Valjean Lafitte
Banned
As long as Treehouse remains untouched, I'd be down with anyone taking control of NOA.
Nintendo to Transition to a Company with Audit/Supervisory Committee, Officer System
As long as Treehouse remains untouched, I'd be down with anyone taking control of NOA.
They launched an underpowered console with a tablet controller and did next to nothing to secure gamings biggest franchises on their lead consoles for like the last decade.
Really?
Because... to me it seems like they have an overabundance of wide eyed dreamers who don't give a crap about the real trends in the world. They came up with whacky stuff and ignored what a bunch of the marketplace wanted.
And it worked for the Wii.... but that lightning in a bottle doesn't happen more than once. They have enough dreamers, they need some grounded people in the room to say "No" when they try and wheel out some nonsensical crap that flys in the face of the modern gaming market.
AcademicSaucer
Member
Yeah NOE has been superior to NOA for the past few years.
BareKnuckle
Member
It kind of sounds like the decision makers aren't people who are super attached to or working within the company.
So rather then the same person making business decisions and working on the games, there will be unbiased board of directors who decide what should happen before passing the info/plans to the development teams.
That's what it sounds like anyway, I could be completely wrong.
So rather then the same person making business decisions and working on the games, there will be unbiased board of directors who decide what should happen before passing the info/plans to the development teams.
That's what it sounds like anyway, I could be completely wrong.
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
Reggie is gonna keep dialing it in how he wants power lol. That e3 12 was embarrasing with him saying 3rd party games looked best on Wii U.
I don't like the sounds of this. The last few shareholder meetings have not left me with a good impression of Nintendo's shareholders.
SinCityAssassin
Member
The supervisory board is not that beholden to shareholders, but it will help mitigate the time it takes to make important decisions for the global market.
Reggie getting more power for NoA is always preferable though.
SinCityAssassin
Member
Reggie: Hey guys, you know what my body is ALWAYS ready for? Region-specific titles released in the US that aren't out a year after they launch in Japan.
Board: Reggie if we make this possible will you stop with the memes.
Eolz
Member
They get a free pass to the cafeteria
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2016/160427e.pdf
Last 3 pages of this PDF detail the changes. 4 people on the board leaving and becoming Senior Executive officers. Shuntaro Furukawa is joining the board.
Seems like Reggie & Satoru Shibata will have more power in this system as they will be executive officers.
Shuntaro Furukawa is new on the board (as far as internal Nintendo staff). I believe he worked at Nintendo Europe a few years ago. Naoki Noguchi too on the audit/supervisory committee (current head of HR).
The "Senior Executive Directors" were all previously on the board before and have "retired" from that body.
This is actually good news to read. They're becoming a more global company. this also means that Reggie and Shibata will have more power to make deals with other companies in their region and possibly have roles and suggestions about what could be greenlit.
Spring Drive
Banned
In what way?
SinCityAssassin
Member
In the "I don't like things sounding corporate" way.
This is probably a good thing, as other people have rationalized.
I hope so, but I'm not that optimistic
SinCityAssassin
Member
It's more power than they had before, clearly. Might as well make wishes.
I'm hoping so too. I've been wanting them to be more of a global company for some time now and give NoA and NoE more autonomy like they once had.
I'll imagine this happening:
Reggie: "People want a new Metroid"
Board member: "But we're giving them Federation Force"
Reggie: "People think it looks like shit and there's no signs of another game coming."
Board member: "Well Other M didn't sell well."
Reggie: "Because it sucked and people thought it was sexist."
Board member: "...Metroid is Dead."
Man...even my dreams end badly.
SinCityAssassin
Member
Here's your dream, the sequel.
Literally the other board members: Who let this fucking downer in the room. Kick him out of here.
And then Reggie throws him out the top floor of the Kyoto Headquarters.
I will be honest, this sound to me like it is going to focus power inward.... that wouldn't really give "NoA and NoE more autonomy" (and I honestly would not want them to have that to be bunt, NoA as proven that they can go off the rails at times) if I am correct. I feel that it would centralize what power the board has, which means that they would have to speak directly to the market if that is the case.
If it does mean a more global focus then that mean, if I have been correct so far, that it would ensure the survival of NoJ at the expense of it affiliates, which is what NoA and NoE are.
