IP but nope, its frustrating. All the more when he echoes the "HD development is hard who knew" please understand's. Good Managing job there Mr Manager!
But then on the same side I KNOW theres incredible talent at EAD, from the people that worked on Mario Galaxy, and Sakurai who is an endless bundle of energy who I'd much rather got to work on more projects like Kid Icarus than get plonked on the Smash factory again.
Chie Satonaka
Member
It's really frustrating, as I do think there's a lot of interesting discussion to be had about Nintendo in general, but you're right. I'm trying to stay away from Nintendo threads, but after the fanfiction in the last "Iwata might retire!!!111" thread, it was fun to see that shut down and look at the responses from some of the key players.
Edit:
Now, I could be mistaken, but I don't recall him assigning himself the position ala Harkin from Horrible Bosses. What's the story here?
SenatorBot
Member
I agree, where are the new Miyamoto, Aonuma, Sakamoto and Sakurai and etc etc.
Nintendo has the most talented staff in the entire industry with many developers having their childhood dream be joining Nintendo. Why isn't Nintendo putting the spotlight on potential new developers with potential new IPs and to build them up as the next big thing?
Rather than let the old gang take all the spotlight, give the fresh new blood a chance at developing a big title and not a eshop throwaway.
Pie and Beans
Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=545992
Prime time for a new player to be hired and sort Nintendo's Western side out. Instead Iwata jumps in. Oh and I guess getting rid of Reggie would be a pretty good move as well, since he's either too afraid to say "what the fuck are you doing" in meetings, or is just as dumb as bricks.
On the flipside, when people like Dan Adelman are given a bit more power (and Adam Boyes on Sony's side) magical things happen. So its not all doom and gloom, there are talented forward thinking people in Nintendo, but the current top 3 (Iwata, Miyamoto, Reggie) are not them.
I largely agree with this post. I think the last 3-4 years have positioned Nintendo towards a future where they have little western interest, let alone support.
Placing yourself outside of the competition can work on some occasions, especially when the competition is destroying itself, but Nintendo's now in a weird ghetto in terms of media coverage, hype, fanbase cultivation, and western-appeal. They haven't shorn up the holes in their lineup (FPS, sports), in spite of the fact that third-parties aren't there anymore. And they haven't focused on the kinds of comprehensive online multiplayer experiences the rest of the world currently induldges in.
And, the thing is, even if they went to work trying to reverse this problem now, it would take the better part of a generation or two before they could correct it. Hell, they might fall behind on some other, newer front, in the meantime.
And, just anecdotally, when I was a kid, Nintendo was synomous with games. When I talk to a child now, I'm lucky to find one who doesn't cite Halo or COD as his favorite game or the Xbox as his favorite console. I wonder if Nintendo is growing or even refreshing the ranks of the faithful, or is just content with riding a shrinking proportion of fans for the time being. Are they creating the kind of nostalgia/attachment I still feel towards them in younger gamers, or are they merely creating "fun" but unmemorable diversions?
zomgbbqftw
Banned
The real issue for NoA is that Nintendo never sufficiently replaced Howard Lincoln, he was a real big hitter in the corporate world and made NoA a successful division. Reggie is just a lightweight idiot in a suit with a couple of slogans for the good times. By this point Howard Lincoln would have forced Yamauchi to take action in the US to revive flagging sales and revenue. I don't think Reggie really has any power whatsoever.
On the Sony side, they have their Howard Lincoln. Jack Tretton does a very, very decent job at SCEA, IMO he drove the no-DRM movement internally at SCEA and he has allowed the US studios to flourish while also letting go of dead weight. SCEA's output is so far above that of SCEJA and SCEE it's not even funny any more. Jim Ryan needs pull his finger out and get SCEE's house in order or I think he is on his way out.