Nintendo on growing the Wii U, targeting everyone

Target markets? Only targets. Time is their only competitor

This was very strange year for Nintendo. Instead of showing off two or three marquee titles for release this year, they showed off five. They skipped a live stage presentation, and instead went for a fairly bare-bones global online press conference, and then a behind-the-scenes, press-only hangout where the revealed equally big news (like the inclusion of the Wii Fit trainer in the next Smash Bros).

These are strange behaviors. I sought out Nintendo’s Charlie Scibatta to discuss these behaviors, his thoughts on the Sony vs. Microsoft conferences, indies and third parties, how Nintendo is changing and their strategies for both the 3DS and Wii U going forward, and a lot more.

I was tempted to ask Charlie to directly address the people who say that Nintendo should get out of the console business, but he more or less got to that on his own. He seemed aware that Wii U isn’t where Nintendo wants it to be, but confident in their plan to get it there. Releasing five marquee titles by the end of 2013 certainly seems like a good start.