Either way, this is one of those changes that I can't gauge until it's effects settles... and that could be months.
Hopefully they will realize that there is untapped potential in Latin America, Middle East and even some countries in Africa and setup proper operations there (and not just sign random local partners)... Hell, they can simply start with how Netflix did: Pay with your Visa card and have access to a certain minimum (that minimum would be all Nintendo 1st party games & DLC, and if the numbers are ood, 3rd party publishers will follow)
But reading the news weeks earlier regarding how they shrunk their operations in Korea isn't the best sign to give...
But reading the news weeks earlier regarding how they shrunk their operations in Korea isn't the best sign to give...
fabricated backlash
Member
Theoretically this would give their international branches more say in how the overall company strategy can be applied and tailored to local markets. That alone would be a huge shift.
SinCityAssassin
Member
It seems overall they acknowledged they can't continue as a company without being more globally minded about the important decisions made within the company instead of Japan then outward.
Here's my take/explanation of it.
First off, the Audit and Supervisory Committee. Audit committees typically are in charge of making sure internal controls are adequate, often referring to financial controls. (They help avoid fraud.) They often have outside members to provide less of a conflict of interest from the committee. This all sounds like what Nintendo is setting up. It allows them to ensure that their internal measures are working. The "supervisory" part sounds like the committee may have more power/scope than the traditional audit committee, but I'm not sure.
The second part, introduction of executive officers, is more interesting but also unclear. The main point to take away is that, yes, it's more of a Western model to business. They're separating the management decision making/supervisory functions from the execution of operations. The executive officers are responsible for the execution of operations part, probably each focusing on a specific part of the company (hardware, NoA, etc). It'll be more clear who's responsible for executing operations, and it also seems like the "delegation of authority" regarding this execution will be "faster". The board still has supervisory control of the company, likely guiding the company's general direction. They also appoint the executive officers. They no longer execute the company's operations, however.
My opinion on this is that it's a good thing. It adds an outside look into the company in terms of the audit committee, which can strengthen the company's controls. Furthermore, the board no longer has to worry about general management and execution of operations (unless a board member is also an executive officer). This means you'll have people focused specifically on one thing, either the creation of general operations (the board) or the execution of it (executive officers). Executive officers MIGHT see more power from this, but they still report to the board foreseeably, so they are accountable for their actions. The one year term of the executive officers in particular will keep accountability high.
Overall, it's about making a management system that's more capable of responding to changing markets conditions.
Okay, that may still be a little technical, but I did my best to explain it/"dumb it down". There's really not too much information here as this is really just an announcement.
First off, the Audit and Supervisory Committee. Audit committees typically are in charge of making sure internal controls are adequate, often referring to financial controls. (They help avoid fraud.) They often have outside members to provide less of a conflict of interest from the committee. This all sounds like what Nintendo is setting up. It allows them to ensure that their internal measures are working. The "supervisory" part sounds like the committee may have more power/scope than the traditional audit committee, but I'm not sure.
The second part, introduction of executive officers, is more interesting but also unclear. The main point to take away is that, yes, it's more of a Western model to business. They're separating the management decision making/supervisory functions from the execution of operations. The executive officers are responsible for the execution of operations part, probably each focusing on a specific part of the company (hardware, NoA, etc). It'll be more clear who's responsible for executing operations, and it also seems like the "delegation of authority" regarding this execution will be "faster". The board still has supervisory control of the company, likely guiding the company's general direction. They also appoint the executive officers. They no longer execute the company's operations, however.
My opinion on this is that it's a good thing. It adds an outside look into the company in terms of the audit committee, which can strengthen the company's controls. Furthermore, the board no longer has to worry about general management and execution of operations (unless a board member is also an executive officer). This means you'll have people focused specifically on one thing, either the creation of general operations (the board) or the execution of it (executive officers). Executive officers MIGHT see more power from this, but they still report to the board foreseeably, so they are accountable for their actions. The one year term of the executive officers in particular will keep accountability high.
Overall, it's about making a management system that's more capable of responding to changing markets conditions.
Okay, that may still be a little technical, but I did my best to explain it/"dumb it down". There's really not too much information here as this is really just an announcement.
