Iwata: A single game can turn a system around

CEO says Nintendo has a ‘clear idea’ of its next hardware

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During an investor Q&A, Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata was asked if the company will release its next game hardware earlier than expected given the way things are going for the Wii U.

“I of course believe that launching new hardware will not produce good results unless we first make sure that those who have already purchased our platforms are satisfied,” he said. “We will continue to work hard to ensure that consumers who already own our platforms are satisfied, and make sure that people will continue to see great value in our software, but I would like to say that we are preparing for our next hardware system, and in fact, we already have a clear idea to some extent about the direction our next hardware is going to take.”

We’ll see what happens once Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. are out this year. Elsewhere in the Q&A, Iwata said “The fate of a video game system is often influenced greatly by the introduction of a single title. As many of you probably remember, before the release of the Pokémon game, Game Boy had been showing slow growth, and many people wondered whether it was the end of Game Boy. But the Pokémon game singlehandedly changed the landscape of the system, which then started to show the strongest sales in the lifecycle of the system.”

You know, a non-spinoff Pokémon game for Wii U would sure hit the spot for a lot of us. As a recent system owner, I’m okay with the notion that most of the compelling software for the system is going to come from Nintendo itself, not third-parties — that was my expectation going in. I’m hopeful this will be an E3 full of pleasant surprises.

Financial Results Briefing for the 74th Fiscal Term Ended March 2014 [Nintendo]


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