That's good.
I'm still a bit puzzled on how Nintendo managed to dilapidated their cash reserve in the course of 4-5 years.
SinCityAssassin
Member
Stock buybacks, corporate restructuring, weakening yen, company purchases, business alliances, DeNA partnership. All while having profit loss years.
Rösti;202003095 said:
This is what they did when Yamuchi first stepped down and Iwata became the CEO. I guess they undid it at some point during Iwata's tenure probably due to the success of the Wii and DS.
Nintendo needs some legitimate Western experience on the board of directors for them to rebound in the West IMO. That is the significant change that needs to happen.
I don't trust Reggie. I don't want him to have power. I want Nintendo to get someone better at NoA and have them have more power.
Dude is actually more than just a suit believe it or not. He'll even come sit with you at launch and talk and even ask about how you feel about the company. One person over Twitter talking with Emily about this said that when they worked at the Nintendo store in NYC, Reggie greeted them and talked with them and even implemented one of their ideas for the store though they were just some clerk there.
Dude seems passionate and trustworthy to me, he just doesn't get enough power to actually make much of a difference. Hopefully he can now.
He's better than no one. Having no one with any kind of say so (assuming he has any) about western gaming culture is why Nintendo is in the position they are now. And considering Kimishima is basically re-structuring the company to be more western-like, i.e. have more outside say-so is a good thing if it works out.
That audit and supervisory committee change seems like it could be a big deal. Majority outside directors means it will be less likely to put up with some of Nintendo's "traditional" decision-making (especially when they're losing money) and pressure the company into developing products in a manner more like the other big pubs.
Dark Cloud
Member
This is amazing news if the western regions get more power.
Thank you
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
I have no idea if this is good or bad, or what effect it even has on games coming out in the next five years.
I've heard other stories. I've heard him giving talks to MBA students around Washington during the Wii era, and he came off as a complete smug, arrogant asshole. Before Nintendo, he came up with the Bigfoot for Pizza Hut and worked at VH1. He took a lesser role at Nintendo most likely because he was not doing that well there. He just seems like a business man through and through. Maybe he has learned some in the last couple of years, but he isn't anywhere near as good as the previous guys that ran Nintendo.
Yeah, that's probably true, but I don't think he is anywhere near as good as the previous guys who ran Nintendo. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to target the Wii audience again. We can't also absolve him from the horrible marketing of the WiiU and 3DS in America. If Nintendo is using Reggie alone to determine how they should appeal to the west, I wouldn't expect huge improvements. If the restructuring leads to more Western guys, I think that is great news.
SinCityAssassin
Member
I mean, read the posts of people explaining this but the gist of it is more outside influence on development and financial management, more western oriented business structure and a new board for making company decisions that incidentally gives western regions a seat of power.
JP corporate structure is based on Japan and they often don't look at things globally or adopt a different approach. There's often this feeling that if you're in a western subsidiary, you have no power because all power is in Japan. So this is actually a big shift to have influence from the outside and understanding the other markets.
Something they've needed to do for a long time imo as the global company that they are.
The biggest new Nintendo releases this year are on mobile anyhow in the end.
I'm too tired to read the entire thread and will later, but I just want to say a Western corporate structure will not necessarily make them more agile. There are several older Western companies that have a vertical management structure based on the military. This makes them slow to push innovation as it takes a while for great ideas to make it all the way to the top. Tech companies instead do a horizontal structure where lower level employees can talk with the big dogs easier. Valve is run like this.
I fear Kimishima is creating the former though, as his experience in the West is working at banks which I assume had the vertical structure
I fear Kimishima is creating the former though, as his experience in the West is working at banks which I assume had the vertical structure
TheWorthyEdge
Member
What the hell just happened in these last couple of hours?
Talk about sensory overload.
Talk about sensory overload.
SinCityAssassin
Member
Well that and being President of Nintendo of America.
Father_Brain
Banned
Given that they're already fucking up the NX reveal/launch, this is sorely needed.
DrROBschiz
Member
Rösti;202003095 said:
Oh man
gross
Seems like a nasty power grab
I know I didnt love the WiiU but the philosophies that Iwata stood for were definitely better..
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